Exploring drinking water solutions and gaining industry-applicable experience through research

Lauren Spaete, a junior in environmental engineering, is researching nitrate levels in drinking water with Assistant Professor Lu Liu. Since starting on the project last August, Spaete has analyzed data on nitrate levels and effects, defined potential sources of the elevated levels in drinking water, and is working towards providing communities with information and resources to meet their water needs.

Spaete also contributes to graduate student projects on the Liu Team, helping them with data categorization for their published pieces. As an undergraduate researcher, she has had the opportunity to be a part of the foundational published articles determining which systems are ideal for different communities.

“This experience has been extremely impactful on my future career goals. Getting involved in research made me want to continue down this path, and I plan on pursuing my master’s degree to engage in more research in this field,” said Spaete.

She originally got involved with undergraduate research to explore what a research career might look like while considering all her options as a future environmental engineer.

“I can put things like lab work, project write-ups, and experience in nitrate removal processes on my resume now. Especially because I’m entering the field as a young professional, my background in research already adds real experience to support industry skills,” said Spaete.

Spaete will be using her knowledge and work with reverse osmosis, ion exchange facilities, and the nitro removal process in her internship this summer. She emphasized the influence of this hands-on research experience and how it helped her find a summer internship:

“Because of the skills I built working with the Liu Group, I secured an internship where I can make an impact on getting safe and healthy water to real people.”