Faculty news

Professor and chair of the Geological Engineering Program Tuncer Edil recently received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Industrial Fabrics Association International in the geosynthetics projects category for his work on Madison Metropolitan District Contaminated Sludge Lagoon Capping. Edil served as consultant and design engineer for the project, which involved capping 22 acres of soft and highly compressible sludge in the lagoon system of the district using a geotextile. The state of Wisconsin recently included the site within the boundaries of its new Capital Springs Centennial State Park because of its enhanced recreational and aesthetic value. The same project also received the Engineering Achievement Award from the Wisconsin Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers last year.

Assistant Professor Katherine (Trina) McMahon has received a three-year, $256,884 grant from the National Science Foundation to investigate the microorganisms responsible for enhanced biological phosphorus removal in activated sludge. Her group will study the microbial communities carrying out this process to determine how community structure and function are linked to process performance. McMahon is developing a suite of molecular biotechnological tools to quantitatively detect the genes and enzymes involved in phosphorus metabolism in complex mixtures of uncultivatable microbes. The work should lead to the design and operation of more robust and effective treatment systems configured to remove phosphorus from wastewater.

Professor Jeffrey S. Russell and Associate Researcher W.B. Stouffer have co-authored an article on teaching engineering ethics for the September-October issue of Engineering Professional. Titled "Leading by Example: Leadership and Ethics," the article discusses the best ways to expose engineering students to leadership and ethical skills. The article encourages exposure to these issues through extracurricular projects and small-scale, low-risk projects to provide a foundation for decision making on the job.