NEWS
Chair's Greeting
Faculty News
Student News
Alumni News
Staff News
2008
The Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering
ESE
David Leith
wins highly prized
Greenberg Award
The Year in Review
Gillings School of Global Public Health
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2
2008
ESE NEWS
ESE News is published by the
Department of Environmental
Sciences and Engineering, Gillings
School of Global Public Health, at
the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill, and is available on the
web at www.sph.unc.edu/envr/
publications. Subscription is free.
Department Chair:
Michael D. Aitken,
Professor and Chair
Email: Mike_Aitken@unc.edu
Editor: Rebecca Riggsbee Lloyd
Email: Rebecca.Lloyd@unc.edu
Special Thanks:
The editor would like to extend
thanks to three colleagues for their
editing assistance;
Annie Goodwin, Elise Pohl and
Robin Whitley.
Please send news items, reader
comments, and subscription
requests to the editor:
ESE News,
Department of Environmental
Sciences and Engineering,
Gillings School of Global Public
Health, University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill, CB#7431, Chapel Hill,
North Carolina 27599-7431
Phone: 919.966.4175
Fax: 919.966.7911
ESE MISSION STATEMENT
The scholarly focus of the Department of Environmental Sciences and
Engineering is the interplay between humankind, other species and the
physical, chemical, and biological processes that regulate the function
of both natural and engineered environments. We describe environ-mental
processes to understand their effects upon humankind and con-sider
the reciprocal effects of human activities on these processes.
The overall goal of our inquiry is the development of explanatory and
predictive capacities for assessing and mitigating consequences to hu-man
health or the environment through alternative societal actions and
policies.
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Send to: Rebecca Riggsbee Lloyd ~ 166 Rosenau Hall, CB#7431 ~
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3
2008
ESE NEWS
chair's greeting
Dear Readers,
Each year seems to pass more quickly than the one before, but a retrospective
view gives us a chance to appreciate how much was accomplished. I can
assure you that time does not stand still in ESE! In the comings-and-goings
category, two new assistant professors, Rebecca Fry and Jill Stewart, began
tenure-track appointments in ESE in July 2008. We hired another two assistant
professors, Rose Cory and Carlo De Michele, who will begin with us this spring.
And two of our long-time professors retired in 2008. Doug Crawford-Brown
retired to pursue a new private-sector opportunity in Cambridge, England. Fred
Pfaender retired in December, although he will remain on board part-time to
help with several ongoing activities. In the moving-forward category, good news
came to faculty members Leena Nylander-French, who was promoted to
Professor, and Howard Weinberg, who was promoted to Associate Professor
with tenure.
The biggest news of the year for the whole School was the adoption of its new name, the UNC Gillings
School of Global Public Health. It was fitting that with an increased awareness of global issues in the School,
a BSPH student in ESE, Aisha Saad, was one of two Carolina students to receive a Rhodes scholarship in
2008. Former PhD student Joe Brown, and his advisor, Mark Sobsey, received the International Water
Association's global Project Innovation Award for Joe's PhD project on the use of ceramic filters for household
water treatment in Cambodia. Other student award winners included Sheila Flack and Jen Thomasen (both
of whom won American Industrial Hygiene Foundation scholarships), Dan Gatti (U.S. EPA STAR fellowship),
and Hee-Suk Lee (National Water Research Institute fellowship).
I thank all of you who donated to the Department in 2008 - your generosity and continuing loyalty to ESE is
truly impressive. I particularly thank those who responded to the appeal from fellow alumni to contribute in
Dan Okun's memory to the Dan Okun Scholarship fund and to help endow the Dan Okun Chapter of Engineers
Without Borders at UNC. To all readers, best wishes for a successful 2009.
