Rosa Maria Leal Bautista Degrees: Master in Environmental Engineering from Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico Bachelor in Chemical Engineering from Universidad Popular Autonoma del Estado de Puebla Research Interest: I am a PhD student at Northern Illinois University. This is my second year and half and I am working with Dr. Melissa Lenczewski with organic compounds in groundwater and the behavior of clays. My research projects is related with Methyl Tert-Butyl Ether (MTBE). The proposal is to evaluate the amount of sorption in clay materials, which is crucial to understand the long-term behavior and the final fate of MTBE in the ground. The objectives of this project are to determine if MTBE will sorb to two different clays and determine the factors that influence the sorption. To evaluate sorption at different clay materials, different concentrations of MTBE, and different temperatures. From 1995 to 1997, I had been working in different places in Mexico (Tecamachalco, Puebla; Yecapixtla, Morelos; and San Luis Potosi, Mexico) with projects related with groundwater quality under the direction of Dr. Adrian Ortega-Guerrero. Other good research experience was in Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories where I was working in dissolution of carbonates in fracture rocks under the direction of Dr. William Bourcier, during the summers of 1998 and 1999. Publications: Inorganic water quality monitoring using Specific Conductance in Mexico. Marin Luis E., Escolero Oscar, Steinich Birgit, Leal Rosa Ma., Silva Braulio and Gutierrez Susana, Groundwater Monitoring and Remedation, vol.18 no.1, p. 156-162, 1998. Sorption of metals and organic compounds by clay around Mexico city. Rosa Ma. Leal Bautista. 2nd Convencion sobre la evolucion de las diferentes areas geologicas, Pachuca Hidalgo, Mexico, Conference Proceedings, May1997, p50-57. Migracion de Contaminantes Organicos y metales traza derivados de aguas residuales a traves del acuitardo lacustre hacia el acuifero subyacente de la Cd. de Mexico. (Migration of organic compound and trace metals, from wasterwater trough the aquitard to aquifer of Mexico City) Leal Bautista R. Conference Proceedings of 3rd. Latin-American Congress of Hydrogeology, (ALHSUD), SLP, Mexico, November 1996, p 46-151.