Alexis Smoot (Environmental Engineering)
Alexis Smoot is an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor’s of Science in Environmental Engineering at Florida International University (FIU). She has served on the executive board as president of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) section of FIU, and as a general member of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (AAEES) and the Eco Engineering Club. Her professional interests include environmental remediation, energy efficiency, and sustainable and renewable energy technologies. Alexis plans to pursue a Master’s degree after graduation and hopes to begin a career in environmental remediation, sustainability design and optimization.
Alexis joined FIU’s Applied Research Center (ARC) as a Department of Energy (DOE) Fellow, under the mentorship of Dr. Yelena Katsenovich and Dr. Ravi Gudavalli, Ms. Smoot is supporting the remediation research efforts for Savannah River Site (SRS) by investigating the synergistic interactions between U(VI) ions, humic acid (HA) and colloidal silica under oxidized conditions and study the influence of HA and Si on the sorption of U(VI) onto sediments collected from SRS F/H Area. This study will assist in evaluating the mobility of actinides in natural systems in the presence of colloidal silica and humic acid to understand the potential for colloid-facilitated transport of uranium in the SRS subsurface.
In the summer of 2016, Alexis spent 10 weeks with a team of interns at DOE-EM Headquarters in Germantown, MD under the mentorship of Mr. Grover Chamberlin. During the summer internship, Alexis developed a high-level sustainability analysis which compared active and passive remediation technologies at Hanford’s 100 and 200 area sites, as well as the Mound, Ohio site. The analysis compares 10 metrics encompassing environmental, social, and economic aspects of sustainability for the two types of remediation techniques. It also incorporates the perspectives and values of investors, regulators, scientists, and community members involved in the decision-making process. The goal of the analysis was to create a quantitative sustainability index which complements the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s recent publication on exit strategies for pump and treat remediation methods.
Alexis Smoot won the FIU Honors College Annual Research award for her achievements and has also been featured in various university publications. She has presented at regional and national conferences including:
- Feb 2016, Life Science South Florida Undergraduate Research Symposium
- Oct 2016, FIU McNair Scholars Research Conference
- Mar 2017, Florida International University Conference of Undergraduate Research
- Mar 2017, Waste Management Symposia
- Apr 2017, National Conference of Undergraduate Research