The 2011 AEESP Education and Research conference was held at the University of South Florida in Tampa from July 10th-12th, 2011. Below you will find a recap of all of the activities. Please click on any highlighted links to get further details. Photos from events can be viewed on our facebook fanpage, click here. If you have any questions, please email us.
About AEESP
Founded in 1963 as a private nonprofit organization, AEESP has grown to more than 800 members in universities throughout the world. The national conference, held every two years, brings together faculty, students, and practitioners to share knowledge, establish collaborations and push the impact of Environmental Engineering and Science research, teaching and practice. The AEESP-published proceedings are used by faculty, government and industry to set education goals and research funding agendas.
The Environmental Engineering Body of Knowledge (BOK) states that “environmental engineering problem formulation and solution must be accomplished in the context of sustainability, must meet societal needs and must be sensitive to global implications.” To recognize this competence, AAEE has created a new certification category in sustainability. As the world’s population and per-capita consumption of water, energy, and materials increase, so does the urgency for environmental engineers and scientists to protect and enhance the environment and communities. This, however, presents numerous global challenges. |
The 2011 AEESP Education and Research Conference at the University of South Florida was built around the theme of global sustainability, using the following 7 tracks:
- Advances that deal with water depletion and degradation
- Advances that assess and improve waste management and air quality
- Infrastructure that serves an expanding and urbanizing population
- Vulnerability and adaptation to climate change
- Global issues in Environmental Engineering
- Energy as a cross‐cutting theme
- Integration of Sustainability into Practice
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The conference was held in the 230,000 square foot Marshall Student Center, located in the middle of the USF campus. Attendees got to experience the Tampa Bay area through events held at the Clearwater Hilton on the beach and an evening at the Florida Aquarium with access to Channelside and Ybor. The AEESP membership committee designed activities for the bus ride to the beach that revolved around AEESP trivia (click here to take the quiz). The "winning bus" got extra drink tickets for the aquarium (their controversial score sheet).
The organizing committee worked to reduce wastes generated by the conference, utilize products that were Greener than the norm, and other things that support sustainability. To read more on these activities, please click here.
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ATTENDEES
426 people attended Sunday Workshops and/or Conference. They included 5 Professors Emeritus, 65, Professors, 51 Associate Professors, 60 Assistant Professors, 31 Post docs, 158 Graduate Students, 10 Undergraduate Students, and 46 Others. 16 businesses, sponsors, and/or municipalities were represented as well as over 100 universities and colleges.
PROGRAM
Please click here to view the final program online. Please click here for the final conference proceedings, including all of the abstracts from the oral and poster presentations.
Sunday - July 10, 2011 in USF Marshall Center (MSC)
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8:00 am to 4:45 pm |
Conference Registration on 2nd floor |
9:00 am to 12 pm |
Workshops
1a: NSF CAREER proposals (starts at 8:30 am)
2a: Academic job search
3a: Integrating sustainable development into engineering courses
4a: Engaging students in the classroom
5a: Quantitative microbial risk assessment
4b: Teaching using video lessons
5b: Environ. chemistry software |
12:45 pm to 3:45 pm |
Workshops
1b: Navigating the early years of academia
2b: Frontiers in environmental education
3b: Strategies for teaching writing
4c: Response to climate change
5c: Natural & eng systems in the built environ
4d: Service learning projects & sustainability |
5:00 pm to 9:00 pm |
Dinner
Networking Social (Clearwater Hilton, Gulf coast beach). Shuttles provided and depart USF at 5:00 pm. Activities to welcome new members organized by the AEESP membership committee.
Welcome by Tampa City Council Member, Lisa Montelione |
Monday – July 11, 2011 |
| 7:30 am to 4:00 pm |
Conference Registration (2nd floor Marshall Center) |
7:30 am to 8:30 am |
Continental Breakfast available in Marshall Center |
8:30 am to 9:45 am |
Plenary Session “Designing Tomorrow” with Dr. Paul Anastas
Welcome by USF Provost Dr. Ralph Wilcox |
10:00 am to 11:45 am |
Research and Education Presentations (4 Simultaneous Tracks) |
11:45 am m to 1:00 pm |
Lunch Plenary Speaker “The Day After Tomorrow: Changing Our View of Education” with Dr. James Mihelcic |
1:15 pm to 4:15 pm |
Research and Education Presentations (4 Simultaneous Tracks) |
6:00 pm |
AEESP Business Meeting, Awards Ceremony & Dinner at Florida Aquarium in downtown Tampa
Aquarium is close to Channel Side Area or you can take a Trolley to Ybor City if interested in going out after the conference.
