ANNUAL NEWS FROM THE
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING Spring 2015
USF Team Takes first at nationals for third year in a row
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EFTEC, the Water Environment Federation’s Annual Technical Exhibition and Conference, is the largest conference of its kind in North America and offers water quality professionals from around the world the best water quality education and training available today. It is also recognized as the largest annual water quality exhibition in the world. Our team competed against seven other universities at the national level. Each university was representing their region within the US., Lauren Davis, Michael Esteban, Jared Faniel, Andrew Filippi (PM), Winsome Jackson, Herby Jean, and Richard Johnson, won our regional competition in May at the Florida Water Resources Conference in Orlando to earn a spot in the national competition. Work started on this project in December 2013 as part of our Capstone senior design course (traditionally taken in the last semester of an engineering student’s undergraduate program). It was a great experience that put all of the concepts we learned in school into practice. One of the great things about the program at USF is that all of the capstone projects are real. Our instructors, Professor Sarina Ergas and Mr. Tom Cross, ask local municipalities to work with students to solve real problems. Our team worked with Tom Rawls and Kim Rogers of the Hillsborough County Public Utilities Department to analyze three wastewater treatment plants in their South/Central service area and to design an expansion for one of them. Our project was titled “South/Central Hillsborough County Service Area Capital Improvements Project.”
CEE NEWS
Michael Esteban, Lauren Davis, Herby Jean, Winsome Jackson, Richard Johnson, Andrew Filippi,Ed McCormick (WEF President). Not shown: Jared Faniel. In addition to working with professionals at Hillsborough County, we also had the pleasure of working with Juan Oquendo of Gresham Smith & Partners and Ifetayo Venner of ARCADIS who mentored us throughout the project. Working with these individuals helped bridge the gap between school and the work environment. With all of us graduating soon, it was a very valuable experience for us. Dr. Ergas has had teams competing in the WEF/FWEA Student Design Competitions since 2011. This is the third year in a row that USF has won first place at the national level in either the wastewater or environmental design categories (2012 Environmental, 2013 Wastewater, and 2014 Wastewater). Our team put a lot of time and effort into this year’s competition. We’re glad that we could keep USF’s momentum going. It goes a long way in bringing positive national recognition to our program. This year, the first place prize included a $2,500 cash prize, copies of Computer Applications in Hydraulic Engineering 8th Edition, an engraved plaque, and a year-long subscription for the University of South Florida to a suite of architecture, engineering, construction, and operations (AECO) computer programs offered by Bentley Systems, Inc. Our team was able to travel to New Orleans for the national competition in thanks to sponsorships from the Florida Water Environment Association (FWEA) and ARCADIS U.S., Inc. We also want to say thank you to everyone who has helped us along the way.
Message from the Chair
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reetings from the sunny Tampa Bay! With this newsletter, we bring to the readers’ attention many exciting news items from University of South Florida’s (USF) Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) department. A number of our students had outstanding achievements over the past year. Trang Luong (undergraduate) and Melissa Butcher (graduate) were first recognized as two of ASCE’s ten new faces of civil engineering and Trang Luong went on to become a finalist! I am also pleased to acknowledge the 2014 Florida Water and Environment Association (FEWA) State Design Competition winners (Richard Johnson, Jared Faniel, Lauren Davis, Winsome Jackson, Herby Jean, Andrew Filippi and Michael Esteban) coached by Dr. Sarina Ergas. Quite remarkably, this was the third consecutive time that Dr. Ergas’ teams secured the first place in the above competition. Furthermore, USF’s ASCE Student Chapter did USF proud with an outstanding job of organizing the 2014 Southeast Regional Conference under the guidance of Dr. Abla Zayed. CEE department’s widely popular Peace Corps Masters International Program in Environmental Engineering is entering its seventh year with an unprecedented number of graduate students working in water resources and environment related projects in many countries in South and Central America, and Africa. Several of our faculty members were also recognized for their outstanding achievements. I congratulate Dr. Qiong Zhang on her NSF-CAREER award and Dr. Gray Mullins for receiving the 2013 William Bermingham Innovation Award from the Deep Foundations Institute. In addition, Dr. James Mihelcic was awarded the University of South Florida and the College of Engineering Outstanding Investigator Awards while Dr. Daniel Yeh won USF’s 2014 Excellence in Innovation Award following up the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Grand Challenges Explorations competition Phase I grant.
