Recent News
Dr. Gunsch awarded a $26 million Engineering Research Center Grant through NSF
September 14, 2022
Congratulations Dr. Gunsch on being awarded the Engineering Research Center for Precision Microbiome Engineering (PreMiEr) via National Science Foundation (NSF).
Paige Varner wins K.C. Donnelly Externship Award
July 21, 2020
Paige Varner is one of the 2020 K.C. Donnelly Externship Awardees. She will spent the fall semester at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN, working with Dr. Joshua Michener.
Paige Varner and Dr. Savannah Volkoff Present at SRP Conference
November 25, 2019
Dr. Savannah Volkoff and Paige Varner attended the Superfund Research Program 2019 Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington. Dr. Volkoff, who completed her PhD in 2019 with Dr.
Alex McCumber Selected to Intern at Becton Dickinson Technologies
August 9, 2019
Alex McCumber is interning at Becton Dickinson Technologies this summer in the Life Sciences Innovation section as a Bioinformatics/Data Science Intern.
Savannah Volkoff Successfully Defends Dissertation
August 1, 2019
Congratulations to former PhD candidate Savannah Volkoff for successfully defending her dissertation entitled "Engineering a Biofilm for the Biodegradation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Estuarine Sediment" in June.
Paige Varner wins NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
August 1, 2019
Paige Varner was recently awarded the prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. This fellowship provides three years' worth of full tuition and stipend funding as well as partial research expenses.
Paige Bippus and Daniel Rodriguez Pass Preliminary Exams
January 20, 2019
Congratulations to Paige Bippus (CEE) and Daniel Rodriguez (BME) for passing their preliminary exams and becoming PhD Candidates!
Savannah Volkoff and Billy Gerhard Give Seminar Presentations at Washington State University
January 14, 2019
Savannah and Billy presented their dissertation research to graduate students from the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Washington State University. The invitation to speak was extended by former Gunsch Lab member (and current WSU Assistant Professor) Dr. Courtney Gardner.
Paige Bippus and Savannah Volkoff Attend SRP Conference
November 28, 2018
Paige and Savannah each presented a poster at the Superfund Research Program 2018 Annual Meeting in Sacramento, California.
Savannah Volkoff Presents Research Update to Elizabeth River Project Sediment Remediation Partnership
October 1, 2018
Savannah Volkoff provided a research update at a biannual meeting of the Elizabeth River Project Sediment Remediation Partnership (ERPSRP). ERPSRP is comprised of various non-profit, industry, and government stakeholders who are working to remediate the polluted Elizabeth River in Virginia.
Billy Gerhard Presents at Prevention First 2018
September 26, 2018
Billy Gerhard presented his research titled "Examining Trends in Vessel Movement and Characterizing the Microbiome of Arriving Ballast Water" at Prevention First 2018.
Billy Gerhard Presents at NEOBIOTA 2018
September 5, 2018
Billy Gerhard presented his research at the AquaInvad-ED section of the NEOBIOTA 2018 conference in Dublin, Ireland. This conference brought together researchers from around the world who examine biological invasions.
Savannah Volkoff Presents at ACS Conference in Boston
August 19, 2018
Savannah Volkoff attended the 2018 American Chemical Society conference in Boston, MA.
Alex McCumber Earns Recognition for Excellent Digital Poster Presentation
June 26, 2018
Alex McCumber was recognized for his excellent digital poster presentation at the Southeastern NIH Biotechnology Training Grant Career Development Workshop. Alex was chosen from among 30 other presenters to give a more detailed presentation of his research.
Savannah Volkoff Wins K.C. Donnelly Externship
June 4, 2018
The KC Donnelly Externship Award Supplement is a competitive award that enables fellows to extend their studies to other SRP-funded centers, government laboratories, or state, local, or tribal government agencies. The award honors the legacy of longtime SRP grantee and environmental health resear
Alex McCumber Wins Prestigious CBTE Fellowship
August 1, 2017
Alex McCumber was recently awarded a two year fellowship from the Center for Biomolecular and Tissue Engineering (CBTE). This fellowship provides two years of full tuition and stipend funding. In addition, the fellowship partially covers research costs and conference travel.
Studying Superfunds: Duke Environmental Engineers Investigate How Super-Polluted Areas Affect Early Human Health
July 20, 2017
From 1926 to 1992, the waterfront of Portsmouth, Virginia, was home to a wood-treating facility that used various chemicals to preserve and protect lumber from decay and insects.
Billy Gerhard Receives DUCIS Graduate Award for Research and Training
May 3, 2017
Billy Gerhard received the Graduate Award for Research and Training from the Duke University Center for International and Global Studies. This award will cover travel costs associated with his ongoing ballast water sampling studies in South Africa and Singapore.
Billy Gerhard Selected for Duke Graduate Student Training Enhancement Grant
April 19, 2017
Billy Gerhard received the Graduate Student Training Enhancement Grant from Duke Interdisciplinary Studies. This award will cover expenses for his upcoming internship with the Danish Hydraulic Institute in Singapore.
Billy Gerhard Receives NSF EAPSI Award (China)
January 23, 2017
Billy Gerhard will spend another summer abroad performing ballast water research after receiving the NSF East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes (EAPSI) Award.
Dr. Claudia Gunsch Receives Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize
June 3, 2016
Dr. Claudia Gunsch received the 2016 Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize from the American Society of Civil Engineers. Dr. Gunsch was recognized for her work with gene silencing as a water disinfection technology and her work in bioaugmentation and emerging contaminants.
Billy Gerhard Awarded NSF EAPSI Award (Singapore)
March 20, 2016
Billy Gerhard is a recipient of the NSF East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes Award to Singapore in support of his research to characterize the ballast water microbiome.
New Test Screens Wastewater Biosolids for Environmental Contaminants
February 16, 2016
Recent work in the Gunsch Lab described a simple method for assessing environmental and agricultural effects of treated waste used as fertilizer.
Lauren Redfern Receives K.C. Donnelly Award
February 11, 2016
Lauren Redfern received the K.C. Donnelly Externship Award Supplement to enrich her research in environmental health science. The K.C. Donnelly supports her travel to the University of California, Berkeley, where she will study what factors influence horizontal gene transfer.
Lauren Czaplicki Presents Fungal Bioremediation Research to NJMA
February 11, 2016
The New Jersey Mycological Association (NJMA) invited Lauren Czaplicki to give a lecture on fungal bioremediation in November. Lauren shared findings on the unusual fungi that tolerate the heavily polluted soils at the Atlantic Wood Industries Superfund site.