Meet Sura-attha, a Junior currently pursuing a degree in Chemistry here at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater.
After a meeting with Dr. John Ejnik sparked his interest in research, Sura-attha took on a Fall Undergraduate Research Grant through the Undergraduate Research Program.
Sura-attha and his mentor, Dr. Ejnik, are currently researching methods for effective mercury removal from fish. As fish is consumed by people worldwide, many would benefit from the removal of the toxic Mercury. There currently isn’t a practical way to achieve this, so the two are working to come up with a new and effective method.
“Fish is an excellent source of nutrients and an important part of a balanced diet. However, fish often contains mercury which is highly toxic to human. Globally, up to one billion people rely on mercury contaminated fish as their main source of protein. Unfortunately, there have not been many practical ways to remove mercury in fish. If this research is successful, adults and infants will be protected from the adverse effects of mercury.”
Their goal is to successfully remove 50% or more of the mercury naturally present in fish.
Sura-attha believes his time in URP has already provided great opportunities and many learning experiences.
“URP really encourages me to be more creative. It is definitely the kind of experience that I do not want to miss.”
He encourages other students to look into Undergraduate Research experiences as well.
“Just get started and you’ll be surprised by all the fascinating ideas and knowledge which you will learn.”
For more information about the Undergraduate Research Program or this project, feel free to send us an email at urp@uww.edu or visit us at uww.edu/urp .
Very important work is done)