Water Chemistry Program

The Dean's Message

College Departments

Biomedical Engineering

Chemical Engineering

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Engineering Physics

Engineering Professional Development

Industrial Engineering

Materials Science and Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Interdisciplinary Degree Programs

2000-2001 Industrial Advisory Board

College Consortia

College Centers

College Services

Private Support

1999-2000 Financial Summary

Faculty and Department Directory

College Publications

Credits

David E. Armstrong (Chair) Room 122 680 North Park Street Madison, WI 53706-1481 Tel: 608/263-3264 Fax: 608/262-0454 E-mail: mpossin@wisc.edu limnology.wisc.edu/grad/ec&tcover.htm

Solving water-related problems

The Water Chemistry Program is an interdepartmental graduate program offering an MS and PhD in water chemistry. Participating departments include civil and environmental engineering (primary department), chemical and biological engineering, chemistry, soil science and geology and geophysics. Program activities are centered in the Water Science and Engineering Laboratory on Lake Mendota, where graduate students, faculty, postdoctoral fellows and staff researchers examine the applications of chemistry to problems in environmental and engineering systems. Many of the students work on interdisciplinary research problems with groups from other programs and departments.

Areas of emphasis

One emphasis involves the chemistry of lakes, streams, groundwater and air. Problems studied include the sources and fate of metals and organic chemical contaminants in lakes, rivers and groundwater; causes of mercury accumulation in fish, control of nuisance algae and macrophyte growth in lakes, the transfer of contaminants across the air-water interface, and the sources and properties of fine particulate matter in air.

Another area deals with new technologies for engineering processes and pollution control. Projects include development of ceramic membranes for use in chemical synthesis and water quality control; use of photocatalysis, chemical oxidation and super-critical fluids in treatment of chemical wastes; and applications of treatment technologies to remediation of contaminated sediments. Still another focus is on environmentally friendly energy storage systems which employ novel thin-film barriers, ultra-capacitors and newly developed proton exchange membrane fuel cells.

Graduates are prepared for a variety of careers, including teaching and research at major universities, research in public and private institutions, industrial research and development, as well as pollution control and resource management.

Content: perspective@engr.wisc.edu

Published: September 2000

Markup: webmaster@engr.wisc.edu