Click here for USF dinner and bar picks. |
Tuesday – July 12, 2011 |
| 7:30 am to 11:45 am |
Conference Registration (2nd floor Marshall Center) |
7:30 am to 8:30 am |
Continental Breakfast available (2nd floor Marshall Center) |
8:30 am to 9:45 am |
Plenary Session “Climate Change and Development: Avoiding the Unmanageable and Managing the Unavoidable” with Dr. Rosina Bierbaum
Welcome by USF College of Engineering Dean, Dr. John Wiencek |
10:00 am to 11:45 am |
Research and Education Presentations (4 Simultaneous Tracks) |
11:45 am to 1:00 pm |
Lunch with activities led by the AEESP government affairs committee and strategic planning committee |
1:15 pm to 3:20 pm |
Research and Education Presentations (5 Simultaneous Tracks) |
3:45 pm to 6:30 pm |
Poster Session and Social at USF Interdisciplinary Research Building Galleria |
7:00 pm |
Legacy Celebration: Round 2, Legacy Speaker(s), & AEESP Poster Awards at Embassy Suites, USF campus. |
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WORKSHOPS
Workshops were held on Sunday July 10, 2011. They were free. Please Click on each workshop to download a full description. Pictures from the workshop can be seen on the AEESP2011 Facebook Fanpage, cick here.
Room
/Time |
1
(CUTR 102) |
2
(CUTR 202) |
3
(ENB 109)
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4 |
5 |
9:00 am |
1a: NSF CAREER workshop
Jeff Cunningham, Univ. South Florida
pdfs from workshop |
2a: Academic job search (note CV and other materials must be provided by 5/1/2011)
Defne Apul, Univ. Toledo, Andrew J. Whelton, NIST and the AEESP student services committee |
3a: Integrating sustainable development into engineering courses
Cliff I. Davidson, Syracuse Univ, John C. Crittenden, Georgia Tech., Julie B. Zimmerman, Yale, Qiong (Jane) Zhang, Univ. South FL |
4a: Engaging students in the classroom
Joel Burken, Missouri S&T, Jeanine D. Plummer, Worcester Polytech, Jeanne VanBriesen, Carnegie Mellon Univ. |
5a: Quantitative microbial risk assessment
Charles N. Haas, Drexel Univ., Patrick L. Gurian, Drexel Univ., Mark H. Weir, Michigan State
pdf of presentations |
10:30 am |
4b: Teaching using video lessons
Philip T. McCreanor, Mercer Univ. |
5b: Environ. chemistry software
Steve Cabaniss, Univ. New Mexico
pdfs from workshop |
12:00 |
Working Lunch (for am full workshops) |
12:45 pm |
1b: Navigating the early years of academia
Sharon Walker & David Cwiertny , UC Riverside |
2b: Frontiers in environmental education
Angela Bielefeldt, Univ. CO, Joel Burken, Missouri S&T, Joe Hughes, Georgia Tech, Sharon Jones, Lafayette College, Kurt Paterson, Michigan Tech, Deb Reinhart, Univ. Central FL |
3b: Strategies for teaching writing
Jen Fela, Washington DC, Brian E. Whitman, Wilkes Univ., Julie Zilles, Univ. Illinois Urbana-Champaign |
4c: Response to climate change
Glenn Schrader, Univ AZ, Maya Trotz, Univ. South FL and Allan Feldman, Univ. South FL
LINKS FROM WORKSHOP
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5c: Natural & eng systems in the built environ
Daniel Becker, Plunkett Raysich Architects, Milwaukee WI
pdf from workshop |
2:15 pm |
4d: Service learning projects & sustainability
Bruce Dvorak, University of Nebraska, Angela R. Bielefeldt, University of Colorado, Craig Just, University of Iowa |
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LUNCH ACTIVITIES: AEESP GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS & STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEES
The AEESP Government Affairs Committee (GAC) and the AEESP Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) designed a "working lunch" for conference attendees to directly engage members and soon to be members on things relevant to the organization's direction. Patrick Gurian (GAC) and Joel Burken (SPC) gave brief presentations on their committees and the feedback requested. This was followed by roughly 25 minutes worth of "working" by tables designated to work on one of the committee requests. The feedback sheets were then compiled by the various committees.
| Presentation on Policy Statements given by Patrick Gurian of the AEESP Government Affairs Committee (download ppt) |
1. Background
•Many professional organizations have policy statements
•Policy statements may advocate for the special interests of the organization and membership
•Policy statement may bring to bear the expertise of the organization on generally relevant issues
•Policy statements may advocate for actions by members of the organization and those external to the organization
•Some may do all of these
2. AWWA Climate Change Policy Statement (excerpts)
“The American Water Works Association recognizes that global climate changes will have major impacts on the hydrologic cycle and, therefore, have the potential to significantly affect water supplies. …..AWWA encourages water utilities to…develop adaptation and mitigation responses for a range of predicted climate change impacts...
