This question comes from students, university alumni, corporate recruiters, friends, and even university colleagues. So, as we begin this newsletter, please allow me to share a few of my thoughts on the origin of EEE and what makes us unique relative to programs at other universities.

As we know, in the nineteenth century, human and animal wastes were often directed into local waterways, which were also a source of drinking water, resulting in frequent occurrences of water-borne diseases. To manage this public health threat, sanitary engineering emerged as a discipline and drinking water and sewage treatment systems began to be developed.

The modern origins of environmental engineering can be traced to Rachel Carson in the 1960s, who identified the concerns surrounding pesticides, society's failure to recognize the harmful environmental effects of waste streams, and our disruption of natural processes and systems. Her book, Silent Spring (1962), raised the environmental consciousness of the American public and led to landmark legislation in the United States. This in turn, nurtured the growth of the environmental engineering discipline, which has its goal of protection of human health and the environment.

As the years passed, inadequate attention or failure to oversee industrial activities properly has led to many environmental problems. The Cuyahoga River Fire (1969); Union Carbide Bhopal disaster (1984); the replacement of lead in gasoline with MTBE (1979), and the widespread application of PFAS chemicals that contaminate water, air, and soil are all examples where industrial undertakings have deleteriously affected the environment. These examples point to the following: mistakes are frequently made in the management of waste from industrial processes, there is a lack of foresight on the part of industrial decision makers with regard to the environment, and actions taken to address environmental/health concerns often create unintended negative consequences.

It became increasingly clear by the late twentieth century that classic environmental engineering was not sufficient to ensure the long-term protection of the environment. Pioneers such as Frosch, Gallopoulos, Graedel, and Allenby began discussing the interaction of industrial activities with the environment, and initiated efforts to beneficiate industrial systems.

In the 1990s, the notion began to emerge that engineers and managers responsible for designing, implementing, and operating industrial systems must attack and eliminate the root causes of environmental problems at their source. Such an approach calls for adopting systems-thinking across the product lifecycle to anticipate and avoid the creation of the next generation of environmental problems.

In the early 2000s, it was recognized that the discipline of environmental engineering must evolve to not only consider classic environmental engineering, which focuses on the development of processes to treat, control, and manage contaminated media, but also industrial sustainability. This second focus seeks to design and manage engineering systems to avoid waste and preserve natural resources.

Purdue EEE was established in 2006 with this two-pronged philosophy in mind. To the best of our knowledge, it is the only environmental engineering program in the U.S. that integrates classic environmental engineering and industrial sustainability. The prescient establishment of EEE as a stand-alone department makes us well positioned today to solve many of the environmental challenges we presently face. These solutions include decarbonization, promoting life-cycle engineering, developing effective treatment systems for emerging contaminants, establishing a circular economy, and addressing water scarcity.

As you will see in this newsletter, the amazing students and faculty of EEE have embraced our unique approach and are making tremendous impacts, locally and globally, of which we should all be proud!

Hail Purdue!
 

John W. Sutherland, Ph.D.
Professor and Fehsenfeld Family Head of Environmental and Ecological Engineering