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University of Maryland Gemstone Project on Oil Spill Response Sorbent

APRIL 21, 2017--Over the past year OR&R's Ed Levine, an Emergency Response Division Response Operations Supervisor, has been working as an adviser and discussant to a group of University of Maryland seniors on their Gemstone Honors project.

The Gemstone Program at the University of Maryland is a unique multidisciplinary four-year research program for selected undergraduate honors students of all majors. Under guidance of faculty mentors and Gemstone staff, teams of students design, direct, and conduct significant research, often but not exclusively exploring the interdependence of science and technology with society. This community challenges and supports the students in the development of their research, teamwork, communication, and leadership skills. In the fourth year, each team of students presents its research in the form of a thesis to experts, and the students complete the program with a citation and a tangible sense of accomplishment.

The Gemstone Honors Program engages students in a rigorous and rewarding undergraduate research experience utilizing a multidisciplinary team approach. In partnership with extraordinary faculty, Gemstone research teams advance knowledge and explore society’s urgent questions. The Gemstone Honors Program challenges and supports student growth and learning in a community that values leadership, mentoring and relationship building.

Team Cattails is an undergraduate team-driven research project facilitated through the Gemstone Honors program at University of Maryland, College Park. Their research goal is to evaluate the suitability of cattail seeds for oil adsorption under different environmental conditions and compare this to other natural sorbents.

Natural sorbents can be reused, degraded, incinerated, or disposed in landfills as a means of removal (Fingas, 2012; ITOPF, 2012). As a result, they are often seen as a more environmentally friendly solution for oil spill removal. Most are absorbents and act like sponges (ITOPF, 2012). However, this makes the recovery of the absorbed liquid challenging. Cattails are one of the most commonly found plants in marshes and shallow waters around the world, especially along the east coast of the United States. The two major types are the broad leaf and the narrow leaf cattail. Within their pods are cattails seeds. These seed fibers are hydrophobic, oleophilic, and have a large surface area, making them an ideal oil adsorbent. For their project, they researched the properties of cattails more extensively in differing environmental conditions.

Ed Levine has lectured to the students, met with them in groups, arranged a visit to the NOAA Science on a Sphere exhibit, and served as an adviser and discussant for their research project. On April 21, he will participate in the final Gemstone Thesis Conference. At this time, he will have carefully read the team’s thesis and prepared constructive and honest feedback. After the conference, the students will have several weeks to incorporate the suggestions before their final thesis is due, at the beginning of May.

This is a personally rewarding experience and an outreach opportunity to college seniors to see opportunities where their research may effect real world situations and possibly open the door for them to continue careers in the sciences and possibly NOAA in the future.

For more information, contact Ed.Levine@noaa.gov.

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A group of people posing in front of cattails.
University of Maryland Gemstone Honors Program participants. Image credit: NOAA.
Last updated Tuesday, November 8, 2022 1:52pm PST