Engineering Student Named New Face of Engineering

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Grace Richardson

Grace Richardson, a master's student in the department of biological and agricultural engineering, has been named a New Face of Engineering by DiscoverE. Since 2003, this organization has honored the work of up-and-coming engineers who are already making their mark on the industry and on society.

“What each of these honorees has in common, beyond multitudes of professional achievements, is an inherent desire to make the world a better place,” DiscoverE stated in a press release. “Each of these young professionals are active in their communities and around the world, and are quickly becoming role models for generations of engineers to come.”

The DiscoverE group includes individuals from all branches of engineering. Richardson was nominated for this recognition by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, which selected her as one of the the top nominees out of 14 ASABE New Faces of Engineering. As ASABE’s representative in the DiscoverE group, Richardson will work to promote the society as well as the field of biological engineering by attending conferences and helping with national events that promote engineering.

Richardson received a bachelor’s degree in biological engineering from the U of A in 2008. Her first job after college was with BlueInGreen, a company that manufactures water treatment equipment, where she headed several projects, including deployment of a new technology for wastewater treatment at a site in Austin, Texas. As part of this project, Grace invented a new method for controlling water level within the device. She has a US patent pending on her invention.

Grace also led projects cleaning water in the Gulf of Mexico from the Horizon Oil Spill, treating the J.C. Boyle Reservoir in Oregon to prevent fish kills, and did several designs for clients including Lake Wister in Oklahoma for treatment of drinking water reservoir. In 2012, Grace entered the master’s program in biological engineering at the University of Arkansas. Her research focuses on treatment of lake sediments to reduce oxygen demand and extend the life of reservoirs while improving water quality.

“When man made lakes age,” Richardson explained, “they get polluted with nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, and these remain in the sediment.” The nitrogen and phosphorus feed bacteria and algae growth, which in turn consumes oxygen in the water, making it harder for fish and other aquatic life to survive. “The older and less healthy the lake,” said Richardson, “the more oxygen it consumes.” Richardson and her adviser, Scott Osborn, are exploring a way to quickly quench the oxygen demand by stirring up the sediment. This exposes a larger surface area to the water, and if researchers add enough oxygen while the sediment is stirred up, they hope the future demand will decrease.

“This recognition is a great honor for Grace, and for the department and the college,” said Osborn, associate professor of biological and agricultural engineering. “Grace’s career path, as well as her research activities, have the potential to make an immediate positive impact on the environment, and I’m excited to see what she accomplishes in the future.”

Richardson plans to pursue a doctorate in water resources engineering, and she would eventually like to work in the field of water conflict management and transformation.