Indian-American Prasun Chatterjee, whose research has contributed to a new way of detecting toxic lead and copper in water, has been chosen to receive one of the highest research honours bestowed on graduate students in the field of environmental chemistry.
Chatterjee will receive the 2010 C Ellen Gonter Environmental Chemistry Award from the American Chemical Society's (ACS) Environmental Chemistry Division when ACS holds its fall national meeting in Boston this August, the University of Lehigh said in a statement.
Chartered by the US Congress, ACS has more than 160,000 members and is the world's largest scientific society and the premier international organisation for chemists, chemical engineers and related professions.
The Gonter award is given to a graduate student for an outstanding research paper.
A PhD candidate in environmental engineering in the department of civil and environmental engineering, Chatterjee will deliver the invited Gonter lecture, 'Rapid Detection of Toxic Metals in Water through pH Changes Using a Novel Hybrid Material.'
The University said, Chatterjee's doctoral research has led to the development and synthesis of an inexpensive inorganic material that can detect toxic lead or copper in water at the parts-per-billion level by using a pH meter or pH paper.
Chatterjee is also co-inventor of a technology called "Rapid Sensing of Toxic Metals through Use of Hybrid Inorganic Materials," for which a US patent has been applied.
Students in Lehigh's freshman engineering projects classes use hybrid inorganic materials to make easy-to-use gadgets that detect toxins in drinking water.
He received his BS and MS in chemical engineering from Jadavpur University and is hoping to complete his PhD this year.
