Aliyah R. Barrett ’09 has been selected to present research at the Symposium of Artists and Scholars, April 25-26, at Randolph College.   Barrett's project, “Designing a Lab Activity for Removing Lead from Soil with Plants,”  was conducted with faculty mentor William Bare, assistant professor of chemistry.

This project focuses on developing a way to remove lead from soil using plants appropriate for an undergraduate lab activity. Plant health and growth were monitored while corn was grown in soil of varying lead concentrations. Following growth periods of three to four weeks, plant and soil lead concentrations were measured. The results were used to determine suitable soil contamination ranges and plant care, harvesting,and analysis methods to produce meaningful data.

The procedure developed in this project is currently being used as a class activity in the College's Environmental Chemistry laboratory.

The Symposium of Artists and Scholars provides Randolph College students from all classes and disciplines the opportunity to present the results of their research, scholarship, and creative work to the entire College community and beyond.  The two-day symposium, modeled after a typical academic conference, features oral presentations of student research, readings of creative work, musical performances, and exhibitions of student artwork.