Dana Hernandez
Name: Dana Hernandez
Department: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Advisor: Ashok Gadgil
WHERE DID YOU DO YOUR UNDERGRAD/MASTERS AND WHY DID YOU CHOOSE UC BERKELEY?
I did my undergrad in Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Irvine and my master’s here at UC Berkeley. One of the main reasons I chose UC Berkeley was the graduate students that I met during Visit Day. I became really excited when they presented lightning talks on their research projects! It was really motivating to learn about the large global problems that were being tackled, and I wanted to be part of these efforts for positive social impact.
WHAT KIND OF RESEARCH GETS YOU UP IN THE MORNING?
During my PhD I’ve had the opportunity to be involved in different phases of technology development and deployment. While in India I learned just how important it is to form strong academic, industry, and community partnerships for successful field piloting of the ECAR (Electro-Chemical Arsenic Remediation) plant. Together we were able to provide arsenic-safe drinking water. This type of multidisciplinary and collaborative research is what I find so exciting.
IF YOU COULD MAKE A GROUNDBREAKING DISCOVERY OR CHANGE A SYSTEM IN THE WORLD OF WATER RESEARCH, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Naturally occurring arsenic in groundwater is a global problem that exists here in California. Not just a public health problem, it’s an environmental justice issue that impacts mostly poor, Latinx and African American communities in the Central Valley. Current arsenic removal technologies are too expensive and costly to be maintained in the affected small water systems. More work is needed on developing and implementing an affordable, robust and sustainable water treatment system with low maintenance requirements, and engaging local community members early on in the technology deployment process.
WHAT’S THE MOST EXCITING CHALLENGE YOU’VE TACKLED WHILE STUDYING AT UC BERKELEY?
In the Gadgil lab we have been working on a next-generation ECAR system specific to the California context. An exciting challenge has been working together with researchers from the School of Public Health and with community members of the Central Valley on the arsenic problem in rural California. I’ve been able to apply some of the lessons learned while in India, but with the different constraints in California the solution will look different as well. With the many components of the projects including the social, economic and technical, I think in our team we learn a lot from each other, build on each other’s work, and focus on various aspects. Lately I’ve been working mostly in the lab so I’m currently excited about learning synchrotron-based characterization methods to analyze the local bonding environment of the electrolytically generated iron precipitates.
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN 10 YEARS?
I’m not sure where in the world I’ll be, but I hope to stay in academia continuing to learn and grow as a researcher and working on removal of toxic contaminants from drinking water sources. It would be awesome to be part of a multidisciplinary and collaborative hub focused on solving public health and environmental justice problems.
Dana Hernandez
Name: Dana Hernandez
Department: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Advisor: Ashok Gadgil
WHERE DID YOU DO YOUR UNDERGRAD/MASTERS AND WHY DID YOU CHOOSE UC BERKELEY?
I did my undergrad in Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Irvine and my master’s here at UC Berkeley. One of the main reasons I chose UC Berkeley was the graduate students that I met during Visit Day. I became really excited when they presented lightning talks on their research projects! It was really motivating to learn about the large global problems that were being tackled, and I wanted to be part of these efforts for positive social impact.
WHAT KIND OF RESEARCH GETS YOU UP IN THE MORNING?
During my PhD I’ve had the opportunity to be involved in different phases of technology development and deployment. While in India I learned just how important it is to form strong academic, industry, and community partnerships for successful field piloting of the ECAR (Electro-Chemical Arsenic Remediation) plant. Together we were able to provide arsenic-safe drinking water. This type of multidisciplinary and collaborative research is what I find so exciting.
IF YOU COULD MAKE A GROUNDBREAKING DISCOVERY OR CHANGE A SYSTEM IN THE WORLD OF WATER RESEARCH, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Naturally occurring arsenic in groundwater is a global problem that exists here in California. Not just a public health problem, it’s an environmental justice issue that impacts mostly poor, Latinx and African American communities in the Central Valley. Current arsenic removal technologies are too expensive and costly to be maintained in the affected small water systems. More work is needed on developing and implementing an affordable, robust and sustainable water treatment system with low maintenance requirements, and engaging local community members early on in the technology deployment process.
WHAT’S THE MOST EXCITING CHALLENGE YOU’VE TACKLED WHILE STUDYING AT UC BERKELEY?
In the Gadgil lab we have been working on a next-generation ECAR system specific to the California context. An exciting challenge has been working together with researchers from the School of Public Health and with community members of the Central Valley on the arsenic problem in rural California. I’ve been able to apply some of the lessons learned while in India, but with the different constraints in California the solution will look different as well. With the many components of the projects including the social, economic and technical, I think in our team we learn a lot from each other, build on each other’s work, and focus on various aspects. Lately I’ve been working mostly in the lab so I’m currently excited about learning synchrotron-based characterization methods to analyze the local bonding environment of the electrolytically generated iron precipitates.
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN 10 YEARS?
I’m not sure where in the world I’ll be, but I hope to stay in academia continuing to learn and grow as a researcher and working on removal of toxic contaminants from drinking water sources. It would be awesome to be part of a multidisciplinary and collaborative hub focused on solving public health and environmental justice problems.