For Immediate Release
July 15, 2025 (PA, NJ, DE, NY) – The Water Resources Association of the Delaware River Basin (WRA) has awarded the 2025 John L. Buzzi Scholarship to Lale Ergen, a Newark Charter School graduate recognized for her outstanding research in water quality and materials science.
A stellar student, Ergen applied the skills and understanding from her advanced science and math classes to investigate and address real world challenges. She designed and conducted a study to test water quality in her community, using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and liquid-liquid extraction to investigate patterns of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs are a class of pollutants that can bind to sediments and be transported through water systems.
Her well-designed study produced findings that defied her hypothesis. Lale embraced the evidence and used her work to pursue a new line of investigation that provided a data-based understanding of a broader question.
“Lale’s passion for water resources, her rigorous analytical approach, and her commitment to science-based solutions make her an exceptional future leader in the field,” said Skelly Holmbeck, WRA Executive Director.
Her teachers described her as having a commitment to “evidence and rigor – she is precise, skeptical of surface assumptions, and driven by facts.”
Lale also experimented with materials science, where she worked to create a compound with thermoelectric properties that could be harnessed to improve energy efficiency, an innovation that lays the groundwork for capturing wasted heat from industrial processes and converting it into usable energy. This work won her the Best in Show at the Chemours-sponsored New Castle County Science Fair, and exemplifies her ability to bridge scientific research and practical applications, precisely what makes her such a promising engineer.
Lale will begin her studies in environmental and chemical engineering at The University of Pennsylvania in the fall.
John K. Buzzi’s Legacy
In 2003, WRA established the John L. Buzzi Memorial Scholarship Fund to honor the late Dr. John L. Buzzi (1936-2003), a former chairman of WRA and member of the Board of Directors who was a highly respected and greatly admired water resource engineering professional, and a dedicated community leader within and outside the Delaware River Basin. Every year, WRA awards the Buzzi Scholarship to an exemplary student who resides within the Delaware River Basin watershed and is pursuing a water resources related degree.
Application requirements for the 2026 Buzzi Scholarship will be posted on the WRA website in October.
Contact: Skelly Holmbeck, Executive Director, 561.707.3186, ed@wradrb.org
About the Water Resources Association of the Delaware River Basin
WRADRB is a nonprofit, non-partisan, advocacy and public information organization that promotes the science-based management of water resources within the Delaware River Basin to protect water dependent uses and enhance the long-term sustainability and resiliency of the river system. WRADRB represents the water users and anyone dependent on, or interested in, the Basin’s water resources.