The assistant professor of chemistry is being recognized by the National Academy of Sciences for her exceptional leadership, past performance, and potential for future contributions to improving oil system safety, human health, and the environment.
Helen K. White has been selected for the Academy of Science's Gulf Research Program Early-Career Fellowship. This $76,000 award will fund the assistant professor of chemistry's research on the continuing effects of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
“Our work continues to focus on the Deepwater Horizon spill and the persistence of oil in the marine environment,” says White, who is also the director of the College's environmental studies program.“We are examining oil that continues to wash up on Gulf Coast beaches to determine the components of the oil and dispersant that are still present today. We are also conducting lab experiments with oil and seawater to assess the capacity of microbial communities to degrade oil.”
It is particularly important to White that this fellowship will help enrich the experiential learning of her students. Funds from this award will help pay for lab supplies, summer stipends for student researchers, and other costs associated with fieldwork in the Gulf.
“At Haverford, I engage with students from a wide variety of disciplines through the Environmental Studies program,” she says.“These students examine the interconnection of humans and environmental systems from multiple perspectives. Oil spills, human health, and the environment provide rich topics for our work together, and this grant will support our continued exploration of these themes.”
The Gulf Research Program Early-Career Fellowships are available to tenure-track, pretenure faculty members. They recognize a candidate's exceptional leadership, past performance, and potential for future contributions to improving oil system safety, human health, or the environment. The award also provides funding for a mentor for the fellow; White's is Haverford Biology Professor Rob Fairman.
“This is an important fellowship for me because it recognizes the work that I have performed in the area of oil spill research, and it will enable me to continue to work in this area with a significant degree of flexibility,” says White.
