For Oseremen Ebewele, chemical engineering is each a circle of relatives affair and a very important software to handle international sustainability problems, together with local weather alternate.
“I grew up in an educational group: my father was once a professor of chemical engineering at College of Benin in Nigeria, and we lived on the college team of workers quarters,” says Ebewele, who’s pursuing a grasp’s stage in chemical engineering within the College of Toronto’s School of Implemented Science & Engineering.
“My first touch with chemical engineering got here when I used to be about 13 years previous. In his makeshift laboratory in the back of our house, my father would mix easy chemical elements to provide air fresheners for use at house and disbursed among our neighbours. I used to be keen on what he was once doing, so I began serving to him within the lab.”
Ebewele’s love of science led him to U of T Engineering, the place he’s creating sustainable applied sciences within the division of chemical engineering and carried out chemistry.
He’s additionally certainly one of two recipients of this 12 months’s IBET Momentum Fellowships, together with fellow graduate scholar Gaius St. Marie. The fellowships beef up, and construct a community for, Indigenous and Black graduate scholars – two teams which might be underrepresented throughout each academia and the engineering career. Fellowship recipients obtain monetary beef up, mentorship, coaching and networking alternatives to foster a strong skilled group.
Whilst pursuing his undergraduate stage in chemical engineering on the College of Benin, Ebewele advanced a zeal for the surroundings. He says he needs to make use of his clinical wisdom to create answers with certain affects, particularly with appreciate to local weather alternate.
(Picture through Tyler Irving)
For his graduate research, Ebewele is operating with Professor Grant Allen and Assistant Professor Jay Werber, each within the division of chemical engineering and carried out chemistry, in addition to Professor Stewart Aitchison within the Edward S. Rogers Sr. division {of electrical} and pc engineering. In combination, the staff will focal point on making improvements to the supply of sunshine and CO2 to phototrophic biofilm reactors.
This kind of reactor combines water, vitamins and light-weight to develop photosynthetic organisms reminiscent of microalgae. As they develop, the organisms can take away pollution reminiscent of nitrogen, phosphorus and heavy metals from wastewater. They are able to additionally sequester waste CO2 through changing it into biomass, biofuels or biochemicals, from polymer precursors to dietary dietary supplements.
“I selected to paintings with those professors for the blended wealth of enjoy they possess and the certain and inclusive paintings setting they advertise,” says Ebewele. “Additionally, residing and learning in a town as multicultural and various as Toronto supplies avenues to realize different existence studies. That was once a large a part of my choice as neatly.”
Ebewele expects the IBET Momentum Fellowship to have a significant affect on his private and educational adventure over the following few years.
“It’s nice to be part of a platform that acknowledges probably the most demanding situations that individuals of color navigate,” he says. “It supplies me with a chance to additional my schooling in probably the most perfect establishments in international, and it brings me one step nearer to attaining my objectives.
“In a couple of years I am hoping to be extra a professional about my box, have a various crew of buddies and be taking a look ahead to contributing definitely to switch the sector round me.”