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Two major highlights of the past year were the initiation of National Science Foundation (NSF) funded Sustainability Initiative and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funded Center for conducting Water Research under the leadership of Dr. James Mihelcic. The former effort will be conducted in partnership with Univ. of Virgin islands, Univ. of Belize, Univ. of Exeter, (UK) UNESCO-IHE Water education Institute in the Netherlands, ICH of Czech Republic. I congratulate Dr. Mihelcic and the other main players involved in this effort; Drs. Maya Trotz, Sarina Ergas, Daniel Yeh, Qiong Zhang, Delcie Durham and Mr. Bernard Batson. As for CEE staff news in this past year, Ms. Ingrid Hall, a longtime Program Assistant left us in search of other opportunities and Ms. Carol Marrero-Placeres was promoted to Deans’ Personal Assistant position. I am glad to have replaced them with Ms. Shivali Vyas (Graduate Program Assistant) and Ms. Camille Mourant (Undergraduate Program Assistant). I am also appreciative of the efforts of Ms. Barbara Johnson, Administrative Assistant of the CEE dept., Ms. Janet Gillis, Communications & Marketing Officer of the College of Engineering and Mr. Ryan Wakefield for their efforts in publishing this newsletter. Finally, I laud the appointment of our alumnus Dr. Rory MacDonald as an assistant professor at Harvard University School of Business (Dept. of Technology and Operations Management). Rory received his B.S. and M.Sc. at USF in Geotechnical Engineering. Finally, under the new College of Engineering leadership of Dean Robert Bishop we are all excited about the prospects of expanding the Transportation Engineering program in conjunction with the nationally acclaimed Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) at USF.
Manjriker Gunaratne, Ph.D., P.E. Professor and Chairman
Environmental & Civil Engineering Students Win Awards from National Association of Environmental Professionals
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he National Association of Environmental Professionals (NAEP) national meeting was held in St. Petersburg on April 7-10, 2014. USF environmental and civil engineering graduate students participated in the conference and several won awards for poster presentations.
Morales (engineering science) and environmental engineering master’s student Brad Akers.
First place was awarded to Emma Lopez, doctoral student in environmental engineering, and Laura Rankin, master’s student in civil engineering, for their poster titled “11Study of Bioretention Systems for Nitrogen Removal Under Field Conditions.” Second place was awarded to Jorge Calabria, master’s student in environmental engineering, for his presentation titled “11Performance of AnMBR Permeate as Nutrient Source for Hydroponic Applications.” Third place was awarded to Laura Rodriguez-Gonzalez, civil engineering doctoral student, for her poster titled “Degradation of Taste and Odor Compounds GSM and MIB Using Ti02-UV Reactor: Application for Recirculating Aquaculture Systems.” Receiving honorable mentions were doctoral students Trina Halfhide (engineering science), Veronica Aponte-
NAEP is a multi-disciplinary association for professionals dedicated to the advancement of the environmental professions and provides a forum for state-of-the-art information on environmental planning, research and management.
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USF Awarded $2.2 Million to Establish EPA National Research Water Center in Nutrient Management
Center will develop new technologies, practices of managing wastewater and stormwater.
