Clarkson University Students Earn Top Honors at New York Water Environment Association Annual Meeting

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Three Clarkson University graduate students earned top presentation awards at the University Forum of the 98th annual meeting of the New York Water Environment Association, held in early February in New York City.

The students received first-, second- and third-place honors, marking a clean sweep for Clarkson at the annual conference.

Ella Weldy, a master's student in environmental science and engineering, was awarded first prize for her research on using a bromoform additive to reduce agricultural emissions from manure lagoons. These lagoons, commonly used to store animal waste, are significant sources of methane and ammonia released during anaerobic decomposition.

Bromoform, a naturally occurring methane-inhibiting compound found in Asparagopsis seaweed and also synthesized for use in cattle feed, has been shown to reduce methane emissions by up to 90 to 95 percent. Weldy's research builds on her undergraduate work funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture through the Strengthening Agricultural Systems program. She works with researchers Seamus McGovern-Lind and Philip Hekeler under the advisement of Stefan Grimberg, professor of civil and environmental engineering and co-director of the New York State Center of Excellence in Healthy Water Solutions.

Kelechi Okere, a doctoral student in civil and environmental engineering, received second prize for research on a low-energy pathway for sustainable nutrient recovery from anaerobic digestion side streams. His work integrates calcium-driven crystallization to recover phosphorus with bipolar membrane electrodialysis to remove ammonia nitrogen. Laboratory testing achieved about 90 percent phosphate recovery and a 72 percent reduction in alkalinity. Subsequent treatment removed about 80 percent of ammonia at 7.7 to 9.7 kilowatt-hours per kilogram of nitrogen, significantly less energy than required for industrial nitrogen production through the Haber-Bosch process.

Okere's research is funded by the New York State Center of Excellence in Healthy Water Solutions and the U.S. Department of Energy. Faculty collaborators include Taeyong Kim, Shane Rogers and Grimberg.

Nomagugu Ndlovu, a master's student in applied data science, earned third prize for developing an interactive Power BI dashboard that transforms real-time data from Clarkson's anaerobic digester into a learning tool for K-12 educators. The dashboard supports lessons on biogas production, solids removal and water purification, integrating STEM concepts with sustainability analytics.

Her project, funded by a USDA grant, is advised by Grimberg and Jan DeWaters of Clarkson's Institute for STEM Education.

"The University Forum provides students an opportunity to showcase their research and receive valuable feedback from professionals in the water sector," Grimberg said. "We are very proud of the work of Clarkson graduate students in advancing healthy water solutions."