In recognition of his current research and potential for future contributions in the critical field of water research, Kwonit Mallick, currently pursuing a master's degree in chemical engineering at New Mexico State University, was awarded a $5,000 annual fellowship from the Ivanhoe Foundation. This amount will be available each year while he is in the master's program.
"I am proud of Mr. Mallick for being recognized with this fellowship. The Ivanhoe is a sign of a student's perseverance under difficult conditions," said David Rockstraw, NMSU chemical engineering department head. "Mr. Mallick is demonstrating through receipt of this recognition that the pursuit of a chemical engineering degree is not limited to the wealthy, but is open to anyone with his strong determination. He embodies the tenacity of a member of la familia NMSU CHEME."
The fellowship is designed to help foreign master's degree students who are studying in the United States and researching water-related issues. Priority for the award is given to researchers concentrating on arid land management, water conservation and water recycling, wastewater treatment, and pathogen and chemical remediation.
"I have been working on water related-issues all my life," Mallick said. "I sent a letter with my thesis explaining how my work will improve water conditions, plus I listed all my experience, and I was selected."
Mallick earned his bachelor's degree at the Heritage Institute of Technology under West Bengal University of Technology in India. He has also participated in completing six publications and delivering several seminars and presentations.
"When I was told that I got the fellowship, my initial reaction was a mix of happiness and surprise," he said. "It feels good, and not just for the money, but for the recognition as well. I was so happy when I got the certificate; it lifted my spirit."
Mallick plans to graduate in Spring 2014 and then pursue a doctoral degree.
Mallick works at NMSU's Institute for Energy and the Environment and is supervised by his adviser, Abbas Ghassemi. He is concentrating on desalination technologies and can be often be found conducting new experiments at the Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility in Alamogordo, N.M.