According to the World Health Organization, half of the world's population will be living in water-stressed areas by 2025, creating a dire need for improved waste recycling and water purification systems. Scientists around the world are searching for efficient energy sources to harness for this purpose—among them, Justyna Widera-Kalinowska, PhD, associate professor of chemistry at Adelphi.
In 2016, Dr. Widera-Kalinowska received a grant of nearly $250,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) U.S.-Poland International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) to support a research collaboration between Adelphi and the University of Warsaw. She and her colleagues most recently published “Synthesis and application of N-doped TiO2/CdS/poly(1,8-diaminocarbazole) composite for photocatalytic degradation of 4-chlorophenol under visible light” in the August 2019 issue of Electrochimica Acta, which posits that solar light energy can be harvested for hazardous waste treatment and low-cost, high-efficiency alternative energy sources.
Adelphi students play a key role in Dr. Widera-Kalinowska’s efforts. Every summer for the past six years, she has taken several students on a faculty-led study abroad trip to Poland, where they work closely with faculty from the University of Warsaw. Students also aid in the research manuscript preparation process, gain hands-on training in state-of-the-art instrumentation and present their findings to the scientific community at conferences. “This research not only encourages students to continue their graduate education, but also creates a future workforce for the U.S.,” she said. “I am very proud of my students, who are becoming well-rounded, responsible, mature citizens advocating for important world changes.”
Widera-Kalinowska, Justyna, Alexander G. Aragon, Walace Kierulf-Vieira, Tomasz Łęcki, Kamila Zarębska, and Magdalena Skompska. “Synthesis and application of N-doped TiO2/CdS/poly(1,8-diaminocarbazole) composite for photocatalytic degradation of 4-chlorophenol under visible light.” Electrochimica Acta, vol. 314, 10 August 2019, pp. 73-80.