University of Tennessee
Department of Geological Sciences
306 G & G Building
Knoxville, TN 37996-1410
(865) 974-2366
mlenczew@utk.edu

EDUCATION:

NON-ACADEMIC RESEARCH EMPLOYMENT:

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE:

• Research combines techniques from hydrogeology, microbiology, and molecular biology to address the issue of biodegradation of trichloroethylene (TCE) in fractured clay-rich materials.
• Evaluation of natural attenuation of TCE in fractured and weathered shale bedrock at a former disposal site at Oak Ridge Reservation, Oak Ridge, TN. The research includes both field-scale evaluation of natural attenuation of TCE in an existing 50 m long plume and laboratory scale experiments to investigate geochemical and microbial controls on TCE degradation in these materials.
• The investigation includes long-term injections of dissolved phase TCE into two samples (anaerobic and aerobic) of undisturbed fractured saprolite from uncontaminated sites at the Oak Ridge Reservation. During the experiment, the effluent from the columns are monitored for TCE, daughter products, inorganic chemicals, and assayed to examine microbial communities by traditional microbiology and molecular techniques.

PREVIOUS RESEARCH EXPERIENCE:

• Research experience includes preservative efficacy testing and sterility testing for cosmetics and cleaning products with emphasis on new methods and method improvements.
• Developed a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) based method to determine the optimal concentration of preservatives in personal and cleaning products. The research resulted in two publications in a peer-reviewed journal (Lenczewski et al., 1996; and Lenczewski and Kananen, 1998).
• Lead scientist in potable water testing for heterotrophic plate count bacteria and total coliform; also perform work related to water treatment systems.

• Graduate research focused on experimental investigation of the factors influencing transport of colloids in granular aquifer material. The investigations included a field experiment studying the effects of pH and heterogeneities on the transport of bacteriophage and microspheres at the Borden site, Canada. The research was subsequently published in a peer-reviewed journal (Bales et al., 1997).

• Research focused on tracer experiments in fractured porous media. This included investigations in a laboratory soil column and field tracer experiments in fractured till overlying a chalk aquifer in Denmark and led to publication of two peer-reviewed journal papers (Hinsby et al., 1996; McKay et al., in press). My participation began while I was an MS student and continued during summer vacations while I was employed at Amway. I was also involved in setting up a monitoring program to monitoring pathogenic microorganisms in Danish groundwater.

• Worked in a certified laboratory under the direction of Dr. Charles Gerba testing for the presence of enteric viruses, Giardia, and Cryptosporidium in water using tissue culture and immunofluorescence techniques.

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