Saturday, September 29, 2007
Editorial: A health field of his own
From the RoundTable blog
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Marc Edwards eschewed the much greater earning potential of a medical degree for a degree in environmental engineering for one reason. He thought he could make a bigger difference in people's health. And he was right.
The Virginia Tech civil and environmental engineering professor won a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation award this week for his selfless, research-driven crusade to ensure safe drinking water. Though his most famous battle -- against high levels of lead in the water in Washington, D.C. -- is ongoing, his findings prompted tighter federal environmental rules.
Edwards has spent a good deal of his own time and tens of thousands of his own dollars pursuing information people must know to protect their health. In the process, unfortunately, he compromised his own. In 2004, stress and overwork landed him in a hospital emergency room with heart trouble.
He has amply earned the $500,000 that comes with the foundation's so-called genius grants, and could not be faulted if he spent it all on fun and relaxation. Edwards said instead that it will go to further his work.
His focus on the broad interests of society over narrow self-interest is a rare and admirable quality, as valuable in its way as his research. He sets a high standard to which others might aspire, whatever work they do.
