Trevar Moran, a senior student in the Environmental Health and Sustainability program, has been selected as a Robert G. Bone Scholar for 2020-2021.
“This scholarship will provide me the opportunity to continue through my academic journey with one less concern and the honor that comes with,” said Moran. “With the education I will receive from ISU, I know that I will be able to make a difference in my own life and in the lives of others.”
Moran is a very focused, dedicated student who also does his best to help the community. As a non-traditional student, he has overcome the challenges in balancing school and life, and become an exceptional role model for many environmental health students at ISU. He has a GPA of 3.95, and has been an active member of Student Environmental Health Association.
Moran has been working on waste management research projects for three semesters with Dr. Liangcheng Yang. His weekly routine tasks include sample collection and analysis, data interpretation, reactor operation and troubleshooting, and general lab management. One project he works on is to use a cartridge design anaerobic digester to convert crop residues into bioenergy. The goal is to reduce agricultural wastes and greenhouse gas emissions, while in the meantime, generate a revenue through the production of bioenergy. He compared the digester performance at multiple operating conditions with the purpose of maximizing bioenergy production. Moran was listed as a co-author of two manuscripts that have been submitted to peer review journals.
“This project has helped me regain knowledge and given new knowledge in scientific disciplines, showed me the importance of not procrastinating, and given me a better understanding and appreciation of experimental design,” said Moran.
Outside of campus, Moran has done lots of work to help his community. In order to raise money to build a new fire station, he started a fundraiser golf outing at his local country club and spent months going door to door, making phone calls, and sending emails trying to obtain donations—from an array of prizes, to money, and food to feed 174 golfers the first year. He ran it for five years and raised $50,000 in those five years. This previous year was the 10th and final year for that event. They now have a new fire department named the Brian J. Munz Safety Complex in Fairbury.
