Big turnout for Tom Keinath tribute
Big turnout for Tom Keinath tribute

Big turnout for Tom Keinath tribute

To mark the 50th anniversary of Thomas M. Keinath’s association with Clemson University, the department held a special seminar and reception in his honor. The featured speaker was Glen Daigger, who is currently serving as a professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of Michigan. The title of his seminar was “Activated Sludge Process Milestones of the Modern Era: A Tribute to Dr. Thomas M. Keinath.” MORE

Ronald W. Falta, Jr. recognized by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists

Ronald W. Falta, Jr., professor of hydrogeology in Clemson University’s environmental engineering and Earth sciences department, is receiving the 2020 Honor Award for University Research, given by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists. He is being recognized for his work in environmental remediation of hazardous waste sites, geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide, and mathematical modeling of contaminant transport and remediation. MORE

A time capsule for nuclear waste

Four years ago, scientists with Clemson University and Savannah River National Laboratory buried the radioisotope neptunium-237 in a 2-foot-long, soil-filled PVC column to analyze how it would react in the environment. Using the university’s Electron Microscopy Facility, Clemson Ph.D. candidate Kathryn Peruski recently captured the first image of the miniscule fragmenting of particles, discovering that the neptunium was moving in a way that had never before been observed. MORE

Manufacturers and students connect at sustainability forum in Greenville

Representatives from some of the Upstate’s leading manufacturers gathered in Greenville for a forum aimed at helping them reduce their energy use and costs, while increasing their environmental sustainability. MORE

Middle school students learn about radiation and radioactivity

Faculty members Nicole Martinez and Lindsay Shuller-Nickles teamed with graduate students Connor Parker and Kathryn Peruski to engage students in grades 5-8 as they learned about radiation and radioactivity during STEM Day. MORE

Megan Hoover wins Innovations in Nuclear Technology R&D Award

Hoover, a Ph.D. student in environmental engineering and Earth sciences, placed second in the Innovations in Nuclear Technology R&D Awards sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. Her award-winning research paper, “Quantum-mechanical Modeling of Divalent Cation Incorporation into Uranium Dioxide,” was published in the Journal of Nuclear Materials. MORE

Biosystems engineering junior wins Hollings Scholarship

Riley Garvey was awarded the 2019 Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship, sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This prestigious scholarship program is designed to increase undergraduate training in oceanic and atmospheric science, research, technology, and education, fostering multidisciplinary training opportunities, as well as increase public understanding and support for stewardship of the ocean and atmosphere and improve environmental literacy. MORE

From the Chair

Greetings from Clemson and EEES. When you receive this e-mail, it will be at an unprecedented time in our history. COVID-19 is impacting us all.
Like the rest of the university, EEES is responding as best we can. Classroom instruction is shifting to on-line delivery after spring break. Research activities have been dialed down considerably.
In spite of these challenges, we also have some uplifting news to deliver. We hosted a tribute to Dr. Tom Keinath in the fall that brought together many former students and colleagues. Check out the photos that accompany the news story. Dr. Ron Falta won a major national award from the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists for his research on modeling groundwater contamination. Our nuclear environmental engineering and science program continues to enjoy great success. One of our Biosystems Engineering students was recognized with a highly competitive scholarship. And EEES is having a significant impact on sustainability through outreach to local manufacturers.
Although not mentioned in a news story, another important development is that the department has acquired a new state-of-the-art instrument (HPLC/MS/MS) that gives us the capability to measure trace levels of PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances), the so-called “forever chemicals,” as well as many other trace pollutants. This opens up many new avenues of research.
I hope you are reading this at least six feet from anyone else, and after washing your hands! Please, stay safe, and stay in touch (virtually).
David Freedman
Professor and Chair

IDEAS Extra: Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences Edition is published by the Clemson University Department of Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences in the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences.
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