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esearchers in the University of South Florida’s Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering have been awarded a $2.22 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to establish a national research center to tackle a dire issue plaguing waterways in Florida and across the country: nutrient pollution from wastewater and stormwater runoff. The USF Center for Reinventing Aging Urban Infrastructure for Nutrient Management (RAINmgt) will develop integrated research and demonstration projects focused on nutrient pollution management technologies while also developing regional models that determine appropriate solutions from the household to city levels. Their work will also emphasize pollution reduction and water reuse options over treatment and disposal. The center will be led by USF
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engineering Professor James Mihelcic, who is joined in the project by USF environmental engineering faculty members Jeffrey Cunningham, Sarina Ergas, Maya Trotz, Daniel Yeh, and Qiong Zhang. The USF proposal was selected as one of four EPA Centers for Water Research on National Priorities Related to a Systems View of Nutrient Management. The centers were announced by EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy at the National Council of Environmental Science National Conference in Washington. “This research is much needed in urban coastal areas and will also assist efforts to restore and improve the water quality in Tampa Bay and other impaired estuaries in Florida and the United States,” Mihelcic said. “Recent news stories about poor water quality
associated with Florida springs and Lake Okeechobee outflow highlight the need for more innovative and sustainable approaches to manage nutrients found in wastewater and stormwater.” For example, Mihelcic said, it is estimated there are more than 600 springs in Florida with very high flow rates which may be the greatest amount of freshwater concentration on the planet. However, where once most springs had white, sandy bottoms; countless are now murky because their bottoms are covered in green algae and plant growth. He said this is due to a steady rise in nutrient levels from fertilizer runoff, municipal wastewater treatment plant discharge, and thousands of poorly designed and maintained household treatment systems such as septic tanks. According to the 2010 Springs Initiative Monitoring Report by the Florida Department of
Environmental Protection, 36 of the 49 springs monitored were above the set nitrogen threshold of 0.35 mg/L. This is not only a problem of visibility for tourists and the glass-bottomed boats but also for the wildlife and humans that depend on water quality. Algae that thrive in nutrient rich waters compete for limited dissolved oxygen from other fish and organisms and can cause rashes and nausea for swimmers, kayakers and tubers.
Nitrogen and phosphorous support the growth of algae. More than just environmental impact, a 2003 Florida State Study found that the springs generate significant employment and $70 million dollars annually. Mihelcic also stated that “The research will benefit the public because poor water quality lowers the economic, social, and environmental value of our nation’s waters for current (and future) generations. In Florida, our springs, rivers, estuaries, coastal waters, and the Everglades all suffer because of nutrient pollution. Nutrient management is also a national and global issue because of food security. Another example of the devastation wreaked by nutrients in Florida is recent releases of nutrient rich waters from Lake Okeechobee which happens to be the largest lake in the southeastern United States. Last summer’s heavy rainfall flooded the lake with billions of gallons of freshwater polluted by run-off from farms, golf courses, homes, and septic tanks. Algae blooms have subsequently distressed this fragile ecosystem that is part of the St. River Estuary that supports over 4,000 plant and animal species, 36 of which are listed as endangered or threatened. Researchers are now focused on developing new strategies and technologies that could manage and control these nutrients in a more sustainable manner. For example, nutrients found in domestic wastewater could be recovered and reused as fertilizer and stormwater could be better managed to reduce nitrogen loadings into local waterways. The National Nutrient Management Center will work toward this goal by first developing and understanding the science behind nutrient management technologies and then develop and test sustainable innovations that improve community well being.
One example is the construction of a rain garden that was recently managed by a USF doctoral student at Young Middle Magnet School as a demonstration of how to better manage stormwater runoff. This rain garden averts 277,380 gallons of water and has already provided a green and aesthetically pleasing space in place of standing water that would flood and damage the school gymnasium during intense storm events. Research and demonstration projects will also take into account political, social, economic, and environmental factors. A tool will be produced that will compare economic costs and environmental impacts per pound of nitrogen and phosphorus recovered or removed for nutrient removal and recovery technologies. This will be scaled up to a larger nested water quality model that will quantify the impact of nutrient management and loading on Tampa Bay in Florida. USF will be working in partnership with the University of Texas-Austin, Yale University, the University of Maryland and the University of Florida, as well as with researchers from Resources for the Future in Washington, DC; engineering practitioners from Hazen & Sawyer and Greeley & Hansen; and the Corporation to Develop Communities of Tampa. The center additionally will train community members and future engineers and water managers, to achieve progress along a path forward for sustainable nutrient management.
