AIChE Approves Curran as Fellow
 Dr. Mary Ann Curran, a chemical engineer in NRMRL’s Life Cycle Assessment Research Program, was recently named a fellow with the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). AIChE has more than 40,000 professional members worldwide. Of that, only 5 percent of the membership can be admitted fellows. The criteria for nomination includes 25 years of chemical engineering practice. For Curran, that began in 1980 when she graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. She went on to earn her doctorate from Erasmus University in Rotterdam, Netherlands in 2008.
Dr. Albert Venosa Receives Pioneer Award
 The Water Environment Federation recently honored Dr. Albert Venosa, Director of the Land Remediation and Pollution Control Division, with a Pioneer Award for his extensive work in wastewater disinfection. Venosa is a national expert in various disinfection methods, including ozone and ultraviolet technologies, and has played a key part in Office of Research and Division’s oil spill remediation research. From 1975-1987, Venosa led EPA Cincinnati’s wastewater disinfection program, publishing “Design Manual: Municipal Wastewater Disinfection”. The manual remains an important reference in the industry today.
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NRMRL Engineer Graduates Top of Class
APPCD engineer Bill Squier recently earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, graduating summa cum laude from North Carolina State University. He was unofficially ranked first out of 7,950 students in his class and first out of 2,040 in the College of Engineering. While earning his degree, Squier continued his full time work in APPCD’s Technical Services Branch. His experience provides APPCD with unmatched support when engineering and mechanical skills are critical to equipment and system design used in research initiatives.
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Gutierrez brings EPA Science to the University of Arizona
 On March 5, NRMRL Director Sally Gutierrez gave an invited lecture titled “National and International Issues of Water Availability and Quality: A U.S. EPA Research Perspective” at The University of Arizona (UA). She addressed graduate students and faculty in science and engineering about the challenges of water resources management in the United States and abroad. The presentation--part of UA’s Energy, Sustainability, and the Environment lecture series--outlined EPA’s research in a number of areas of water resource management, emphasizing the importance of technological innovation and the potential for collaboration.
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NRMRL Research Wins AWWA Gold Spigot Award
Dr. Thomas Speth, Water Supply and Water Resources Acting Division Director, received the American Water Works Association’s (AWWA) 2008 Golden Spigot Award. The award was given for Dr. Speth’s work in furthering the mission and goals of AWWA’s Water Quality & Technology division. He was recognized on November 17th at the opening session of the 2008 Water Quality & Technology Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio.
AWWA is an international nonprofit and educational society of more than 60,000 water professionals. The Association advances public health, safety, and welfare by uniting the efforts of the full spectrum of the water community.
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ETV Participates in International Meetings on Environmental Technology Verification
From February 2-4, representatives of EPA’s Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program participated in meetings hosted by the European Commission in Stuttgart, Germany. ETV Director Teresa Harten served on the advisory board at the kick-off meeting for Advance ETV, Europe’s new international effort. Evelyn Hartzell represented ETV at the fourth meeting of the International Working Group on Environmental Technology Verification (IWG-ETV). The meetings were designed to raise the international relevance of environmental technology verification and promote leveraging of resources and skills to meet challenges in drinking water treatment, greenhouse gas reduction and energy efficiency, compliance monitoring, and other areas. EPA’s ETV Program is a founding member of IWG-ETV.
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Research Highlight from Sally Gutierrez
EPA’s National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL) develops scientific knowledge and technologies to reduce and prevent pollution, and restore ecosystems. NRMRL efforts focus on seven core research areas: drinking water protection, air pollution control, pollution prevention, remediation of contaminated sites, watershed management and protection, environmental technology verification, and technology and technical support.
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NRMRL Director Sally Gutierrez recently traveled to Argentina to share NRMRL’s research efforts internationally. Gutierrez provided an overview of ongoing drinking water research to the Inter-American Association of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering. She also led seminars at the Instituto do Recursos Hidricos do la Universidad Nacional in Cordova, and the National Technical University in Buenos Aires. She provided faculty and students a look at the latest technologies being developed for controlling arsenic in drinking water.
