Rollie Mills, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering and UK Superfund Research Program Center trainee, was selected by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Superfund Research Program (SRP) the 26th recipient of the Karen Wetterhahn Memorial Award.
The Karen Wetterhahn Award is an annual award established by the SRP to recognize an outstanding graduate student or post-doctoral researcher that best demonstrates the qualities of scientific excellence exhibited by Wetterhahn, an established authority on the effects of heavy metals on biological systems as well as a dedicated teacher and mentor.
The SRP selected Mills, who has been involved with three UK SRP Center patents and previously awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, for his work developing filtration membranes to protect communities exposed to harmful contaminants in water, and his commitment to cultivating an interest in STEM among rural youth.
Mills’ current research at the UK SRP Center is focused on developing membranes made of hollow fibers to filter harmful chemicals out of water. He works alongside research advisor Dibakar Bhattacharyya, UK Alumni Professor in chemical engineering and UK SRP Center investigator, to demonstrate that the hollow fiber approach is more effective than industry-standard technologies, like activated carbon filters.
According to the NIEHS, these membranes are effective at filtering out polychlorinated biphenyls, trichloroethylene and perfluorooctanoic acid — all chemicals of concern in Kentucky, where up to 90% of lakes and rivers are contaminated with these or other organic pollutants.
Through his work in the lab with Bhattacharyya, Mills and team have adapted their membranes into scalable modules, making them easy to retrofit to existing filtration systems. This approach was tested through an industry partnership in Louisville with positive results.
Outside of the lab, Mills has founded a program called Innovate Appalachia, and travels throughout the Appalachian region of Kentucky speaking with students at rural schools about the power of STEM education and its effects on communities and the environment.
Director of the UK SRP Center Kelly Pennell championed Mills for the award, witnessing his tireless efforts and energy in research settings and the broader community.
“Rollie is dedicated to innovation, integrity, and making meaningful contributions to society by participating in scientific stewardship and caring about who, what and how research is translated to the next generation,” Pennell stated. “He approaches research with a sense of humility and curiosity that has become far too rare in academic settings; he wants to make a difference for the sake of making the world a better place—not because he wants to be known for making a difference.”
Mills is the fifth UK SRP Center trainee to have received this award since its inception in 1998, and the second since the UK SRP Center was under Pennell's direction.