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Water and Wastewater Research in the Monteverde Region of Costa Rica In 2013, USF’s Department of Civil
engineering students, medical
The program was created to
and Environmental Engineering
anthropology, public health and
address the growing environmental
(CEE) began collaborating with
other health-related fields. It
problems that affect Costa Rica’s
USF’s Department of Anthropology
includes a field component where
environment. The captivating beauty
and Instituto Monteverde (MVI), a
students work in teams to design
of Costa Rica’s forests and wildlife
Costa Rican international
are truly a matchless
education and research
gem. Improper
center, to create the
management of
Globalization and
municipal, industrial
Community Health Field
and agricultural
School: Combining Social
wastes; however, are
Science and Engineering,
causing increasingly
as part of the National
deteriorating effects
Science Foundation’s
on its environment.
Research Experience for Undergraduates program (REU).
REU Students and Faculty
About 6.5 trillion gallons of water
and implement waste management
are used in Costa Rica, with
This program provides
and water treatment systems in the
the majority used in electricity
undergraduate students with
Monteverde region of Costa Rica.
generation. The remaining water is
interdisciplinary training,
USF faculty involved in the project
used for crop irrigation, livestock
mentorship, and practical
include Anthropology professors,
production, human consumption,
experience conducting community-
Nancy Romero-Daza and David
industrial and commercial use,
based development research.
Himmelgreen, and CEE professors,
and tourism. Unfortunately, more
Sarina Ergas and James Mihelcic.
than 70 percent of the wastewater
CEE graduate students, Maureen
generated by these activities
Kinyua and Adib Amini, have
remains untreated. The deterioration
worked closely with the REUs on
of water quality in Costa Rica has
The annual program involves undergraduate
their projects.
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led to environmental, public health,
and social concerns.
affect energy production and effluent quality of smallscale tubular anaerobic digesters used to treat livestock
In the Monteverde region, individual citizens, NGOs,
waste. The REU program and Kinyua’s research
and other organizations are working to manage
fosters community engagement and contributes to the
domestic and livestock wastewater to improve their
understanding of public health, environmental, energy,
environmental, public health, and economy. It is
economic and social issues.
especially critical for the citizens of Monteverde to protect the Rio Guacimal watershed that provides water for their household and economic needs and also feeds the beautiful Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve and the Bosque Eterno de Los Niños (Children’s Eternal Rainforest) Reserve. The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve houses an amazing 2.5 percent of the world’s biodiversity. The interdisciplinary approach used in USF’s program provides students with a holistic research experience
Construction of bio-retention system
to address issues of environmental and public health in a culturally appropriate and sustainable way. REU students and their graduate student and faculty mentors have assisted with design and implementation of small-scale tubular anaerobic digester to treat livestock waste and produce energy for the community high school. They also designed and implemented a pilot bio-retention system to
High school anaerobic lagoon treating livestock waste replaced by tubular digester
treat grey water from the MVI. In addition, Maureen Kinyua, a PhD candidate in CEE is collaborating with farmers and development workers in the Monteverde region and the University of Georgia Costa Rica in investigating how physical and biological processes
The beautiful Costa Rican countryside
Livestock waste treated in tubular digesters
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Center for Reinventing Aging Infrastructure for Nutrient Management (RAINmgt) The mission of RAINmgt is to achieve sustainable and cost-effective health and environmental outcomes by re-imagining aging coastal urban infrastructure systems for nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) recovery and management that contributes to economic, social, and environmental well-being. Our center is developing the science behind new technology and management innovations and will provide new knowledge for students, community members, practitioners, and other stakeholders.
The three research thrusts and associated demonstration projects: 1. Address point and diffuse sources of nutrients (e.g., wastewater, stormwater). 2. Consider different scales (household on-site wastewater, community water reuse, large urban treatment plants). 3. Develop and use economic and environmental assessment tools to determine the most sustainable options. 4. Focus on innovative technologies and strategies that prioritize source reduction and reuse/recycling and seek to minimize nutrient fluxes and greenhouse gas emissions (including carbon and nitrogen).
Community Engagement. Emma Lopez (right) (PhD student in environmental engineering), assists Tampa high school students in constructing a rain garden for stormwater management. The students are participating in a summer camp that integrated science teaching of stormwater and nutrient management with the design and construction of engineered technology.
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New Technology. Onur Ozcan, George Dick, and Robert Bair (PhD students, environmental engineering), stand with their newly constructed anaerobic membrane bioreactor. The reactor recovers valuable resources while treating waste and will generate reclaimed water containing nutrients suitable for irrigation.
