Kathryn Hollar

Undergraduate Education in Pollution Prevention

A three-year site for Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Program at Rowan University has been established through funding from the National Science Foundation and Rowan University. A common theme unifies the Rowan REU Site activities-Pollution Prevention. Site activities focus on fundamental and applied multidisciplinary research in pollution prevention. Pollution prevention is a key element of new EPA initiatives to protect our childrens health and to promote environmental justice and urban environmental quality. Selected students from all over the USA work closely with engineering faculty on funded research projects in engineering that encourage pollution prevention and sustainable development. This eight-week program exposes students not only to the values of research experiences but helps them reinforce and build other important skills such as communication and leadership. The program also exposes participants to engineering ethics and gender/race issues facing underrepresented populations in science and engineering. The ultimate objective is to provide the REU participants with an enriching research experience that will encourage them to pursue graduate studies.