DURHAM – Gina Chaput of Merrimack has received a fellowship from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Center for Environmental Research.

Chaput was one of two University of New Hampshire juniors researching how algae could produce fuel.

Chaput and Brian McConnell, of Peabody, Mass., were among 40 recipients nationwide of the Greater Research Opportunities fellowships. The two-year GRO fellowships, for undergraduate environmentally related study, provide up to $19,700 per year of academic support and $9,500 for internship support.

“Brian and Gina’s research commitment, project dedication, collaboration with other students, and work ethic advanced our microalgae biodiesel studies to a higher level,” said Ihab Farag, professor of chemical engineering at UNH, who mentors both students in their research on biodiesel. “They both got papers accepted for publication in the Energy, Utility & Environment Conference online journal. They are very deserving recipients of these prestigious fellowships.”

The students have been exploring green microalgae grown in municipal waste water as a possible feedstock for biodiesel production. Chaput has been looking at environmental factors such as sources of nitrates, carbon dioxide fertilization, and nitrate starvation, to find the optimal conditions for micro algae growth and lipid (oil) production.

“As a genetics major, my goal is to incorporate my studies into this project and genetically modify the algae so that there is a higher oil production for less biomass,” Chaput said, who is also working with Estelle Hrabak, associate professor of plant biology and genetics. “My overall goal is to combine the studies and have an algae feedstock that can offer a plan of moving away from fossil fuels and toward a new energy source that would benefit society environmentally and economically.”

“Growing microalgae locally will reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil and enhance our energy security,” McConnell, a chemical engineering major and student in the UNH honors program, said. In addition to this fellowship from the EPA, McConnell received the Scholars Award from the National Science Foundation earlier this year.

Both students said they are grateful to the fellowship for easing financial pressures as well as for the fellowship’s summer internship with the EPA.

“Biofuels have been a passion of mine since high school, so the fact that I can use that passion beyond my education and for a real-life application is really a great feeling for me,” Chaput said, adding she has wanted to work at the EPA for several years.