BENJAMIN S. HSIAO
RESEARCH GROUP
Troy Fiorillo
Undergraduate student
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Email:
troy.fiorillo@stonybrook.edu
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Troy is a senior majoring in biology (B.S.) and plans to attend medical school starting in Summer '26. He is working with Noel and plans to optimize NOP conditions for increasing concentrations of phosphate as a way of using less nitric acid in the NOP process and making recycled effluent a viable option as N:P ratio approaches 2:1 and eventually 1:1. Some of his hobbies include roller coaster design, Rubik's cubes, and board games.
Jenny Chen
Undergraduate student
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Email: xin.chen.7@stonybrook.edu
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Jenny Chen is a junior biology major with a concentration in neuroscience on the
pre-med track and a minor in chemistry. She is engaged in Hsiao’s lab research with
aims to determine how nanocellulose can enhance soil quality and other growing
media while monitoring plant health by breaking down cellulose and turning it into
a gel form, then adding it to soil containing invertebrates and observing the
reaction outcome of whether the nanocellulose will positively impact the growing
media.
Yutian Ding
Undergraduate student
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Email: yutian.ding@stonybrook.edu
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Yutian Ding is a senior chemistry major with a concentration in Biochemistry, currently conducting research with Dr. Yasmeen Abdelaziz. Yutian’s work focuses on synthesizing hydrogels from effluent collected by NOP and investigating their stability across varying pH levels and concentrations. She is analyzing the hydrogels' water retention properties in soil, with the goal of exploring their potential applications in environmental sustainability.
Joshua Xie
Undergraduate student
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Email: joshua.xie@stonybrook.edu
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Joshua Xie is a current sophomore biochemistry major on the pre-med and pre-law track with a minor in chemistry. He is currently working with Nadege Durand on the toxicological impact of NOCNF on Eisenia Fetida (earthworm) for health and soil safety; they plan to conduct pilot studies on the effects of NOP material on soybean growth in the upcoming semesters.
Tiffany Weng
Undergraduate student
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Email: jiahan.weng@stonybrook.edu
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Tiffany Weng is a senior chemistry student with a concentration in biological chemistry. She is currently working with Dr. Yasmeen S. Abdelaziz and other graduate students for optimization of NOP using different biomasses and the characterization of the extracted fibers.