Growing up in Brazil, Mariana Lanzarini-Lopes became aware of communities in which many people suffered from a lack of access to clean water. Today she is working to find solutions to that widespread hardship. As a Fulton Schools environmental engineering doctoral student, Lanzarini-Lopes is involved in research to apply the ability of LED light to trigger a water-purification process — using flexible optical fibers woven into a fabric to disinfect water at a close range. Her research is supported by NASA, which is looking at the system for potential use on the International Space Station, and by the ARCS Foundation, which supports outstanding students seeking degrees in science, engineering and medical research.