Remington Wheat, a Tarleton State University senior who is studying environmental engineering, has been named a recipient of the Undergraduate Student Award in Environmental Chemistry by the American Chemical Society (ACS).

Sponsored by the ACS Division of Environmental Chemistry, the annual award recognizes outstanding full-time undergraduate students who have completed a minimum of one year of study.

Besides having a 3.9 GPA and being among the top one percent of students in Tarleton’s environmental engineering program, Wheat has conducted original research on the mobility of neonicotinoid insecticides such as imidacloprid, thiamethoxam and dinotefuran in soil media as part of his senior capstone project.

“Remington is an incredibly talented student, who not only excels in his studies but also did outstanding research. This is particularly impressive for an undergraduate student researcher,” said Dr. Sudarshan Kurwadkar, assistant professor of engineering and physics.

As part of his senior capstone project, Wheat is evaluating the feasibility of constructed wetlands for removal of imidacloprid, a systemic insecticide which acts as an insect neurotoxin. As part of his research, Wheat intends to mathematically model the remediation rate in three mesocosms, an experimental tool that brings a small part of the natural environment under controlled conditions.

“It is no surprise that Remington’s work on neonicotinoids have recently won him a distinguished poster award at the ninth annual Texas A&M Research Symposium held in November 2011,” said Kurwadkar. “He is also pursuing state of the art research on emerging pollutants such as third-generation neonicotinoid dinotefuran. From his academic accomplishments, and dedication to environmental research, he is an ideal candidate for this award.”