Dr. Sara Abedi received the coveted National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award. She will use funding from the award to support a student outreach program and a five-year research project studying the impact of reactive brine interactions on rock properties.
Rock and salt water interactions are a major concern in several engineering applications, such as carbon sequestration, reservoir stimulation, cliff and slope stability, dam foundation seepage and creep, contaminant transport and enhanced geothermal systems. Rocks may appear solid and stable, but the corrosiveness of brines can erode their mechanical structures and compromise their strength. Characterizing and modeling how rock properties change when exposed to salty fluids remains a challenge because of the complex microstructure of rocks and the intricacy of rock-fluid interactions.
Abedi tailored her research for a broad application that aligned with the civil, mechanical and manufacturing innovation area within the NSF, particularly for advancing infrastructure resilience and sustainability.
“The research results will lead to better efficiency in resource and energy systems, enhanced resiliency in infrastructure systems and improved safety in fluid or gas storage,” said Abedi.
Since the integration of research and education is essential for CAREER projects, Abedi will use a collaborative, interdisciplinary outreach plan to broaden the participation of high school students and underrepresented college students in chemical and physical sciences through a program titled “Rocks and Fluids.”