Arup SenGupta, Ph.D., a professor of civil, environmental
and chemical engineering at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., has been
chosen to receive a 2009 Astellas USA Foundation Award. The award, administered
by the American Chemical Society, is given to individuals who have made
significant scientific research contributions that improve public health
through their work in the chemical and related sciences.
The award includes a $30,000 grant to support his continuing
research efforts.
SenGupta invented the first reusable polymer-based material
capable of removing arsenic from municipal water supplies and private wells.
More than one million pounds of this absorbent polymer are being used in the
United States and around the world to abate arsenic poisoning through naturally
contaminated ground water.
The World Health Organization estimates that naturally
occurring arsenic in ground water accounts for the poisoning of more than 100
million people worldwide. SenGupta's research offers a sustainable solution to
this problem.
