Borrok Receives the Shaheen Award    

David M. Borrok, a 2005 Ph.D. candidate in civil engineering and geological sciences, was selected as one of the four 2005 Eli J. and Helen Shaheen Graduate School honorees in May. Named in honor of a Notre Dame alumnus and his wife, the Shaheen award recognizes top doctoral degree candidates in engineering, science, the humanities, and social sciences. The recipients are chosen for their superior endeavors as exhibited by grades, research, publication records, fellowships, and teaching ability.

Borrok completed his doctorate in only three years. His research examines the role of bacteria and organic compounds in geologic systems, more specifically quantifying the chemical reactions between organic components, water, and rocks to predict the transportation of chemicals in the environment. His dissertation, “Modeling Metal and Proton Adsorption onto Bacterial Surfaces in Geologic Settings,” was written under the direction of Jeremy B. Fein, professor of civil engineering and geological sciences and director of the Environmental Molecular Sciences Institute at Notre Dame.

More recently, Borrok received a Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellowship for 2006 and will be joining the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in Denver as a research geologist on October 2. His duties at the USGS will include working on a project that uses hydrological, geochemical, and geomicrobiological techniques to distinguish between anthropogenic, caused by man, and natural heavy metal contamination in stream environments.

The USGS is the nation’s largest science and civilian mapping agency. It collects, monitors, and analyzes natural resource conditions, issues, and problems.

Copyright 2005

. University of Notre Dame.