By Josie Fischels, The Daily Iowan
Among various rural and urban communities in Transylvania, Romania, University of Iowa human toxicology graduate student Barbara Okeke will spend the next nine and a half months conducting important water-quality and water-behavior research.
Her research in Romania may be used to improve human health in the area, thanks to the Fulbright Award she received in the spring. Okeke received the award after a rigorous application process with guidance from several UI faculty members.
Okeke said water contamination from nitrites and nitrates, pesticides, and bacteria has been a growing concern in areas of the country in which water sources aren’t regulated by the government.
“Most people in Romania are using private sources that aren’t government-regulated,” she said. “No one knows the amount of contamination that’s in [the water], because there’s no one from the state that’s coming to check it. I thought this would be a unique to give to that community.”