Science to Demonstration. Dainella Saetta (MS student), investigates urea hydrolysis mechanism in waterless urinals to improve functional and ultimately enhance nutrient recovery from source separated urine.
Relevant Web Sites: http://usf-reclaim.org/ Follow us on Twitter: @USF_Reclaim
Project Interchange Hosts 10-Day Historical and Cultural Tour of Israel Prof Rajan Sen traveled to Israel last fall as part of an of invited delegation of environmental scientists from the United States on a 10-day tour of historic and cultural sites courtesy of Project Interchange. They interacted with Israeli officials as well as other distinguished overseas visitors attending WATEC conference in Tel Aviv. They visited Hedera ocean desalination, Shafdan purification and Eshkol filtration plants tapping the Sea of Galilee, as well as viewing experimental fields of solar panels on the Negev desert during a visit to the Blaustein Institute of Desert Research. The tour included visits to Jerusalem and several USF Team 2 – Finished 1st in Zone 6 and 3rd overall among 62 national and international teams
other historic sites.
Andrea Sanchez PhD ‘14 Receives SHPE STAR Award Andrea Sanchez, a recent PhD graduate in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is the recipient of a prestigious 2014 STAR Award from the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE). Andrea was selected as the Student Role Model in the Graduate category. The recipients of the 2014 STAR Awards will be recognized at this year’s SHPE Conference, November 5–9 in Detroit, Michigan. The STAR Awards are presented annually by SHPE, recognizing individuals and corporations nationally for their dedication, commitment and selfless efforts to the growth and advancement of Hispanics through STEM careers. Andrea was advised by Alberto A. Sagüés, Distinguished University Professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. She is now working as an Engineer at DNV GL Strategic Research & Innovation, in Columbus, Ohio.
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n November 20, 2014, 17 students from the
hobbies and life experiences and employ hands on
University of South Florida’s engineering and
activities to translate university research into a K-12
public health graduate programs visited Van Buren and
learning environment.
Adams Middle Schools as a part of the Great America
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Teach-In. Initiated in 1990 as a joint effort of SERVE,
Partnering with middle school science and math
the Hillsborough Education Foundation, PTA/PTSAs,
teachers Taryn Kendig and Frank Marcatoni at Van
local businesses and leading educators, the purpose
Buren Middle and Mirko Soko at Adams Middle, they
of this day is to encourage employees, businesses,
covered eight time slots, interacting with eighth grade
community leaders, sports figures, local personalities,
students in the Hillsborough County Public Schools.
retirees, community volunteers and parents to become
Annie Sager, Trevlyn Joseph and Brian Wells used
involved in education by sharing what they know with
newspaper towers to discuss structural engineering
a new generation. Graduate students Annie Sager and
concepts; Lorena Sanchez and Colleen Naughton
Brian Wells in Environmental Engineering and Colette
had students design a model well that reduced water
Nosworthy and Brandon Tirado in Public Health,
turbidity; Colleen Naughton also provided global
organized this USF event as a part of their group project
context based on her three years of Peace Corps service
for Sustainable Development Engineering under faculty
in Mali and had students build a Tippy Tap for hand
advisor Dr. Trotz. The group recruited peers from
washing; Jamie Trahan and Shamara Collins discussed
their classes as well as the newly formed USF chapter
the importance of renewable energy and had students
of the American Association of University Women
monitor the performance of solar panels in the school
(AAUW at USF). Together they provided a diverse and
yard; Brandon Tirado and Colette Nasworthy discussed
exciting program that allowed graduate students to
public health; Oswaldo Galicia, Christina Arenas and
share information about their work, career challenges,
Jen Delio used a Maquaduct that they constructed to
introduce hydrological concepts as many Peace Corps
that fear of science and math. So, when I first found
water and sanitation volunteers do in their service; John
out about a career in environmental engineering, I was
Pryor, Veronika Kramel, and Lulu Enueme used a hands
ready.”
on experiment to introduce nanotechnology concepts; and Emma Lopez and Jayita Das teamed up for two
Dr. Trotz, principal investigator of a $500,000 National
very different lessons; one on magnets and one on the
Science Foundation Research Experience for Teachers
hydrological cycle.
