University of Oregon chemistry and biochemistry graduate student Hazel Fargher was one of 52 applicants selected for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science Graduate Student Research Program. She also received the John Keana Fellowship, which is awarded annually to one graduate student in the UO chemistry and biochemistry department to help the student pay tuition or other academic costs.
The DOE research program provides supplemental funding for students to pursue some of their graduate thesis research at a national laboratory in collaboration with a DOE scientist. Fargher will receive $3,000 per month to complete the program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory – located in Tennessee – with ORNL scientist Bruce Moyer. Moyer conducts research on cesium salt extraction from nuclear waste by removing its positively charged cation.
Nuclear power plants are notorious for producing mass amounts of radioactive waste, including Cs-137, which reacts with water to form corrosive cesium hydroxide. Exposure to Cs-137 can cause burns, increased cancer risk and death, according to the CDC. Cesium is also extremely mobile in the environment, as it is highly soluble and can seep into porous material, move through bodies of water and enter plants through their roots and leaves, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“The idea is if you can remove cesium salt from nuclear waste, you kind of reduce the amount of nuclear waste that you have,” Fargher said.
Inspired by her roommate who was doing research at a national lab, Fargher applied for the program, submitting a project proposal to the DOE committee in conjunction with Moyer’s research.
In her proposal, Fargher suggested using Moyer’s cation receptors with anion receptors — organic hosts that bind to negatively charged ions — that she developed at the UO Darren W. Johnson and Michael Haley labs. A program coordinator contacted Fargher Sept. 21, informing her that she got the position.
Fargher was also selected for the 2020-2021 Keana Fellowship, which will cover her stipend, tuition, fees and insurance for the academic year. Unbeknownst to her, Chemistry Professors and Fargher’s Principal Investigators Michael Haley, Mike Pluth and Darren Johnson nominated her for the award due to her success in her current host-guest chemistry research.
In Haley, Pluth and Johnson’s labs, Fargher develops hosts to bind to hydrosulfide, a toxic chemical normally found in wastewater. Fargher must perform her experiments under rigorously dry and oxygen-free conditions, making her research especially difficult.
“Hazel does not shy away from challenging experiments,” Johnson said. “Her studies have taught us about the fundamental nature of interactions between hydrosulfide and organic molecules, and they shed light on some of the biological interactions of this important signalling molecule.”
Fargher is looking forward to starting her new research in January.
“It was really exciting to get it,” Fargher said. “I’m excited for the opportunity to go to Tennessee for six months and work at a national lab and also do something new.”
