Areas of Study

Environmental Engineering and Science

Air Resources Engineering
Students who choose this area of study are interested in the technical aspects of air pollution control, including design and evaluation of control equipment, as well as overall strategies for achieving and maintaining acceptable air quality. Recent legislation, including the Federal Clean Air Act amendments, significantly expands the scope of air pollution control and will provide challenges to the engineering profession for years to come. Our program emphasizes control technology at the source, including removal of both gaseous and condensed phase air pollutants, source emission assessment, and both measurement and modeling of downwind air quality.

The curriculum includes a mix of both fundamental as well as applied topics in the above areas. A three-quarter sequence is available that includes the opportunity for in-depth exploration of incineration, adsorption, spray systems, filter and electrostatics, of the regulations surrounding various emission types and sources, of basic meteorology and dispersion of airborne emissions, and of sampling and analysis of air pollutant including network evaluation. Programs leading to Master and Ph.D. degrees consist of both course and research work. Sufficient latitude is provided to allow emphasis in the scientific as well as the engineering aspects of problems related to the air resource. Supporting courses are available in other departments such as Atmospheric Sciences, Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Studies, and Environmental Health, thus allowing the graduate student education in various topics.

Examples of recent thesis topics include design and testing of organic vapor adsorption systems, acid gas control from incineration, sampling of VOC emissions from spray painting facilities, measurement of ambient VOC concentrations near emission sources, development of multivariate methods for source apportionment of combustion aerosols, measuring and modeling trace methane emissions from municipal solid waste landfills, measuring acidity in particles from residential wood burning, and characterizing fog and cloud water chemical composition.

Environmental & Water Quality Engineering
This area emphasizes the science and technology necessary to develop engineered solutions to environmental problems, with special emphasis on water quality, water supply, and water reuse technology. The challenges faced by environmental engineers include environmental management and the design of facilities to provide safe water supplies, minimize pollutant releases, and better use our water, air and soil resources to maintain a sustainable environment. Challenges in these areas have expanded dramatically in recent years to encompass the identification and removal of chemical and biological contaminants which may be present in the water, air, soil, or solid waste at only trace concentrations.

The curriculum includes coursework on the physical, chemical, and biological fundamentals that control the fate of contaminants in the environment and that underlie unit processes used in treatment applications. Coursework covers not only process analysis and evaluation, but also analytical methods, practical applications, and engineering design. These topics are presented in two- or three-quarter sequences which emphasize, for example, basic environmental chemistry and microbiology in the first quarter, applications of those principles to process design in the second quarter, and case studies in the third quarter. Students also frequently take courses offered in related departments, including chemical engineering, chemistry, microbiology, environmental health, biochemistry, forestry, and oceanography.

Students who conduct research in this area tend to work on projects which utilize an understanding of scientific and engineering principles to develop innovative treatment processes. Long-term and on-going research areas include the study and design of innovative biological systems to treat toxic compounds and remove nutrients, studies of anaerobic biological treatment processes, development of adsorption-based systems for removal and recovery of metal contaminants from industrial wastes, approaches for minimizing the formation of toxic by-products when drinking water is disinfected, and investigations of ways in which water quality alterations can reduce corrosion of potable water plumbing systems.

Environmental Management
Graduate students in Civil & Environmental Engineering may participate in a campus-wide Certificate Program in Environmental Management. Through coursework seminars, and a capstone consulting project, students apply their engineering expertise to solve environmental problems in the real-world context of science, public policy and business. Additional details can be found at the Environmental Mangement home page.

Environmental Sciences
Students interested in the chemistry and biology of lakes, streams, and estuaries and the determination of effects of pollutants in such waters, concentrate their work in Environmental Science. The processes involved in eutrophication, emphasizing nutrient cycling, plankton dynamics and sedimentation, as well as restoration effectiveness, are stressed in courses and research. Effects of non-point source pollutants in streams, and their control through watershed practices (including wetlands), are treated in courses and emphasized in research as part of an Urban Water Resources Center.

An individual's curriculum can vary, depending on specific interests, but such topics as basic limnology, ecological effects of pollutants, water chemistry, theory and analytical techniques, statistical and data analysis techniques, hydrological processes and mathematical modeling techniques are considered essential components. Combining course offerings from within and outside the Department is encouraged to obtain that material is recommended.

Example thesis topics range from determining the significance of internal phosphorus loading in a lake, such as evaluating the contribution of macrophyte senescence and blue-green algal migration from sediments to internal phosphorus loading, to analyzing the effectiveness of nutrient dilution and diversion in restoring lake quality and evaluating the effectiveness of a wetland at decreasing pollutant content of stormwater while maintaining its biological constituents.

Global and Environmental Chemistry
The Civil and Environmental Engineering Department participates in a campus-wide program on Global and Environmental Chemistry. This program offers courses in various aspects of environmental chemistry and provides opportunities for interactions with students and faculty in other departments conducting environmental research. The program offers some scholarships for graduate study.

Environmental Engineering and Science Faculty