Regards,
Mike Aitken
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Pictures from Okun Memorial Symposium
Guest Presenter Reds Wolman (left) and ESE
Associate Professor Greg Charcklis
Tema Okun (right) and Guest Speaker
Chris Schulz
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2008
ESE NEWS
faculty news
Leith chosen for highly prized Greenberg Award
David H. Leith has been selected as the 2008 recipient of the Greenberg Alumni
Endowment Award for excellence in teaching, research and service. Dean Barbara
K. Rimer presented him this award during the Gillings School of Global Public Health's
Foard Lecture held April 14, 2008 at The William and Ida Friday Center for Continu-ing
Education. A reception preceding the lecture was held in his honor by the depart-ment
and alumni.
Leith, professor of environmental sciences and engineering, received a ScD from
Harvard University in 1975 and taught there for nine years before joining the UNC
faculty in 1984. His research and teaching at UNC have focused on the measurement and control of contami-nants
in indoor and outdoor air.
Since 1981, Leith has advised 17 doctoral students, 10 of whom have advanced to faculty positions in public
health. His students have won six national awards for "best paper of the year" given for excellence in re-search.
At Carolina, he has won four other awards for teaching and mentorship, including the University's Distin-guished
Teaching Award for Post-Baccalaureate Instruction, presented by Chancellor James Moeser in 2005.
Singer presents 2008 Snoeyink Distinguished Visiting Lecture
Philip C. Singer, Dan Okun Distinguished Professor of environmental engineering, was
invited to present the 2008 Vernon L. Snoeyink Distinguished Visiting Lectures at the
University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. Professor Singer delivered a public lecture on
“Disinfection Byproducts in Tap Water: Exposure Assessment and Misconceptions” on March
25, 2008 and a technical lecture on “Integrated Analysis of the Removal of Natural Organic
Matter by Magnetic Ion Exchange” on March 26, 2008.
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Leith was nominated for the Greenberg Award by more than 20 former students and
professional colleagues at UNC and throughout the country. One supporter observed,
"Dave sees every situation as a learning opportunity and a chance for him to make a
difference in someone's life -- whether it's a student, a worker, or the greater community
as a whole." The seamless integration of research, public service and teaching, which the
Greenberg Award was designed to honor, appears to be a hallmark of Leith's career.
The Greenberg Award was established by the Gillings School of Global Public Health
Alumni Association to honor Dr. Bernard G. Greenberg, founder and chair of the Depart-ment
of Biostatistics from 1949 to 1972 and dean of the School from 1972 to1982. The
award is given annually to an outstanding full-time faculty member for excellence in the
areas of teaching, research and service. Special consideration is given to candidates who
have integrated these areas of focus. A major criterion is continuous demonstrated excellence over a number
of years in service to the broader public health community.
Singer presents keynote address at NEWWA
Philip C. Singer, Dan Okun Distinguished Professor of environmental engineering, delivered the keynote
address at the 10th Annual Water Quality Symposium of the New England Water Works Association (NEWWA)
on May 15, 2008 in Westford, MA. The title of his presentation was “The Practice of Drinking Water Treatment:
A Ten-Year Retrospective.”
Leith dressed for
Halloween
5
2008
ESE NEWS
faculty news
Okun honored at memorial symposium
The Dan Okun Memorial Symposium, held November 7, 2008 at the Gillings School
of Global Public Health, assembled experts from around the world to speak on
pressing water issues. The symposium was held to honor the late Daniel A. Okun,
PhD (1917-2007), Kenan Professor of environmental engineering emeritus.
Philip Singer, Dan Okun Distinguished Professor of environmental engineering,
who offered opening remarks at the event, has said of the symposium's honoree:
"Dan was a pioneer who had a profound influence on scientific, technical, and
policy advancements in the field of environmental sciences and engineering. An
engineer's engineer, he cast a giant shadow on the broad field of water supply and
Okun honored by Engineers Without Borders
Engineers Without Borders, USA, officially has changed the name of its UNC chapter to “The Daniel A. Okun
Chapter of EWB-USA.” The name change honors the late Dr. Okun, Kenan Distinguished Professor Emeritus,
who passed away on Dec. 10, 2007. More information about Engineers Without Borders and the UNC
chapter's activities can be found online at: http://studentorgs.unc.edu/ewb/.
water resources management. His legacy will live on among all engineers and scientists dealing with issues
of water and health."
