Research Advancing Kentucky: Messer’s dedication to clean water
Researchers at the University of Kentucky play a pivotal role in finding solutions to meet the needs of the Commonwealth and the nation.
Much of that work to advance science is done with funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
Tiffany Messer, Ph.D., is a UK Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment Gatton Foundation Endowed Chair and an associate professor in the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering.
With significant support from NSF, Messer is safeguarding Kentucky’s rivers and streams that feed the drinking water supply. Her research both identifies contaminants in the water and tests natural, low-cost treatments to remove those chemicals.
“These dollars have been imperative in enabling our team to work with high schools and water resource professionals around the state to learn and implement cost-efficient water treatment options for drinking and wastewater through our mesoReach program,” said Messer. “We hope that through continued research we can continue to develop solutions for improving water quality and flooding in the Commonwealth.”
Messer and other members of our research community shared the importance of this federally funded research at UK. Learn more about the impactful work done in this video series from Research Communications.
Research in the news:
- UK scientists reveal new insights into Kentucky’s water quality challenges
- UK greenhouse study offers hope for protecting, cleansing waterways
- UK launches program to address water resources, sustainable engineering challenges in Appalachia
University of Kentucky alum and former trustee Carol Martin “Bill” Gatton bestowed a transformational $100 million gift to the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment through The Bill Gatton Foundation. It is the largest gift to the university in its history. Four Pillars of The Bill Gatton Foundation's Gift are Scholarships and Student Success Initiatives; Companion Animal Program; Capital Projects and New Initiatives Fund; and Faculty Research.
