United States Senator Jack Reed spoke at RWU on Friday to announce a $1,694,000 federal earmark he secured for the school. Alongside RWU President Ioannis Miaoulis, Provost Margaret Everett, and Dean of the School of Engineering, Computing and Construction Management (SECCM) Rob Griffin, Reed announced that the money will be used to “help retrofit and equip RWU’s new Environmental Engineering and Environmental Science Laboratory that will study human-derived pollutants in the air, soil, and water,” according to the press release.
Reed secured the earmark from fiscal year 2023 appropriations law, with funding specifically being sent through the U.S. Department of Education. The money will be used to construct a “new Environmental Science and Engineering Laboratory, which will have some of the bigger equipment and which will be used for teaching and research,” according to Miaoulis.
“This new lab will give students hands-on experience, working with advanced equipment to examine key issues impacting our watersheds, from microplastics that harm marine life to toxic chemicals like PFAS that invade our water systems,” Reed said.
RWU will be adding two separate labs, one for environmental science and one for environmental engineering, that will work together to tackle the problems Reed mentioned. The labs will also provide more opportunities for student and faculty research, alongside new courses and programs.
“The environmental lab is interdisciplinary,” said Peter Wong, the Director Research & Sponsored Programs at RWU. “We’re going to engage all students across the university on issues around environment, so they can use that space to learn more about the environmental processes and work together on engaging outside.”
