Project Description: The Karanikola Optimized Research for Environmental Sustainability (KORES - https://koreslab.com/) Lab centers its work on community-driven research that bridges the gap between scientific discovery and practical application, advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals for equitable access to clean water. We focus on materials and processes for water and wastewater treatment at the water–energy interface, using fundamental science to solve real-world challenges. Our projects specifically investigates sustainable methods to remove poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), persistent “forever” contaminants that accumulate in soil and water and pose significant public health concerns. To address this problem, we employ advanced tools—including Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation, rapid small-scale column testing, material characterization methods, and analytical chemistry—to better understand PFAS behavior and guide effective treatment strategies.
NASA Relevance: Supports NASA’s need for clean and safe water systems in space and advances technologies relevant to NASA’s earth and space science missions.
Work Description: Interns will learn to operate a bench and small-scale adsorption column system and test different water qualities (synthetic and real waters) that have PFAS. Students will become familiar with using equipment such as conductivity, and pH meters and learn to operate analytical chemistry equipment such as a liquid chromatography (LC-MS) and characterize the novel materials we synthesize with characterization techniques we have in the laboratory such as goniometer and streaming zeta potential. Students will also have the opportunity to work with a novel tool, the Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation (QCM-D) equipment which provides unique and critical data on PFAS interactions with different surfaces.
Open or Reserved Project: 1 reserved position, 2 positions total