Pamela Weathers, professor of biology and biotechnology, and Pratap Rao, associate professor of mechanical and materials engineering, were interviewed by the Worcester Telegram & Gazette about the impact of algal blooms on local bodies of water. Rao and a team of graduate and undergraduate students received a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to create 3D-printed floating structures designed to mimic natural objects that serve as photocatalysts, which have been shown to break down cyanobacteria and associated toxins.

A WPI research team working to tackle harmful algal blooms by creating 3D-printed floating structures which serve as photocatalysts was chosen for funding by the Environmental Protection Agency. The project will include students in mechanical & materials engineering and robotics engineering, Professors Pratap Rao and Markus Nemitz, and postdoctoral fellow Ceren Yilmaz Akkaya.