Dear Queen's Supporter,

After this summer’s devastating oil spill in the Gulf, the cleaning of the water and coastline has become a topic of great interest.

At Queen’s, researchers and students have been working in the field of toxic clean-ups for over 12 years.

Thanks in part to your gifts to the Queen’s Annual Appeal, Queen’s faculty and students are finding solutions to clean up the Earth.

A solution for the Sydney Tar Ponds

In my fourth year of Life Sciences at Queen's, I explored the environmental devastation in the Sydney Tar Ponds - almost 100 years of accumulated toxic waste from steel production on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.

The Sydney Tar Ponds clean-up project was plagued by false starts, delays and political controversy for over two decades. The solution eventually chosen was containment of the toxins rather than degradation of them.

I found an alternative solution for the Tar Ponds. Utilizing a previous Queen's discovery combining engineering and microbiology, I developed, tested and confirmed a solution that would degrade the Pond toxins rather than trap them.

My solution would allow the area to return to its natural state with no fear that trapped toxins would be released to the environment in the future.

A potential solution for oil spills

I was introduced to bioremediation (using microorganisms to destroy toxins) when Dr. Andrew Daugulis was a guest lecturer in my second year microbiology class. Professor Daugulis seeks to replace chemical processes with sustainable and environmentally friendly alternatives. He believes that most chemical processes can be duplicated in natural ways using biological organisms. I was so engaged by his lectures that I specifically requested him as my thesis supervisor.

Through his recent work, Dr. Daugulis and his team developed an efficient and effective method of removing toxic contaminants from water and soil with inexpensive plastics, including re-usable old tires, and destroying the toxins with biological organisms and minimal human involvement.

Dr. Daugulis's advances are not confined to classrooms and labs. Recently, Quantum Murray joined Queen's in collaboration on field scale trials of the technology. A recognized leader in site decontamination, this Canadian company currently has supervisory personnel working at the Gulf oil spill site.

Made possible through our gifts

The application of classroom theory to the real life situations of the Tar Ponds was an invaluable addition to my overall education at Queen’s. When I hear about the oil spill on the news, my understanding of the challenges and possible solutions is deepened thanks to my research.

Not only did I help develop a solution to clean up the Earth, I also learned how our lab work translates to practical application, and how theory becomes tangible reality.

As alumni, our gifts are critical to ensuring Queen’s students continue to enjoy top quality learning both in the classroom and through hands-on application, and that cutting edge research continues to uncover discoveries to improve our world and our lives.

Cleaning up toxic disasters like the Gulf oil spill may take years, but through research at Queen’s, efficient and natural solutions are being discovered and applied, in an educational setting.

Just as each discovery is vital to bettering the world, your gifts are vital to the discoveries. We can’t do it without you. Please, add your support with a monthly gift to the 2010-11 Queen’s Annual Appeal today.

Yours in thanks,
Rendalyn Preun, Life Sciences'09

Your gift to the Queen's Annual A ppeal is critical to ensuring new discoveries and further innovations. Just as each discovery is pivotal to improving our world and our lives, annual gifts are pivotal to the discoveries.

Please join us in support of work like that done by Rendalyn and Dr. Daugulis by making a gift to the Annual Appeal . 

Looking for more information:

Alumni gifts make a difference

Gulf Tar Balls

The Tar Ponds Solution

Dr. Daugulis and Bio-Chemical Engineering

Making a Gift is Easy