Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Purdue University

Agronomy professor Ron Turco, an affiliate faculty member of EEE, will receive the university's 2013 Spirit of the Land-Grant Mission Award for his work to assess and improve the environmental health of water and soil.

The award is presented yearly to a Purdue faculty member in the colleges of Agriculture, Health and Human Sciences, or Veterinary Medicine whose work exemplifies the university's land-grant mission of discovery, engagement and learning.

EEE and CE professor, Dr. Ernest (Chip) Blatchley III, has been elected as a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineering. ASCE fellows are legally registered professional engineers or land surveyors who have made significant technical or professional contributions and have demonstrated notable achievement in responsible charge of engineering activity for at least 10 years following election to the ASCE grade of member. Professor Blatchley has made significant contributions to disinfection processes, with applications to drinking water, wastewater treatment, and swimming pool chemistry.

Larry Nies was been selected to be inducted into The Book of Great Teachers. The Book of Great Teachers, a permanent wall display in the west foyer of the Purdue Memorial Union, was first unveiled in 1999. The book bears the names of past and present faculty members who have devoted their lives to excellence in teaching and scholarship. Honorees include past recipients of universitywide teaching excellence awards and those nominated by students, alumni and colleagues.

John W. Sutherland, the Fehsenfeld Family Head of EEE, is the recipient of the 2013 ASME William T. Ennor Manufacturing Technology Award. The ASME Ennor Manufacturing Technology Award is one of the most prestigious awards in manufacturing, and was established in 1990 by ASME and the Alcoa Company. The award recognizes an individual or team for developing or contributing significantly to an innovative manufacturing technology, the implementation of which has resulted in substantial economic or societal benefits.

Growing up along the banks of Indiana's Wildcat Creek fostered an early appreciation for conservation in Lindsey Payne and a lifelong attraction to water that she still doesn't quite understand. As a PhD student, her research focuses on urban water projects and training engineering students in the collaborative design process. In the community, she is a champion for the environment — from leading efforts to clean up the Wabash River to helping local businesses go green.

EEE professor Earnest Blatchley in partnership with Bruce Applegate, associate professor of food science and biological sciences at Purdue University, have developed prototypes of a water disinfection system to take advantage of UV radiation from the sun, which is plentiful in many areas where clean water is lacking. Solar UV systems have been developed by other groups. The Purdue system, however, uses different materials than others.

"We are using the range of solar UV wavelengths that are most effective for damaging microorganisms' DNA. Using material that is transparent to these wavelengths of radiation allows us to disinfect water a lot faster," Blatchley said.

A EEE Urban Water Project Class class partnering with the Wabash River Enhancement Corporation (WREC) is promoting water sustainability through small community projects that will help clean up the Wabash River. Projects include native plantings, rain garden installations, and rain barrel installations.