AWWA believes the liability for unintended consequences resulting from green house gas mitigation technologies implemented outside of the water community, such as increased water consumption or degraded water quality, should not be borne by water utilities…”
Approved by the Board of Directors Jan. 17, 2010
3. For Example: AWWA (partial list)
•Research
•Youth Education
•Fluoridation of Public Water Supplies
•Metering & Accountability
•Discontinuance of Water Service for Nonpayment
•Grounding of Electric Circuits on Water Pipe
4. AEESP History
•AEESP has traditionally not had policy statements
•Board has undertaken lobbying in support of funding for environmental research and training
5. AEESP Policy Statements
•Ideas may be generated by the Board or by committees
•Board may request that a single committee or a task force with members from multiple committees draft the policy statement
•Once formulated policy statement is posted on website and email notice sent to members of 45 day comment period
–If comments are received then policy is revised as necessary and reposted for comments for 30 days
•Final policy statement goes to Board for action
•All policy statements must be reviewed at least every 4 years for relevance and technical basis
6. Approaches
Minimalist Approach
•Maintain credibility by limiting action to areas of clear relevance, expertise, and consensus
•We are a scientific and professional organization not an activist or advocacy organization
Activist
•Bring expertise to bear on many issues where it is needed
•Build visibility and relevance for organization
•Continuity, consistency of purpose through leadership changes
Today’s Exercise
•Take a minute to think of a possible policy statement
•We will go around the table and elicit your ideas
•Then each of you will be able to vote for up to 3 ideas
•We will total votes and rank ideas
•Gov. affairs will forward top ranked ideas to Board and individual members can champion ideas
Results of Policy Statement Elicitation by the AEESP Government Affairs Committee
July 12, 2011
1. AEESP should develop a policy statement that water is a precious resource. We support research, educational initiatives, and policies to support a more sustainable water supply including water reuse, protecting water quality, and efficiently using water resources.
2. AEESP should develop a policy statement defining sustainability criteria for use in formulation of standards (ISO, ASTM, etc.).
3. AEESP should develop a policy statement encouraging members to collaborate with members of other disciplines and acquire a basic functional knowledge of these disciplines.
4. AEESP should develop a policy statement supporting urgent research in science and engineering to support sustainability, including 1) disruptive innovations and the use of universities as test beds, 2) practical applications of and implementation of new technologies.
5. AEESP should develop a policy statement encouraging more emphasis on undergraduate education, the mentoring of junior faculty, international engagement, and environmental science.
6. AEESP should develop a policy statement supporting the adoption of a renewable energy portfolio. |
7. AEESP should develop a policy statement encouraging scientists and engineers to connect with the public more effectively.
8. AEESP should develop a policy statement identifying sources of good practices in education and encouraging members to adopt these practices in their teaching.
9. AEESP should develop a policy statement that environmental literacy is a fundamental literacy for an educated person in the 21st century. Environmental literacy of the citizenry is critical to sustainable development, and every college graduate should have an understanding of how the environment functions, the links between environmental quality and human well-being, how technology influences the environment, how technology can provide solutions to environmental challenges, and how societal institutions may provide solutions to environmental challenges. Universities should seek to achieve environmental literacy in all students, and offer opportunities for environmental specialization for students who desire deeper understanding. Additional environmental education efforts should target K-12 students and the general public.
This environmental education should:
1) should be forward looking by addressing the concepts and topics that will be important to the future
2) should be integrated into the general undergraduate curriculum, especially into all engineering majors, and
3) should be both quantitative and qualitative. |
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AWARDEES
The AEESP awards were distributed at the AEESP business meeting held at the Florida Aquarium on 7/11/11. Below is a list of the awardees. You can read more about these award on AEESP.org, by clicking here. To view pictures of this event, click here.
