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.