grant, said, “Although Florida has not adopted the Common Core or the Next Generation Science
Annie, Brian, Colette and Brandon also spent three days
Standards (NGSS), our school district’s curriculum
in Taryn’s classroom prior to the Teach-In, introducing
satisfies those plus the Sunshine State Standards. The
students to green infrastructure. According to Annie,
NGSS has engineering benchmarks so it makes sense
“After three days in the classroom I didn’t want to
that engineering faculty contribute to the development
leave (though I was exhausted). The experience was
of that curriculum and assist school districts, especially
something I never imagined. I probably benefited more
since we are challenged with recruiting and graduating
from the project than the students may have. Overall it
American students with STEM degrees. Our current
was a beneficial experience working at the school and
graduate students are keen to engage with K-12, and I
I am happy I had it.” Graduate student Emma Lopez
think it’s important to provide them opportunities to do
spoke of what a similar experience did for her when
so within the framework of the courses we deliver.”
she was in K-12, “I think that it helped me let go of
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Faculty News Professor James Mihelcic, civil and environmental engineering, was the Distinguished Lecturer at the ASCE Global Engineering Conference held October 7-11, in Panama City, Panama. Jim’s lecture was titled, “Envisioning a Better World: The Making of Community and Globally Impactful Engineers.” The 2nd Edition of Dr. James Mihelcic’s widely adopted book, Environmental Engineering: Fundamentals, Sustainability, Design (John Wiley & Sons, 656 pages) was published in 2014. Professor Mihelcic was also selected to receive the Faculty Outstanding Research Achievement Award. The $2000 award check was presented at the Faculty Awards Luncheon on Monday, October 27, 2014.
Professor Gray Mullins, civil and environmental engineering, received the 2014 Ben C. Gerwick Award for Innovation in Design & Construction of Marine Materials. The award is presented to an individual, team or company and pays tribute to Ben Gerwick, recognizing his innovative spirit and his many contributions to the design and construction of marine foundations. Dr. Mullins’s leadership in performing practical research on base grouted drilled shafts, thermal integrity testing of drilled shafts and bond transfer over the last decade is illustrated by the numerous papers he and his associates have published. The award is sponsored by the Deep Foundations Institute Educational Trust, University of California Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Ben C. Gerwick Company. The award was presented at a fundraising dinner with all proceeds benefiting the DFI Educational Trust Scholarship Fund.
Maya Trotz, associate professor, civil and environmental engineering, received the 2014 Award for Outstanding Contribution to Environmental Engineering and Science Education from the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP), for her ability to integrate her research with K-12 and university education. The award was presented at the AEESP Water Environment Federation Technical Exposition and Conference (WEFTEC) September 29 in New Orleans.
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NSF-CAREER AWARD RECIPIENT Dr. Qiong (Jane) Zhang has been awarded the prestigious National Science Foundation’s CAREER award. This grant totaling up to $501,886 has been awarded to Dr. Zhang from the NSF/ENG/ CBET Environmental Sustainability program, in support of her project, titled “CAREER: Envisioning Integrated Wastewater Management through the Lens of Reverse Logistics.” This project will innovate a decision framework – WasteWATER that integrates methods and tools from multiple disciplines including reverse logistics, life cycle analysis, and economic valuation; examine the impact of demographics, geography, climate, and urban form on the optimal degree of decentralization; and create context-based learning to train future practitioners. The WasteWATER framework considers wastewater systems as a reverse supply network in which nodes are treatment facilities
and pumping stations and links are pipelines. The framework uses compact model formulation through a unique process and distribution pipeline mode representation. Triple bottom line sustainability indicators (specific net present value, carbon footprint, eutrophication, and social value of recovered resources) are formulated in the objective function to optimize the trade-off and identify the most sustainable configuration of integrated wastewater systems. Placement-based and hypothetical scenarios will be generated and simulated to identify the factors impacting the optimal degree of decentralization. The Conceive-Design-ImplementOperate (CDIO) approach will be used to develop a web application of the WasteWATER framework and redesign two existing engineering courses using microblogging and utility partnerships as a stakeholder communication platform. The CDIO learning outcomes will be evaluated using several assessment methods.
