Lexington, KY (December 13, 2017)- Congratulations to University of Kentucky Superfund Research Center (UK SRC) Trainee Angela Gutierrez, the 20th recipient of the annual Karen Wetterhahn Memorial Award! The Wetterhahn Award honors one outstanding National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Superfund Research Program (SRP) graduate student or postdoctoral researcher each year who exemplifies qualities of scientific excellence. The Wetterhahn Award was presented on December 7, 2017, at the NIEHS SRP 30th Anniversary Meeting in Philadelphia, PA. 

Angela, who is pursuing her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, is developing magnetic nanoparticles coated with plant-derived polymers, called polyphenols, that can capture and remove polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from water. Angela has trained for the last 5 years under UK SRC researchers Dr. J. Zach Hilt and Dr. Thomas Dziubla working on Project #4: Biomimetic Magnetic Nanocomposites as a Platform Technology for the Capture and Sensing of PCBs. Angela also serves as the trainee leader for non-biomedical projects in the UK SRC.To read more about Angela and this incredible achievement, visit her 2017 Karen Wetterhahn Memorial Awardee page on the NIEHS SRP website.  

Pictured from L to R: Gwen Collman, Dr. Zach Hilt, and Angela Gutierrez.