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News
Dowling College Professor Presents Groundbreaking Method of Decontaminating Floodwater
Dr. Vishal Shah, Assistant Professor of Biology at Dowling College, will present at an upcoming American Chemical Society conference details of a novel method of decontaminating flood waters, considered an effective alternative to procedures currently being enacted in the Gulf Coast towns devastated by Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita.
At the 40th Western Regional Meeting of The American Chemical Society in Malibu, California on January 24, Dr. Shah will present an abstract entitled, "Decontamination of Flood Waters Through Modified Fenton's Reaction". His work was made possible by a grant from the National Science Foundation in the amount of $15,000 (Award Number BES-0552469).
"It is imperative to decontaminate the affected water in the Gulf region," Dr. Shah explained. "Contamination of large bodies of water will have a devastating long-term impact on the health, ecology and economy of the region."
Dr. Shah and several undergraduate students from Dowling College worked in a laboratory to develop a simple technology that would effectively kill more than 99% of the microorganisms in flood water. Once the technology is developed, there is the possibility it can be used to also degrade complex chemical molecules such as aromatic hydrocarbons and chlorinated biphenyls from the contaminated waters. The technology is based on a well-known chemical reaction called Fenton's reaction, Dr. Shah explained.
The project reinforces Dowling's mission of exposing students to cutting-edge research and imparting hands-on research experiences while they pursue a Bachelor's or Master's degree.
About Dowling College
Dowling College is an independent, coeducational college that serves more than 6,500 students at
its historic Rudolph Campus on the banks of the Connetquot River in Oakdale, NY, and the 105-acre
Brookhaven Campus in eastern Long Island and a business center located near the Nassau-Suffolk
border in Melville. Dowling offers Bachelor′s, Master′s, and Doctoral degrees in several
disciplines through its four schools: Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Education.
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