Your plants might love fertilizers containing nutrient-rich sewage sludge, but treating your garden or lawn with these products could be exposing you to “forever chemicals.” Some commercially available products are made from biosolids, an industry term for sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants that are used as fertilizer. The Environmental Protection Agency recently warned that sludge could contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, posing health risks to farmers, livestock and the environment.

This January, Venkat Roy, Neha Shakelly, and Xiaohan Wu, three PhD students from Purdue’s Environmental and Ecological Engineering (EEE) program who formed the team GaCycle, were announced as winners of the Electronics Scrap Recycling Advancement Prize (E-SCRAP). Each of the 10 winning teams received $50,000 in cash and $30,000 in technical assistance from a national laboratory.

Congrats to Rebecca Ciez as a recent 40 under 40 award recipient. The AAEES 40 under 40 Recognition program recipients are recognized as rising stars in the environmental engineering and science profession.

One year ago, Kendrick Hardaway received the unexpected and exciting news that he had been awarded a 2023-2024 Fulbright Grant to New Zealand. In the Fall 2023 newsletter, he shared his aspirations for the research journey with the Environmental and Ecological Engineering (EEE) community.

From the University of Tulsa: John W. Sutherland addressed “Sustainable Manufacturing: Origins and Future Directions” during the College of Engineering & Computer Science’s Hulings Distinguished Lecture Series speaker on Oct. 19. Sutherland, a renowned expert in sustainable manufacturing, offered insights into the critical need for environmentally responsible manufacturing processes to meet the challenges posed by climate change, resource shortages, and waste management.

The College of Engineering recognized faculty, lecturers and other staff for outstanding dedication to teaching students in a Purdue Exponent ad on Jan. 13. Five Environmental and Ecological Professors were recognized: Michelle Indarjit, Chad Jafvert, Lindsey Payne, Andrew Whelton, and Zhi (George) Zhou.

Wildfires increasingly threaten public drinking water systems, but guidance on how to address damage to these systems from a wildfire has been insufficient, conflicting or inaccurate.

A new publication offers the first comprehensive guidance for public drinking water system staff, outlining the decision-making process for testing and recovering water distribution systems after a wildfire. This guidance was authored by Purdue University engineers and published by The Water Research Foundation. Four water utilities in California also sponsored the publication.

Humans are about 60% water, but Caitlin Proctor might be a little more. In environmental engineering, few figures represent their research as well as Professor Caitlin Proctor of Purdue University.

If you went to high school or enrolled in college, chances are you were asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s not always an easy question. According to Glynis Boone, Purdue Environmental and Ecological Engineering (EEE)’s newest External Advisory Council (EAC) member, it might not get easier, but that might not be a bad thing.

EEE Junior Liz Hutzel and proud Purdue Outing Club (POC) leader, is all about protecting, improving, and enjoying our environment.