Moala Bannavti's innovative research reduces contamination in low-income communities

Many vulnerable students are exposed to airborne polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in low income schools every day. With no legal requirement to remediate PCBs, these under supported schools often struggle to pay the expense of identifying and removing these carcinogenic chemicals. Enter Moala Bannavti, a PhD student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, whose research is focused on identifying the source of these PCBs. Her work allows for specific, focused mitigation that is ultimately more cost effective and doesn’t require the demolition of entire buildings. Bannavti has a passion for teaching and research that improves quality of life in communities throughout Iowa and across the country and hopes to join the ranks of engineering faculty once she completes her PhD in December 2022.

“The University of Iowa is a leader in producing research around the cleanup of Superfund chemicals, in particular PCBs,” said Bannavti. “Our work uses statistical methods to find sources of PCBs from air profiles and is unique in the field.” 

In schools, PCB contamination can vary greatly from room to room, often requiring large-scale demolitions when the PCB sources cannot be pinpointed. Bannavti’s research makes it easier to target specific areas, reducing the cost of mitigation, essential for schools and districts without large budgets to address this contamination. Her material remediation work was able to identity all 209 PCBs through air testing.

Bannavti’s research caught the attention of Desiree Plata, the Gilbert W. Winslow Career Development Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), when they met at the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors Conference in June 2021. Plata nominated Bannavti to take part in the Future Leaders in CEE series in the MIT Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. In September 2021, Bannavti presented her talk “Emission Characterization and Criteria for Remediation of Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Lower-Income Public Schools.”

“Importantly, Ms. Bannavti and her colleagues’ work highlights that these exposures are impacting underserved minority children who are at a developmental stage that makes them more sensitive to the effects of toxic chemical exposure,” said Plata. “She should be applauded not only for her contributions to science and engineering discovery, but also for the meaningful impact that work can have to improve the lives and longevity of children.” 

Bannavti prepared for her talk by practicing with her faculty advisors. “Moala is a remarkable engineering student leader as well as a highly successful researcher,” said Keri Hornbuckle, the Donald E. Bently Professor of Engineering in the UI Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Bannavti’s co-advisor. “She has published her research in the most competitive and selective journal in our field - Environmental Science & Technology, has presented her work to experts across the country, and is determined to contribute the best science needed to solve a problem of national concern.”

Co-advisor Craig Just, UI associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, adds that “Moala has a powerful combination of vision, talent, and grit that she uses to address the environmental justice issues faced by minority-predominant schools that deal with PCB contamination.”

In addition to her robust research program, Bannavti serves as president of the UI Graduate and Professional Student Government, where she represents the interests of nearly 10,000 students. “I am honored to help represent the needs of my fellow graduate students to the UI leadership and the broader UI community,” said Bannavti. “I am their voice in communicating with the UI administration and am passionate about how we can support and mentor graduate and professional students throughout their time at the university.” 

Bannavti is a first-generation Cameroonian immigrant raised in New Jersey, where she saw how improvements in low-income school districts can transform students’ lives. Her work infuses social justice and ethics within the science of engineering and recognizes the ways in which technology has disproportionally affected communities across socioeconomic lines.

“I am grateful for all of the opportunities that I have had throughout my career,” said Bannavti. “I am committed to pursuing research that improves quality of life in low-income communities so that other students, especially at an early age, can also have the opportunity to pursue their dreams and succeed at the highest level.”