WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - Henry Kernan of Quito, Ecuador, who graduated from Williams College in June, has been awarded a Davis Projects for Peace grant of $10,000 for his work to promote small-scale mining in Papua, New Guinea while reducing the environmental harms caused by current mining practices, particularly in regard to mercury pollution.

"The miners use mercury to separate gold from other minerals," he said. "This causes the release of harmful mercury vapors into the air and water."

To combat this, Kernan is introducing a device called a "retort," which captures and re-liquefies mercury in a safe and cost-effective manner.

"Retorts have been used for centuries to trap and re-liquefy mercury vapors," Kernan explained. "During the gold rush in North America, miners used retorts to conserve their mercury supplies and to reduce the known dangers of mercury vapor."

Kernan is collaborating with the Mineral Resources Authority (MRA), a government ministry in charge of mineral extraction in Papua. In addition to providing the initiative for miners to use retorts, Kernan is providing information on more effective mining techniques.

The Davis Projects for Peace provides grants for undergraduates at colleges in the Davis United World College Scholars Program to implement grassroots projects to promote peace. Kathryn Wasserman Davis created the program in 2007 on her 100th birthday, when she committed $1 million for 100 projects.