A Colloquium Celebrates Fifty Years of Environmental Engineering
Colloquium Summary (pdf)»
First Environmental Engineering Degree Program in U.S. Offered at Rensselaer
Co-Sponsored with ...
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A colloquium celebrating 50 years of environmental engineering was held at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on March 29, 2005 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies.
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| Professor Emeritus Clesceri begins the program with a brief overview of how Environmental Engineering was created. |
"Rensselaer's environmental engineering program was the first in the United States to offer academic degrees in environmental engineering and claims the first bachelor's, master's, and doctoral graduates. This event celebrated the profession’s history and discussed emerging initiatives in research and education," said Nicholas Clesceri, professor emeritus of environmental engineering at Rensselaer. Clesceri is also former program director of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Environmental Engineering and Technology Division.
The event brought together civil and environmental engineers from industry, government, and academia, along with students, according to Clesceri. The conference was co-sponsored by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers (AAEE) and the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP).
Schedule of Events
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| Dr. Lester Gerhardt Joins the Colloquium via Video. He was part of a delegation traveling throughout Asia, discussing research and education partnerships. |
Welcome ::
Lester A. Gerhardt, Ph.D., Acting Dean of the School of Engineering
Nicholas L. Clesceri, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Engineering and former Program Director, Environmental Engineering and Technology, National Science Foundation (NSF)
[Overview pt1]
[Overview pt2] Overview :.
Dr. Clesceri will set the stage for the day’s proceedings by indicating the needs that led to development of the new discipline. That is:
- The need to establish linkages between public health, natural resource conservation, and ecology.
- The need for a coordinated approach to mitigate the adverse impact of human actions on various environmental media.
- The need to react to the ability to detect contaminants at very low levels.
- The need to address growing public awareness and concern about the environment.
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| (l to r) Joseph Touhill, Gardner Moody, Paul LaRock, Percival Miller |
Founding of the New
Discipline :.
C. Joseph Touhill, Ph.D., P.E., DEE, President, Touhill Technology Management Corporation
Dr. Touhill will chronicle the efforts of RPI Professor Edward J. Kilcawley and his Committee on Environmental Engineering as they developed and implemented a bold curriculum to educate this new type of engineer.
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| (l to r) Leo Hetling, Tim Shea, Ed Martin, Al Cywin |
Professional
Certification :.
Timothy G. Shea, Ph.D., P.E., DEE, Principal Technologist, CH2M Hill
Dr. Shea, President of AAEE, will discuss the formation of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers, and explain how it has reacted over the years to growing public awareness of the environment and the need to meet professional demands for technical excellence .
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| (l to r) James Alleman, Leo Hetling |
Educational Institutions
Adjust to
Meet New Requirements :.
James E. Alleman, Ph.D., Professor of Civil Engineering, Purdue University
Dr. Alleman will describe how other universities reacted to RPI’s lead in developing the new environmental engineering discipline.
New York State Adapts to
Environmental Needs :.
John J. “Jack” Willson, P.E., Division Director (Retired), New York State Department of Environmental Conservation with Leo J. Hetling, Ph.D., P.E., Division Director (Retired), New York State Department of Health
Mr. Willson and Dr. Hetling will recount how the New York State Department of Health helped to meet student needs at RPI and the role that these Department employees played in New York State’s Pure Waters Bond Act. These actions influenced establishment of the Department of Environmental Conservation – a model for environmental regulatory agencies in many other states.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Beginnings :.
K. Jack Kooyoomjian, Ph.D., Designated Federal Officer, U.S. EPA Science Advisory Board
Dr. Kooyoomjian will discuss how the EPA addressed the emergence of environmental engineering in the activities of EPA. He also will present some “historical” perspective on the founding of the Fresh Water Institute as an extension of the environmental engineering concept on the RPI campus.
Professional Societies
Adjust :.
Albert C. Gray, Ph.D., P.E., Executive Director, National Society of Professional Engineers
Dr. Gray will describe how professional societies addressed the changing role of non-civil engineers performing work in the new discipline.
Consulting Firms Expand Their
Horizons :.
C. Joseph Touhill, Ph.D., P.E., DEE, President, Touhill Technology Management Corporation
with
Robert B. Sheh, Alta Group, LLC.
Dr. Touhill with Mr. Sheh will examine how sanitary engineering firms reacted to the development and evolution of environmental engineering and science in meeting the changing needs of industry and government.
Industrial Response :.
Richard I. Sedlak, Soap and Detergent Association
Mr. Sedlak will explore how industry moved from a reactive mode to a proactive one in addressing emerging environmental issues with the availability of new environmental engineering graduates.
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| (l to r) Don Scavia and Pat Brezonik |
Implications for the Future (Panel) :.
Dr. Han will explore the role that is emerging for environmental engineering research and education in a multidisciplinary approach to Environmental Biotechnology.
Dr. Kilduff will present issues to be addressed in an examination of environmental engineering curriculum reform to better serve future needs of the profession.
Dr. Brezonik will present a view of the environmental engineering research and education programs at the (NSF).
Dr. O’Melia will lead a discussion of attendees to obtain a sense of some of the major issues that will capture the attention of environmental engineering professionals over the next ten to twenty years.