Jennifer Rao | Photo by Adam Atkinson
What I study and why: My graduate research was in environmental engineering, studying free-living amoeba (FLA) in our drinking water networks. FLA can be pathogenic and can also harbor pathogenic bacteria leading to an increased risk for infection, especially for people who are immunocompromised. Here at Lafayette I hope to continue my research on FLA, primarily around investigating what processes can be added to water treatment to enhance their removal. I also want to begin researching ways of turning waste streams, such as biosolids from waste-water treatment plants, into usable products using bacteria. My research will have a lot of overlap between chemical, environmental, and bioengineering.
This fall I’m teaching: Biomaterials Science and Material and Energy Balances
What students can expect from me: I come to Lafayette with many years of both industry and higher education experience, and I plan to use that experience to really help students connect what we are learning in the classroom to the real world. I am someone who is very understanding and compassionate, but I will expect a high level of professionalism from my students. I hope to teach my students a variety of real-life skills, like communication, relationship building, and time management, in all of my classes.
Getting to know me: I first worked at Lafayette over a decade ago and of all the places I have worked it is the one place that has felt like home to me. I am so excited to be back at Lafayette and I can’t wait to get involved on campus in a variety of ways.
I used to run my own wedding cake business as a side hustle. I closed the business in 2017, but I still love to bake (I may bring goodies to class/work often) and make cakes for my family and friends, especially for my daughter’s birthday. I am also a lifelong runner. I may not be as fast as I used to be, but I hope to train for another half-marathon soon.
Continue reading to meet more of Lafayette’s newest faculty members.