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NSF-supported Projects

Antibiotic resistance in wastewater systems

• Faculty Mentor:
• Project Description: Antibiotic-resistant pathogens are an emerging human health concern worldwide. Wastewater treatment systems are the main recipients, reservoirs, and sources of antimicrobial resistance. The student will work with the research team, apply culture-based and molecular-based methods to to study antibiotic resistance in wastewater. The student will learn to do preliminary analysis on the obtained data and to compare the findings with the relevant literature. Students should have a strong interest in learning microbial methods, statistical analysis. and working in a team.

Enabling One Water security for climate-ready communities

• Faculty Mentor: Meghna Babbar-Sebens and Luhui Whitebear
• Project Description: In this project, the student will collaborate with community partners in the Siletz River basin to co-identify potential realizations of drought and population stresses. These realizations will be used to “stress-test” community source-to-tap water management decisions in the river basin and across different planning horizons (e.g., 5–10 years vs. 20–50 years). The scenarios will capture both chronic drought exposure (e.g., recurring annual droughts) and cascading disruptions (e.g., increasing wildfire severity, reduced summer base flows, rising stream temperatures, and soil-moisture deficits), as well as projected population growth. They will be informed by regional atmospheric projections under multiple emission scenarios, hydrologic and thermal budget assessments from prior studies, and existing regional population and tourism analyses. The final selection of drought and population stress realizations will be refined in consultation with community partners.

Sustainable Seaweed-Derived Biomaterials for Biomedical, Pharmaceutical, and Nutritional Applications

• Faculty Mentor: Binata Joddar
• Project Description: Seaweed cultivation presents a unique opportunity to enhance marine ecosystem resilience by absorbing excess carbon and nutrients, thereby mitigating eutrophication and supporting biodiversity. Leveraging the natural properties of seaweed, we aim to create low-impact, renewable materials tailored for biomedical, pharmaceutical, and nutritional applications. This project will investigate the development of seaweed-based biomaterials as environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional animal-derived and synthetic materials. The research integrates principles of green chemistry and circular design to reduce resource consumption and minimize environmental impact. REU students will participate in laboratory-based synthesis, material characterization, and application-specific validation, contributing to innovations that support climate action, sustainability, and resilient food and health systems. REU students will gain hands-on experience in biomaterial extraction and processing, formulation of hydrogels and composites, and advanced characterization techniques such as spectroscopy, microscopy, and mechanical testing. They will also conduct biocompatibility and cell culture assays, and develop skills in data interpretation and scientific communication. This project contributes to climate action and resource-efficient innovation through nature-based solutions.

Evaluation of the role of fractured bedrock on groundwater recharge and flow connectivity in a watershed

• Faculty Mentor: Lazaro Perez
• Project Description: Groundwater recharge and subsurface flow connectivity in ����Ӱ��’s mountainous watersheds are often controlled by the presence of fractured bedrock beneath thin soil layers. This project will use the hydrologic model ParFlow to evaluate how fracture networks influence infiltration, groundwater levels, and watershed connectivity under varying recharge conditions. The student will construct a simplified watershed model to test how fracture density and connectivity modify hydrologic responses through numerical simulations. Additionally, the student will quantify the sensitivity and uncertainty of surface–subsurface exchange processes in fractured systems.

Resilient Catalysts for Chemically Recycling Plastics

• Faculty Mentor:
• Project Description: Plastics are indispensable to modern life, but their persistence in the environment presents a global challenge. This project seeks to develop robust and resilient heterogeneous catalysts capable of breaking down waste plastics into reusable chemical building blocks. REU students will gain hands-on experience in catalyst synthesis, reactor operation, and analytical characterization (e.g., GC, FTIR, NMR, etc.). Students will also learn how to evaluate catalyst stability and activity under realistic reaction conditions.

Hydrogel Beads for the Sustainable Biological Treatment of Emerging Contaminants in Soil and Groundwater

• Faculty Mentor: Lewis Semprini
• Project Description: This project will investigate the use of microorganisms encapsulated in hydrogels to treat emerging contaminants in groundwater and soil. The student will work with a team of researchers supported through a grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to develop hydrogel beads that provide long-term, sustainable, and passive cometabolic treatment of emerging contaminants, such as 1,4-dioxane and 1,2,3-trichloropropane. The studies will be directed towards soil and groundwater microcosms to which the hydrogel beads and the contaminants are added.

Assessing Earthquake Casualty Risk of Critical Healthcare Facilities in Coastal ����Ӱ��

• Faculty Mentor:
• Project Description: With the potential to generate magnitude 9+ earthquakes, the Cascadia Subduction Zone poses serious natural hazard threats to the Pacific Northwest, particularly coastal communities in this region. Critical healthcare facilities, such as hospitals and nursing homes, which protect vulnerable populations during the event and provide emergency medical services afterward, require rigorous risk assessment for significant seismic events. This project will engage an undergraduate researcher in developing a comprehensive earthquake casualty risk assessment for all healthcare facilities in Clatsop County, ����Ӱ��, using state-of-the-art seismic hazard data. The REU student will gain hands-on experience in geospatial analysis, risk modeling, and scientific computing by: (1) building a detailed inventory of healthcare facilities using NSI building data; (2) implementing HAZUS-style fragility functions to estimate structural and nonstructural damage states under a M9 Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake scenario; and (3) relating damage states to casualty estimates accounting for day/night occupancy variations. Through systematic sensitivity analyses, the student will quantify how assumptions affect casualty predictions to quantify the impact on risk models. The project deliverables will include reproducible code and risk maps. The student will develop valuable skills in Python programming, GIS analysis, uncertainty quantification, and science communication while contributing to community resilience in earthquake-prone regions. The student will also participate in weekly research meetings, receive mentorship in scientific writing, and may later present findings at conferences or contribute to a peer-reviewed publication.

Micro and nanoplastics fate and effects

• Faculty Mentor:
• Project Description: Plastic pollution is an ever-increasing environmental threat. As large-scale plastics break down to form micro and nanoscale plastics, it is essential to investigate their effects on freshwater ecosystems. A diverse group of projects in the Harper laboratory focus on answering some of the questions about where these small plastics go in the environment and what they do when they get there.

Wildfire Impacts on Drinking Water Treatment

• Faculty Mentor: Xue Jin
• Project Description: The occurrence of large, high severity wildfires has increased in the Pacific Northwest, potentially degrading source water quality and challenging drinking water treatment (DWT). In the past decade, the application of low-pressure membranes for DWT has experienced accelerated growth due to their effectiveness in producing high quality water, small footprint, and relatively low costs. In this project, post-fire sediments will be used to simulate wildfire-impacted source water. The objective is to identify mechanisms that control (1) membrane fouling, (2) contaminant removal, and (3) disinfection byproduct formation. We will explore the impact of pretreatment, membrane material and module on treatment effectiveness.

Catalytic Solutions for Cleaner Wood Stove Emissions

• Faculty Mentor:
• Project Description: This project tackles a real-world challenge: reducing harmful air pollution from residential wood stoves, which remain a critical heating source in many rural communities. Although wood is renewable and locally available, its combustion releases fine particles and gases that pose serious health risks. This project will explore new ways to clean up these emissions using lab-scale testing of catalysts that will convert the pollutants to harmless compounds. Undergraduate students will gain hands-on experience with catalyst synthesis, catalytic reactor operation, and environmental impacts assessment. The broader impact includes improving air quality, protecting vulnerable populations, and contributing to cleaner, more efficient heating technologies for underserved areas.