Sarah Sacco, 2016, Chemical and Biological Engineering

Sarah Sacco ’16

This summer I worked on a project concerning the environmental behavior of indium, a trace metal used in high-tech applications. I studied the relationship between indium and a common iron oxide, ferrihydrite, which are both found in natural waters. Indium usage has seen a boom in the last few years due to the high-tech nature of its applications in solar cells, touch screens, LCDs, and semiconductors. However, there are no published studies concerning the relationship between indium and ferrihydrite, and there is very limited information about the aqueous behavior, environmental impacts, and health effects of indium. My goal over the summer was to find the sorption constant that is characteristic of indium and ferrihydrite. I did literature research to come up with the best experimental setup to answer this question, then carried out this experiment under varying conditions to better support our conclusions. I learned a lot about aqueous chemistry, and gleaned skills critical to lab work such as how to keep a proper lab notebook, use certain instruments, and manage when things do not go as planned. This internship helped to solidify my plans to attend graduate school and pursue a career in research. I will be continuing my work on this project during the school year.