CLHS graduate uses prestigious Grand Challenge Program to develop clean water solutions

Growing up in Clear Lake, Nick Glynn heard often about “keeping Clear Lake clear.”  He attributes that message to, in part, sparking his interest in providing access to clean water worldwide.

Glynn, now 22 and a senior chemical engineering student at the University of Iowa, recently spoke to the Board of Regents for the State of Iowa about his participation in the prestigious U.S. National Academy of Engineering (NAE) program.  As an NAE Grand Challenge Scholar since the 

2010-11 academic year, Glynn joined college administrators to describe Iowa’s leadership role as one of the first 10 institutions in the country to have the Grand Challenge Program.

“I chose my Grand Challenge because over 800 million people across the planet don’t have access to clean drinking water and another 2.5 billion people don’t have access to water adequate for hygiene or waste removal purposes,” said Glynn.   “Of the 14 Grand Challenges, I believe it has the greatest impact on the day-to-day lives of the global population.”

Glynn is studying clean water access, but with a focus on water quality in the state of Iowa.

“For my research, I’ve worked in Dr. Michelle Scherer’s lab on several different projects.  One of these had to do with arsenic in groundwater.  Although arsenic is mostly a problem in Bangladesh and south Asia there are a few areas in Iowa with high levels of arsenic in groundwater,” explained - Read More Via e-Edition