Cohen Announces Nearly $50,000 in Federal Funding for the University of Memphis

[WASHINGTON, DC] - Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) announced today that University of Memphis Assistant Professor of Chemistry William Alexander was awarded $49,937 in federal funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a research project. The funding will be used to develop quantum chemical computational models able to accurately determine how hazardous chemicals interact with various natural and manmade materials surfaces present in domestic water systems.

“This funding underscores the important role that University of Memphis scholars play in keeping Americans healthy and safe from toxic chemicals,” said Congressman Cohen.

A long term goal of the project funded by this grant is to create a tool that will provide emergency personnel responding to a chemical spill with on-demand estimates of the expected behavior of contaminants in order to help direct their remediation or prevention strategies. This project could help first-responders more quickly address chemical spills like this January’s spill in West Virginia that resulted in a “Do Not Use” order for over 300,000 residents, leaving them without safe, clean water for many days and weeks.

The project is funded through the NSF’s Rapid Response Research mechanism, designed to support ‘quick-response’ research on natural or anthropogenic disasters and similar unanticipated events.