Chemical Engineering Student Receives EPA Scholarship

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Alex Moix working in the lab

Alex Moix, a junior chemical engineering major and Honors College student, has received a Greater Research Opportunity scholarship from the Environmental Protection Agency. The scholarship provides financial support for Moix’s junior and senior year and an internship at an EPA laboratory. Moix was one of 40 students nationwide to receive the scholarship this year.

The EPA’s website explains that the purpose of this scholarship is to support students who are conducting research in environmentally related fields. “By enhancing and supporting quality environmental education for undergraduate students, the GRO supported fellows have provided new environmental research in the physical, biological, health, and social sciences as well as in engineering,” it states. 

Moix, a Bodenhamer Fellow, is active in undergraduate research. Last year, he worked with Jamie Hestekin, associate professor of chemical engineering, researching faster and more efficient ways to grow algae for biofuels. This year, Moix is working on a different project with Hestekin, studying the use of electrodeionization to remove impurities from bio-oils.  Moix plans to take advantage of his internship opportunity to learn more about environmental research and explore his options after graduation.

“Alex is a talented and dedicated student,” said Hestekin. “It’s great to see the EPA rewarding his hard work and supporting him in his educational goals. This recognition is a testament to the quality of undergraduate engineering education at the U of A.”