Greetings from Environmental and Ecological Engineering (EEE) at Purdue University. Welcome to our first Newsletter, which has been specifically designed for our alumni, friends, and corporate partners. Newsletters like this often have a note from the Department Head that provides an update on recent developments. For this first issue, in lieu of providing an update, I will provide some background on EEE.

EEE offers a Bachelor of Science in Environmental and Ecological Engineering degree as well as a minor in EEE; as well as a new graduate program beginning in Fall 2015. The undergraduate degree program was ranked 12th in the U.S. this year. Two new courses debuted Fall 2013 and were such a success that they have now been made part of the required curriculum.

Senior Design is an integral component of the EEE curriculum, and exposes student to hands-on projects, while allowing them to experience a client-based relationship. This year, the class was divided into four major projects.

In EEE, there are currently three major grants. These grants include Critical Materials Institute (CMI), NSF Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Program (IGERT), and NSF PIRE: Bioenergy Development across the Americas.

If you are a graduate of the Purdue Environmental and Ecological Engineering program, we would love to keep in contact with you and hear about your post-graduation endeavors! We plan on using this space in our future newsletters to provide updates on the lives of alumni, including professional recognitions, new jobs, marriages, children, academic accomplishments, and any other pieces of exciting news that you would like to share with other alums.

Over 40 faculty members from across the University are associated with EEE. Of the faculty members connected to EEE, 8 are termed EEE teaching faculty; they are involved in teaching EEE courses. These faculty members are Drs. Blatchley, Engelberth, Howarter, Hua, Jafvert, Nies, Sutherland, and Zhao. Drs. Amisha Shah, Shweta Singh, Andrew Whelton, and Zhi (George) Zhou will be joining the EEE faculty in Summer and Fall of 2014.

Three of our faculty members have been honored with awards in the past year. Dr. Ernest (Chip) Blatchley III was elected a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineering, Dr. Loring (Larry) Nies was inducted into the Book of Great Teachers at Purdue University, and John W. Sutherland received the American Society of Mechanical Engineers' William T. Ennor Manufacturing Technology Award.

Each year, EEE bestows two awards, the Environmental and Ecological Engineering Outstanding Senior Award and the SEEE Instructional Excellence Award. In addition to these two awards, two of the EEE graduate students have been honored with the Estus H. and Vashti L. Magoon Award, the Teaching Academy Graduate Teaching Award, and induction into the Purdue University Teaching Academy.

The Society of Environmental and Ecological Engineers (SEEE) was established in 2010 as a Purdue organization for EEE students. SEEE provides a link between EEE students to the EEE faculty, administration, and alumni with the goal of supporting EEE objectives and students.

Purdue Engineering programs consistently rank high among their national peers. The support of alumni and friends remains instrumental to the college's continued success. Thank you for your ongoing partnership and your commitment to Purdue Engineering and Environmental and Ecological Engineering (EEE). Each gift, no matter the size, is a vote of confidence in the University and a commitment to our mission.

Environmental and Ecological Engineering Class of 2014