Thinking Critically, Acting Justly:
Planting the Seeds of the Future
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Along with Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Patricia Dorn, Ph.D., biological sciences/sociology double major Jay Alcazar helped plant sunflowers in New Orleans resident Ms. Billy Fay Alexander’s yard as an activity of the Bioremediation Project of Common Ground Relief, a grassroots hurricane relief organization that works with The Loyola NOAH Project. Bioremediation is the use of natural processes to return soil, air, or water to a healthy state, and Common Ground believes it is a safe and low-cost way to deal with toxins distributed by floodwaters and years of industrial pollution. Common Ground Relief’s Bioremediation project is also investigating the effectiveness of fungi and bacteria in the breakdown of fuels and pesticides.
Jay has incorporated his work with Common Ground Relief into his curriculum. He was awarded $4,900 in Richard Frank Grant funds from SGA to fund soil tests for his Biology Honors Thesis, and he interned with the group for his Sociology Practicum. As an Honors Program student and co-chairperson of LUCAP (Loyola University Community Action Program), he will complete his portion of Common Ground’s scientific investigation, and he will help Common Ground Relief expand their bioremediation project to a partnership that involves the local universities and community groups in order to consolidate resources and seek federal funding.
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