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Arsenic Removal Paper is 9th Most Viewed
“Optimizing Arsenic Removal During Iron Removal: Theoretical and Practical Considerations," by Tom Sorg and Darren Lytle, is the 9th most viewed paper between 2004 and 2006 in the Journal of Water Supply: Research and Technology – Aqua. Both NRMRL scientists work in the Water Supply and Water Resources Division.
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Journal of Environmental Monitoring Features NRMRL Research
Christopher A. Impellitteri, Otis Evans, and Bruce Ravel's paper, "Speciation of Organotins in Poly Vinyl Chloride Pipe via X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy and in Leachates Using GC-PFPD After Derivitisation," was published in the April issue of the Journal of Environmental Monitoring.
The research was a joint effort between NRMRL, the National Exposure Research Laboratory, and Argonne National Laboratory.
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| NRMRL Employees in Action |
| Teresa Harten and Evelyn Hartzell, of the US EPA Environmental Technology Verification program, recently traveled to Stuttgart Germany to participate in two meetings: the International Working Group on Environmental Technology Verification (IWG-ETV) meeting and the kick-off meeting for the European-sponsored AdvanceETV project. During the meetings held February 2-4, participants discussed issues that would need to be addressed to develop a common approach to ETV among the programs worldwide. In addition, strategies were discussed to promote leveraging of resources and skills to meet challenges in technology verification for drinking water treatment, greenhouse gas reduction and energy efficiency, and compliance monitoring. Harten, EPA’s ETV Director, serves on the advisory board for the AdvanceETV effort which seeks to synthesize what has been learned in the European pilot program and make recommendations for international ETV. She provided an update on the US program and possible new directions such as using quality assurance accreditation and certification of organizations and expanding technology verifications to earlier stages of technology development. Hartzell led the discussion at the IWG-ETV meeting on lessons learned from a joint verification being conducted between US ETV and the Nordic ETV program. The IWG meeting wrapped up with Reynaldo Esguerra of the Philippine ETV Program leading the discussion on plans for the fourth International ETV Forum to be held in Manila on November 11-12, 2009. The theme will be ETV supporting deployment of global climate change mitigation and adaption technologies, especially as it pertains to developing countries. |
| Frank Princiotta, Director of NRMRL’s Air Pollution Prevention and Control Division (APPCD), delivered an invited presentation at the 2009 EUEC Energy & Environment Conference. Princiotta co-chaired a session on climate policy and presented his research on global climate change and mitigation. Held February 2-4 in Phoenix, Arizona, the annual conference brings together leading experts for workshops, seminars, and specialized training on new technologies and services concerning climate change and renewable energy. |
| Dr. Jorge Santo Domingo presented “Microbial Forensics and Environmental Monitoring of Fecal Pollution: From Phylogenetics to Metagenomics” at the American Society for Microbiology’s 107th General Meeting, May 21–25 in Toronto, Canada. The meeting is the largest annual gathering of microbiologists in the world. |
| Dr. Doris Betancourt was interviewed by one of the main Puerto Rican newspapers, El Nuevo Dia, to discuss her research and years of service with EPA. The interview stemmed from ORD’s Spanish Access to Science Initiative. The Hispanic outreach initiative seeks to show EPA’s work to the Hispanic community via Spanish languages and media outlets. The program allows Hispanics in the United States and abroad to see Hispanic role models working for a better environment and human health. |
| Dr. Heriberto Cabezas, chief of the Sustainable Environments Branch, was honored with the 2007 New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) Alumni Achievement Award on Saturday, June 16. Dr. Cabezas was one of the five recipients of the award. The annual award honors a select group of distinguished alums for their professional achievement. |
| Craig L. Patterson of NRMRL’s Water Supply and Water Resources Division was awarded the Trudy A. Speciner Non-Supervisory Award for Advancing Environmental Protection. The award honors non-supervisory professional employees distinguished by unusual analytical ability, creativity and judgment, or the exceptional ability to work well with other staff. |
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See Also
NRMRL Research Highlights
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