Name |
Award |
Name |
Award |
Manish Kumar |
CH2M Hill / AEESP Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award: “Biomimetic Membranes as New Materials for Applications in Environmental Engineering and Biology,” Advised by Julie L. Zilles, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. |
John T. Novack
 |
Frederick George Pohland Medal for sustained and outstanding efforts to bridge environmental engineering research, education, and practice. |
Julie L. Zilles
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CH2M Hill / AEESP Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award: “Biomimetic Membranes as New Materials for Applications in Environmental Engineering and Biology,” Advisor to Manish Kumar, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. |
Linda D. Phillips
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Wiley / AEESP Award for Outstanding Contribution to Environmental Engineering & Science Education |
Mark M. Clark |
CH2M Hill / AEESP Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award: “Biomimetic Membranes as New Materials for Applications in Environmental Engineering and Biology,” Advisor to Manish Kumar, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. |
Hector R. Fuentes
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Distinguished Service Award for Outstanding Service as AEESP Liaison to ASEE |
Lee D. Bryant
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CH2M Hill / AEESP Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award: “Dynamic forcing of oxygen, iron, and manganese fluxes at the sediment-water interface in lakes and reservoirs,” Advised by John C. Little, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and Alfred Wüest, Eawag. |
Cyndee L. Gruden |
Distinguished Service Award for Outstanding Service as Chair of the AEESP Membership Committee |
John C. Little |
CH2M Hill / AEESP Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award: “Dynamic forcing of oxygen, iron, and manganese fluxes at the sediment-water interface in lakes and reservoirs,” Advisor to Lee D. Bryant, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. |
Nancy G. Love
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Distinguished Service Award for Outstanding Service as AEESP President and Board Member |
Alfred Wüest |
CH2M Hill / AEESP Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award: “Dynamic forcing of oxygen, iron, and manganese fluxes at the sediment-water interface in lakes and reservoirs,” Advisor to Lee D. Bryant, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. |
Margaret M. Lang
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Distinguished Service Award for Outstanding Service as AEESP Treasurer and Board Member |
Victoria Paris Sacks
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Montgomery-Watson-Harza Consulting Engineers / AEESP Master’s Thesis Award, 1st place: “Validation of Polyethylene Passive Samplers for the Detection of Emerging Contaminants,” Advised by Rainer Lohmann, University of Rhode Island. |
William J. Cooper
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Distinguished Service Award for Outstanding Service as AEESP Chief Information Officer and Board Member |
| Rainer Lohmann |
Montgomery-Watson-Harza Consulting Engineers / AEESP Master’s Thesis Award, 1st place: " Validation of Polyethylene Passive Samplers for the Detection of Emerging Contaminants,” Advisor to Victoria Paris Sacks, University of Rhode Island. |
Elizabeth C. Butler (Dave Sabitini accepting)
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Distinguished Service Award for Outstanding Service as Chair of the Dissertation Award Sub-Committee |
Cynthia A. Schafer
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Montgomery-Watson-Harza Consulting Engineers / AEESP Master’s Thesis Award, 2nd place: “The Impact of Tank Material on Water Quality in Household Water Storage Systems in Cochabamba, Bolivia,” Advised by James R. Mihelcic, University of South Florida. |
Maya A. Trotz
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Distinguished Service Award for Outstanding Service as Co-Chair of the 2011 AEESP Research and Education Conference Organizing Committee |
| James R. Mihelcic |
Montgomery-Watson-Harza Consulting Engineers / AEESP Master’s Thesis Award, 2nd place: “The Impact of Tank Material on Water Quality in Household Water Storage Systems in Cochabamba, Bolivia,” Advisor to Cynthia A. Schafer, University of South Florida. |
Jeffrey A. Cunningham |
Distinguished Service Award for Outstanding Service as Co-Chair of the 2011 AEESP Research and Education Conference Organizing Committee |
Nicole Fahrenfeld
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Virginia Tech Travel Award
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Sarina J. Ergas |
Distinguished Service Award for Outstanding Service as Chair of the AEESP Lecturers Committee |
Danny D. Reible
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Malcolm Pirnie / AEESP Frontier in Research Award |
Sarina J. Ergas |
Distinguished Service Award for Outstanding Service as a Member of the 2011 AEESP Research and Education Conference Organizing Committee |
Shannon L. Bartelt-Hunt
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McGraw-Hill / AEESP Award for Outstanding Teaching in Environmental Engineering & Science |
Kurt Keeley (Susan Franceschi accepting)
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Special AEESP Award for 1979 AEESP Archiving System That Has Stood the Test of Time |
Paul G. Tratnyek
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Outstanding Publication Award: Matheson, L. J. and P. G. Tratnyek (1994) “Reductive dehalogenation of chlorinated methanes by iron metal” Environmental Science & Technology 28(12): 2045-2053. |
David A. Dzombak
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2010-2011 AEESP Distinguished Lecturer |
Leah J. Matheson |
Outstanding Publication Award: Matheson, L. J. and P. G. Tratnyek (1994) “Reductive dehalogenation of chlorinated methanes by iron metal” Environmental Science & Technology 28(12): 2045-2053. |
Francis A. DiGiano
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Founders’ Award |
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STUDENT POSTER AWARDS
86 students presented posters at the poster session held on Tuesday July 12th, 2011. Judging criteria for the student poster session was allocated, generally, as 20% to the submitted abstract, and 80% to the visual/oral presentation. The oral presentation consisted of a 3 minute presentation of the poster to each judge, followed by a short period of questions and answers. A detailed list of the judging criteria used can be found here. Over 50 judges consisting of local professionals and non student conference attendees, helped to evaluate the posters. 11 awards worth $200 each were distributed at the Legacy Celebration: Round 2 event held that night. Each award was sponsored by one of our sponsors and below lists the student posters that one and includes a picture of the student with her/his advisor. Click here for pictures from this event.
