Dr. Parekh Research Innovation Award Winners

The Water Research Foundation (WRF) announced today that it has awarded the 2015 Dr. Pankaj Parekh Research Innovation Award to Dr. Shane Snyder from the University of Arizona and two Outstanding Subscriber Awards for Applied Research to the Greater Cincinnati Water Works (GCWW) and the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD)

The Dr. Pankaj Parekh Research Innovation Award honors researchers and research teams who have made significant contributions to advancing the science of water through WRF-sponsored projects. The award is named after Dr. Pankaj Parekh, a tireless advocate of water research who dedicated over 40 years of his life to ensuring safe drinking water and protecting public health. WRF's Outstanding Subscriber Award for Applied Research honors subscribing utilities that have successfully applied WRF research to make notable improvements to their water treatment, delivery, and/or management processes. Both awards were created to celebrate the persistence and dedication of some of WRF's most influential partners.

"The Water Research Foundation's journey over the last 50 years has been paved by partnerships with programs and individuals like those honored here today," said Rob Renner, executive director of the Water Research Foundation. "Dr. Snyder and the professionals at Philadelphia Water and Greater Cincinnati Water have been instrumental in helping us support the water community through the advancement of sound science. We applaud their work and thank them for their contributions."

For nearly 20 years, Dr. Snyder's research has focused on the identification and treatment of emerging water pollutants. Dr. Snyder has been actively involved with WRF for many years, serving as the Principal Investigator ( PI ) or Co-PI on seven different research projects and volunteering on numerous other project committees all aimed at exploring and answering questions around exposure, detection, and filtration of various chemicals and contaminants in drinking water.

Dr. Snyder's WRF-related research has established an impressive body of work that provides valuable insight and knowledge related to the occurrence, fate, and control of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (EDCs) and other chemicals in water. His evaluation of treatment processes to remove EDCs and other contaminants from drinking water led him to be one of six experts invited to testify before the U.S. Senate in 2008 regarding the growing public concern of pharmaceuticals in U.S. waters. Additionally, his contributions to WRF Project #3033, a state of knowledge report on EDCs and PPCPs (pharmaceuticals and personal care products), helped with the development of a comprehensive guide to aid utilities in discussing these topics with their customers and led to a series of groundbreaking projects that built on those findings for the further education of utilities across the country.

"I am deeply honored by this award. It is especially meaningful to me as I had the privilege to work with Pankaj, and to become friends through our WRF projects," said Snyder. "Without question, WRF made it possible for us to conduct some of the earliest studies on the fate of emerging contaminants through various water treatment technologies. Moreover, the fact that water agencies from across the US were supporting these projects along with WRF unambiguously demonstrated the proactive efforts of our nation's water agencies. I sincerely appreciate the opportunities I have had to conduct research in these emerging areas, and fully realize that much of our work would not have been possible without WRF and the water agencies who supported our projects."

Source: Business Wire

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• Water Treatment & Control
• Research
• Water Management