Nariman mahabadi arizona state university
Avi wiezel.
Lakota Researcher Supports Her Community Through Epidemiology
As the first Lakota woman to earn a doctorate degree in environmental engineering, Otakuye Conroy-Ben ’98 has made her parents and her tribal community very proud.
Conroy-Ben has three degrees – one being a bachelor’s in chemistry from Notre Dame – serves as an assistant professor at Arizona State University and received the Technical Excellence Award from the American Indian Science and Engineering Society.
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Needless to say, there’s no shortage of reasons for their pride. The reason that looms the largest, though, is that Conroy-Ben brings her work in wastewater epidemiology back to her community.
“I knew I wanted to do research as a career, but I wanted to give back” Conroy-Ben says.
“I thought that being more hands-on, finding solutions, would most benefit my community.”
Conroy-Ben has certainly found ways to be hands-on with her research. She was working with tribal communities to examine evidence of substance ab