Daniel Yeh, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering received the Excellence in Innovation Award this year for his development of waste resource recovery technologies, including the NEWgenerator, which converts waste into nutrients, energy, and water; and ICARUS (Isolated Cultivation of Algal Resource Utilization Sewage), which aims to produce a beneficial product while decreasing the cost of wastewater treatment. Dr. Yeh was recognized and honored with a certificate and check at the USF Chapter of the National Academy of Inventors on Monday October 13, 2014.
Professor Rajan Sen, civil and environmental engineering, delivered presentations at the following: • Presenter - IABSE Symposium on Long Span Bridges, Kolkata, India September 2013 • Session Chair & Presenter- Structural Faults and Repair Conference 2014 at Imperial College, London July 2014 • Invited presentation - American Society for Composites 16th US - Japan Conference at University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA September 2014 • Presentation- SAMPE Congress on the Advancement of Materials & Process Engineering Sao Paulo, Brazil November 2014
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Student News Graduate Students Matt Verbyla (PhD Environmental Engineering) – will be funded by the USAID Research & Innovation Fellowship Program to go to Itajuba, Minais Gerais, Brazil spring semester to conduct research with the Federal University of Itajuba and with the Brazilian NGO Consciencia Limpa to help develop and evaluate technologies to safely harvest electricity from municipal wastewater treatment plants. Matt is recipient of an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and a former Fulbright Scholarship recipient.
Undergraduate Students Ileana Wald (BS Civil Engineering) was awarded a first prize for her presentation on “Ascaris Inactivation under optimal gas-producing anaerobic digestion conditions” at the 2014 National Science Foundation Emerging Researchers National Conference in STEM (Washington DC).
Engineers Without Borders Last May, Engineers without Borders at USF completed the installation of a pilot rainwater catchment system in an underdeveloped community in the Dominican Republic. The group (including several undergraduate and graduate students from CEE) was there for two weeks.
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Predicting the Fate of O
il
Andres Tejada-Martinez’s research group received funds through one of the recently announced research consortia to perform “Research necessary to predict the fate of oil released into the environment to help inform and guide response teams in the event of future oil spills.” The consortium was led by the University of Miami.
http://bit.ly/11KAmoD
The group also received NSF funding along with Nathan Crane (USF ME Dept.) and Rasim Guldiken (USF ME Dept.) to investigate experimentally and numerically the control of liquid wetting of textured surfaces using ultrasound.
http://bitly.com/QpCsgr
The photographs above show oil streaks on the surface of the ocean. These streaks can reach several kilometers long. Tejada-Martinez is working on computational modeling of the vertical mixing of the upper ocean by winds and waves responsible for the accumulation of oil into these streaks. The knowledge gained from this research will help lead to improved oil spill tracking models. Funding for this research has been received through the University of Miami-led Consortium for Advanced Research on Transport of Hydrocarbon in the Environment (CARTHE) sponsored by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GOMRI).
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Big Beam Contest USF Team 1 – Finished 2nd in Zone 6 Yufei Chai, Robert Zengal, Alexandra Reid, Jack Waldron, Bartholomew Smith, Ivan Dimitrov
USF Team 2 – Finished 1st in Zone 6 and 3rd overall among 62 national and international teams Zuly Garcia , Brittany Dugan, Cory Hill, Ryan Fiegel, Thomas Meagher, Daniel Buidens
Michael Esteban Receives NSF REU
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ichael Esteban, a fourth-year student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has been awarded a summer internship position in the 2014 Re-Inventing the Nation’s Urban Water Infrastructure (ReNUWit)’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program at the Colorado School of Mines. He will be working with professors John McCray and Josh Sharp in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Esteban is a recipient of a 2012 NOAA Ernest F. Hollings scholarship. Last summer, he participated in summer
research within the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science at the Hollings Marine Laboratory in Charleston, South Carolina. Michael presented a poster of his work during College of Engineering Research Day 2015 and received one of the ten best poster awards. He is completing his honor’s thesis with Maya Trotz, associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.