MILWAUKEE – The Water Council, along with Neroli Salon & Spa, The Institute of Beauty and Wellness and Aveda Institute Madison have selected two projects to receive funding through the second annual Future Water Leaders Fund that will support student-led water-related projects or research efforts in Wisconsin.
Aveda and the Aveda network of salons, spas and institutes have been raising funds for clean water since 1999, raising over $56 million dollars. As an Aveda Lifestyle company, Neroli Salon & Spa along with the institutes are passionate about living out the charitable efforts set forth by Aveda.
Supported by staff from The Water Council, Neroli and the Aveda Institutes’ Green Teams, student ambassadors who educate their fellow students on how to live greener lives and embody the Aveda Mission, raised funds in support of the Future Water Leaders Fund. Wisconsin post-secondary students working on water tech innovations were invited to apply to the scholarship, which was open from Sept. 5 to Oct. 6, with the Green Teams selecting this year’s winners.
“Our students are passionate about clean water access in our community. Members of our institutes’ Green Team and administration sought local projects that contribute to research and technology in freshwater,” said Kari Kennedy, director of The Institute of Beauty and Wellness and Aveda Institute Madison. “We are happy to support The Water Council in helping fund the next generation of research in freshwater science.”
The 2019 Future Water Leaders Fund winners include:
- Basil Hable and Andrew Thompson, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM)—Low-Cost Fast-Data Particle Sensor for Harbor Monitoring—The UWM team has developed a low-cost fast-data particle sensor prototype that has potential to capture data throughout the area of a harbor, water treatment center, or other water system for use in data collection in smart cities. As an outcome of this research project, the team will be able to prepare a poster and student’s paper, which will be presented at the OCEANS 2020 Conference in Singapore.
- Max Spehlmann, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences—Linking Water Age to Bacterial Growth in a Tap Water Distribution System—The proposed research project will pave the way for future water aging studies and help fill a wide knowledge gap in tap water research.
“We are pleased to partner once again with Neroli Salon & Spa, Aveda Institute Madison and The Institute of Beauty and Wellness for this round of the Future Water Leaders Fund,” said Karen Frost, vice president of economic development for The Water Council. “This project funding will support the next generation water researchers and talent, and advance research projects and efforts to impact clean water.”
The selected winners will be awarded funds at an upcoming Water Council membership meeting.