Dare to Discover campaign profiles May
The UI Office of Research and Economic Development created the campaign, which also profiles May and the other student researchers on its Dare to Discover website.
May, a UI doctoral candidate, was recognized for his work at SHL, studying naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) in drinking water and their potential impact on human health. NORM are unstable and spontaneously emit radiation, and may include uranium, polonium, strontium and radium, or any of their decay products.
After graduating from the UI with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 2006, Dustin accepted a position at SHL and eventually transitioned into the Radiochemistry section testing water and soil for radioactive particles. Initially planning to attend medical school, he soon discovered a passion for his work at the Hygienic Lab, and is now on his way to receiving his doctorate in Human Toxicology.
“If you want to, you can do it. If you want to be involved, you can be involved,” said May when asked what he thought people should take away from the banner program. “If there is something you are passionate about, you can break new ground on those things.”
May, as part of his dissertation work, is currently gathering data to examine the prevalence of less well-understood radionuclides, such as lead-210 and polonium-210, and formulate a hypothesis about the correlation of colorectal cancer and radium in Iowa ground-derived drinking water. Colorectal cancer is the third leading type of cancer in Iowa.
The Dare to Discover campaign launched in 2016 in support of the university’s multiple missions of education, research, service and outreach. Unlike previous years that profiled outstanding faculty, the new campaign is spotlighting outstanding students, both graduate and undergraduate.
“Most people don’t know that nearly 30 percent of University of Iowa undergraduates and virtually all graduate and post-graduate students are engaged in research and scholarship by the time they graduate,” says Leslie Revaux, manager of Campus Communications for the Office of the Vice President of Research and Economic Development. “Our goal is to raise awareness not only on our campus, but also within our community -- friends of the university, parents, visitors and legislators -- about the wide variety of undergraduate and graduate student research activities that happen here.”
