Three 
students with ties to the University of Colorado Boulder Environmental Engineering program have earned a major honor from the National Science Foundation.
The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited US institutions.
Annabel Mungan, Trisha Nickerson, and Shelby Tillema have each earned the fellowship, which includes three years of financial support including an annual stipend of $34,000, a cost of education allowance, and professional development opportunities.
Annabel Mungan
Environmental Engineering MS Student
Advisor: Julie Korak
Lab: Korak Lab
My interests are in water and wastewater treatment, specifically in remote areas. Currently, my research is on removal of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) from drinking water. Cr(VI) is naturally occurring in groundwater sources around the world and has been identified as a human carcinogen. My lab work seeks to develop and test a new technology combining ion exchange and adsorption treatment processes to selectively remove trace Cr(VI) from contaminated drinking water sources. The goal is to create a more economical solution for Cr(VI) removal in rural communities that currently cannot afford to treat their water.
Trisha Nickerson
Chemical Engineering PhD student co-advised by Environmental Engineering
Advisor: Michael Toney (ChBE)
Co-Advisor: Anthony Straub (EVEN)
Labs: Toney Group and Straub Research Group
The goal of my research is to better understand the molecular-level processes that govern the performance of polymeric water filtration membranes. We'll be probing the local, nanoscale environment of ions within hydrated commercial membrane polymers to understand their hydration state and bonding environment using advanced X-ray characterization techniques. Knowledge of an ion's local bonding environment will help elucidate transport pathways and rejection mechanisms that determine membrane performance and hopefully allow for the development of improved computational models and membrane materials.
Shelby Tillema
2021 Environmental Engineering BS Graduate
Advisor: Azadeh Bolhari
I graduated from CU Boulder with my BS in Environmental Engineering in Spring 2021 and have since been working as a researcher at CU Boulder on several interdisciplinary projects. These include a performance analysis of acrylic concrete rainwater harvesting structures, as well as engineering education research related to innovation self-efficacy and community cultural wealth. With the support of CU Boulder's RISE (Resilient Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) Interdisciplinary Research Theme, I have also been researching how household capacity and resiliency develops in the aftermath of disasters such as the 2021 Marshall Fire in Boulder County. Previously, I have worked on topics such as water reuse, PFAS destruction and remediation, and resource recovery from waste products. I will be pursuing a PhD in Environmental Engineering at Northwestern University starting in Fall 2022, where my research will continue to focus on resource recovery, emerging contaminants, and exploring the intersection between engineering and the social sciences.