EES Grad Students Present 2005 Spring Symposium

By Scott Meyers

The Environmental Engineering and Science (EES) program held its 11th Annual Spring Symposium on April 15, 2004. This annual tradition of the EES program is organized completely by the graduate students of the program. The symposium is viewed as a professional and educational development tool, where graduate students have the opportunity to organize, synthesize and present their research to students and faculty from inside and outside the program.

This year?s symposium was held at the Levis Faculty Center on the University of Illinois campus. The symposium was opened by Professor Mark Rood, EES Program Coordinator, who gave a brief overview of the program?s history and plans for continued expansion. Rood talked about the 10,000-square foot EES laboratory renovation completed in 1997 and the current annual research budget of $2.8 million. He also highlighted the future of the program, which will have a larger emphasis on interdisciplinary and international research. He then introduced the keynote speaker, Damon S. Williams (BS 78). Williams is a Principal at Damon S. Williams Associates LLC in Phoenix, Ariz., and a 2004 CEEAA Distinguished Alumnus.

In a talk entitled, ?Creating the Future: The Promise of Research,? Williams addressed the role of research in the future and research directions he believes are important to pursue. He highlighted such topics as the development of technologies to improve access to clean water in the world, the role of energy efficiency and generation in the future, and how population growth is pushing us to the limits of technology. Like past symposium speakers?including John Little from Virginia Tech, Bruce Rittmann from Arizona State University, and Makram Suidan from University of Cincinnati?Williams was selected by the graduate student organizers to bring an outside perspective to the symposium and show the symposium attendees the broad scope of the environmental field.

Professor Mark Rood gives the opening address.

EES student Dave Ladner concentrates
during a presentation.

EES graduate students
Susana Kimura, left, and Li Liu.

After the keynote address, the symposium presentations began with talks spread throughout the Levis Center. More than forty presentations took place during the eight-hour symposium covering every area in the EES program, including air quality engineering and science, environmental information technology, environmental systems analysis, and hazardous waste and subsurface science, aquatic biology/ecology, environmental chemistry, water quality microbiology, and water quality process engineering. Some examples of presentations given were ?Sequential Inactivation of MS2 Bacteriophage using Ozone Followed by Monochloramine,? ?Relationship Between Flat Sheet and Hollow Fiber Fouling in MF/UF Drinking Water Treatment Processes,? and ?Potential Effects on Fish Communities from Disturbances Due to Channel Maintenance.?

The symposium concluded at 4 p.m. with closing remarks by graduate student Matt Charles, Chair of the EES Symposium Committee. Overall the symposium showcased the research areas, talents and professionalism of the graduate student presenters. The support of the generous donors to the EES program made the symposium possible, with special thanks going to symposium sponsors CH2M Hill and Montgomery Watson Harza.

The 12th Annual Spring Symposium is tentatively scheduled for April 2006. Organizers are currently discussing ways to increase alumni, professional organization and donor involvement. One possibility includes expanding the symposium to award continuing education units (CEUs).

For more information concerning this year?s symposium, visit www.cee.uiuc.edu/events/EES2005 for the symposium?s web site. For other inquiries concerning ways to be involved with next years symposium, contact Scott Meyers at smeyers2@uiuc.edu. Hope to see you there next year!

Scott Meyers is a CEE graduate student in Environmental Engineering

All photos were taken by EES graduate student Soonkyu Jung.