MNews December 2006 - Montana Tech of the University of Montana

Environmental
Engineering
Roars into
Africa
Nairobi grad student George
Mwaniki studies animal hair for
metal content
3
For most students,
the summer season
is a time to get away
from school work and relax.
For George Mwaniki, the
summer of 2006 was only the
beginning of his research.
George, a graduate
student from Nairobi, Kenya,
decided to continue his
education at Montana Tech
to get his masters in environmental
engineering. He was
introduced to Montana Tech
by one of his professors in
Nairobi who graduated from
a school in Utah in agricultural
engineering.
“I wanted to live in a
small town and earn my
degree,” said George. “My
professor strongly advised me
to go to Tech, so I did.”
George’s research began
in the spring of 2006 when he
became interested in the types
of metals that are threatening
to human blood. The metals
that are found in the blood are
extracted through hair, and
George decided that because
pets are in close contact with
humans, they should be studied
as metal carriers.
His advisor, Holly Peterson,
was researching that
very concept in Butte, Mon-