Research Targets Contaminated Water Supplies

Illinois State University Assistant Professor of Chemistry Christopher C. Mulligan has been awarded $44,000 to support the development of technologies that detect pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCP) in surface and groundwater supplies.

The award for Mulligan's research project entitled On-Site Monitoring of Emerging Environmental Contaminants with Ambient Mass Spectrometry will allow undergraduate and graduate students access to cutting-edge chemical instrumentation, culminating in field studies at authentic contamination sites.

Improperly discarded medications, remainders of pharmaceuticals not completely metabolized in the human body and consumer hygiene products washed away during bathing enter municipal water systems. While conventional water treatment systems are efficient at removing most contaminants, they are not designed or capable of removing all PPCPs, leaving compounds and their byproducts to enter potable water supplies.

The award is a Single Investigator Cottrell College Science Award from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA). RCSA, created in 1912, is America's second oldest foundation and the first dedicated solely to science. Through its various programs RCSA funds innovative research by early career scientists, both individually and in teams crossing traditional disciplinary boundaries. The Cottrell College Science Award has the added goal of promoting the opportunity for undergraduate students to participate in cutting-edge research, an experience that gives them a head start in learning to think like scientists. The Foundation's goal is to build and improve our scientific workforce to ensure 21st century America's prosperity and security.