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This past summer, Lee Vanzler ’07 (Sharon, Mass.) proposed a research project that he would spearhead as part of Lafayette’s Society of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (SEES), a student-founded organization established to promote interdisciplinary collaborative research on environmental issues.
Today, Vanzler and a group of five other students are getting ready to present the project, “In-Situ Soil Remediation Using Geothermal Energy,” and its results at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) on April 13.
“It is very exciting to be able to present all of our efforts at NCUR,” says Vanzler. “I am most looking forward to seeing what type of research other students have to present.”
Other students in the group are civil engineering majors Lindsey Brough ’08 (Durham, Maine), Samira Fowler ’07 (Dingmans Ferry, Pa.), and Trevor Ortolano ’07 (East Nassau, N.Y.), chemistry major and Marquis Scholar Kate Buettner ’07 (Chagrin Falls, Ohio), and Marquis Scholar Michael Adelman ’10 (Clarks Summit, Pa.). Arthur Kney, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, Samuel Morton, assistant professor of chemical engineering, and Steven Mylon, assistant professor of chemistry, served as project advisers.
Vanzler, a civil engineering major, credits his previous involvement with SEES as the inspiration for the project. He believes the organization allows for a level of research that is difficult to come by as an undergraduate, one that enables a sense of what it is like to do graduate level work. He hopes the project framework will provide students throughout the next several years with a similar experience to his own.
“When developing this project, I reflected on the successes and failures of past years’ efforts with Society of Environmental Engineers and Scientists,” says Vanzler. “I wanted to find work that was interesting and cutting-edge, and would excite students from a variety of academic disciplines and experiences. The project seemed a perfect fit since it involved civil engineering, chemical engineering, economics, and even politics. My personal interest in geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering influenced where the project is today. The Society of Environmental Engineers and Scientists seeks to find sustainable solutions to existing environmental problems, so it was exciting to consider the possibility of developing a novel remediation technology that could shift industry standards and encourage forms of green energy.”
In-situ remediation technologies, while often preferred for heavily contaminated sites, present risk of contaminant mobilization during conventional injection and extraction treatment practices.
“Our research will look at producing a chemically enhanced steam from below zones of contamination in order to mitigate the transport of compounds further into the subsurface, with emphasis on dense nonaqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs),” says Vanzler. “Investigations will look at the use of geothermal wells to produce the remedial stream, and the economic benefits of the wells remaining in place for post-development power and electricity generation.
“In more general terms, many compounds are notoriously difficult to remediate from the subsurface and require innovative technologies to treat. There has been little success treating DNAPLs, which are a type of compound that is denser than water, including several chlorinated solvents, most notably TCE and PCE. A method currently used to treat these compounds is called steam enhanced extraction, where steam mobilizes the contaminant and causes it to migrate closer to the surface. Our research looks at a more effective way to do this – one that is possibly more successful at treating NAPL compounds while proving more economical by utilizing a sustainable form of energy.”
Vanzler believes that Lafayette provides a positive environment for undergraduate research.
“The ability of a smaller school like Lafayette to provide such advanced research opportunities to students is enormous,” says Vanzler. “Having a background in research during undergraduate years not only gives students a sense of what graduate study might be like, but also helps to develop new mind-sets and ways of looking at complex problems that are invaluable at any level. Rarely is an engineering problem going to be solved with a textbook solution – research and the Society of Environmental Engineers and Scientists does a great job of preparing students to meet this realization.”
After graduation, he will pursue master’s and Ph.D. degrees in geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering. Vanzler is sure his time at Lafayette will aid him in future endeavors.
“The quality and variety of experiences at Lafayette – through academics, research, and extracurricular activities – has given me great direction and confidence in my future plans,” he says. “These experiences have given me an advantage over students from other schools in looking at graduate programs, but more importantly, have allowed me to find and develop my own personal interests and passions in the field.”
Vanzler is a member of the student chapter of American Society of Civil Engineers and Steel Bridge team, and a tutor at the Boys and Girls Club through the Landis Community Outreach Center. He also is the football mascot and participates in intramural sports.
As a national leader in undergraduate research, Lafayette sends one of the largest contingents to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research each year. Twenty-one students have been accepted to present their research at this year’s conference.