| Author |
Affiliation |
Abstract Title |
Crandell, Lauren
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Princeton University |
CHANGES IN THE PORE NETWORK STRUCTURE OF HANFORD SAND AFTER REACTION WITH CAUSTIC TANK WASTES |
Indarawis, Katrina
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University of Florida |
CATION EXCHANGE PRETREATMENT TO REDUCE MEMBRANE FOULING: UNDERSTANDING INTERACTIONS BETWEEN NATURAL ORGANIC MATTER AND ALKALINE EARTH METALS |
Petosa, Adamo
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McGill University |
MOBILITY OF METAL OXIDE NANOPARTICLES SUSPENDED IN NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL GROUNDWATER MATRICES |
Beckingham, Barbara
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University of Maryland Baltimore County |
ACTIVATED CARBON AMENDMENT IN GRASSE RIVER, NY TO REDUCE SEDIMENT PCB BIOAVAILABILITY |
Taylor, Kyle
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University of Florida |
URINE TREATMENT IN WATERLESS URINALS: CATION EXCHANGE AND PRECIPITATION POTENTIAL |
Grotke, Caitlin
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Virginia Tech |
EFFECTS OF ALUMINUM SOLIDS ON PITTING CORROSION OF COPPER PLUMBING UNDER VARIABLE FLOW CONDITIONS |
Arnaout, Christina
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Duke University |
MEASURING THE ANTIBACTERIAL IMPACTS OF SILVER NANOPARTICLES |
| Buttice, Audrey |
University of South Florida |
SEDIMENT AND BACTERIA AGGREGATION USING MUCILAGE GUM |
Call, Douglas
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Penn State University |
A SCALABLE MICROBIAL ELECTROLYSIS CELL FOR RENEWABLE HYDROGEN PRODUCTION FROM WASTEWATER |
Wagner, Rachel
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Penn State University |
A LATEX IMMOBILIZATION LAYER FOR ISOLATION OF EXOELECTROGENIC MICROBES |
Zhuang, Yilin
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University of South Florida |
A SYSTEM DYNAMICS SIMULATION MODEL FOR INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY |
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PHOTO COMPETITION
We believed that translation of our work into an image that can be shared with colleagues, students, friends etc, will help to expand the reach of our conference and hopefully inspire others to learn about/be committed to Global Sustainability. The photo competition aimed to do just that. Conference attendees and contributors responded to this call for images that captured the theme of Global Sustainability and posted their pictures online to be judged for a "popular vote" and by three professional photographers. The professional judges were:
- Sheila Pinkel, California. See her photography here.
- Colin Williams, New York. See his photography here.
- An anonymous AEESP member.
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"So many of the images are quite wonderful. Some I don't feel I have the background to understand what I am looking at.... So, I just am relying on my very subjective and possibly ignorant reading of the images. Based on this approach, I vote for images....which imply that, in the first instance, that developing people are using solar cells instead of fossil fuel and in the second instance, that developed people are using their own power to solve energy challenges." S. Pinkel
We hope that discussions on these images continue and encourage you to comment on the photos [and add any information if you were the photographer]. Please click here to see all of the entries.
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CATEGORIES OF ATTENDEES
Dee Dee de Vuyst used the periodic table to help identify the cateories of attendees. Throughout the conference, reference was made to these "elements" and we hope that you contine to create more of these and self identify. We have added them all to our facebook fan page (like Hero, Undergraduate Researcher etc. etc.) |