Among the speakers were current and former faculty members in the UNC Department of Environmental
Sciences and Engineering, including Singer; Michael Aitken, professor and chair; Francis DiGiano, professor
(retired); and Russell Christman, professor (retired).
Other guest speakers included M. Gordon (Reds) Wolman from Johns Hopkins University; Chi-Chung Tang
from Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County, California; Pete Kolsky from The World Bank; Chris Schulz
from CDM; Charles O'Melia from Johns Hopkins University; James Crook, an environmental engineering
consultant; and John S. Young, Jr., from American Water.
Links to event pictures and program presentations are available online at http://www.sph.unc.edu/
okunsymposium.
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Okun Symposium presenters:
from left to right: Crook, Schulz, DiGiano, Singer, Young and O'Melia
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2008
ESE NEWS
faculty news
Sobsey accepts International Water Association award for innovative use
of water filters
A team of researchers led by Mark Sobsey, PhD, has received the International Water
Association's (IWA) Project Innovation Award for their research endeavor, "Ceramic
Water Filters in Cambodia: A Sustainable Solution for Rural Drinking Water Treatment"
in 2008. The project is one of the Gillings Innovation Laboratories (GILs) at the UNC
Gillings School of Global Public Health.
Sobsey, Kenan Distinguished University Professor of environmental sciences and en-gineering
in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, accepted the honor at
the Association's East Asian and Pacific Awards Ceremony on June 26, 2008 in
Singapore.
Joe Brown (PhD '07, Sobsey Advisor) currently an assistant pro-fessor
at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, proposed the
original water purification project and worked with Sobsey and
others to initiate and field-test it in Cambodian homes.
After successful testing, Sobsey, Brown and others established
the Carolina Global Water Partnership, a research collaboration
between ESE and the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School,
which is exploring ways to commercialize household water treat-ment
technologies in developing countries.
The Global Water Partnership is one of seven Gillings Innova-tion
Laboratories established thus far at the UNC Gillings School
of Global Public Health. GILs are interdisciplinary research groups
funded through a major gift to the School from Dennis and Joan
Gillings.
"We know that biosand and ceramic filters and other household
water treatment technologies make an enormous difference in
the health of people who don't have access to clean drinking
water," Sobsey said.
The World Health Organization estimates that nearly 2 million
children die each year from diarrhea and related illnesses caused
by unsafe drinking water and inadequate hygiene and sanita-tion.
"We have the technologies, but now it's a matter of finding ways
to get these technologies into communities and households, and
have people adopt and use them effectively and sustainably," Sobsey said.
Sobsey said that he was honored to accept the award on behalf of Joe Brown and himself. "I am pleased that
this brings more visibility to our Department and School, especially because the project focuses on global
water and on those most in need of safe water," he said.
IWA representatives and others had special praise for the project, Sobsey said, because of its target benefi-ciaries,
the simplicity and effectiveness of the technology, its low cost and the fact that it was a student's
project.
"We were pleased to receive recognition for this project," Brown said. "Our research has shown that locally
Joe Brown, building water storage tank in
Cambodia
7
2008
ESE NEWS
faculty news
produced ceramic water filters can be an effective long-term solution to contaminated drinking water at the
household level."
In his application for the award, Brown had noted, "Locally produced ceramic water filters are a new technol-ogy
in Cambodia. This project provides the first systematic, field-based assessment of the technology's
sustainability as a drinking water treatment intervention."
Brown says the filters are now used by an estimated 100,000 Cambodian households for treatment of drink-ing
water, resulting in a 98% reduction of E. coli and a 46% decrease in diarrhea.
Competing for the IWA innovation awards were a number of large international corporations with significantly
more complex projects.
Tom Outlaw, (EMBA '08) a recent alumnus from UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School and involved with
Carolina Global Water Partnership, thinks the research demonstrates that high impact doesn't require high
technology or high cost.
"The ceramic water purifier represents technology that is appropriate, affordable and attractive - the three
essential drivers of consumer demand," Outlaw said. "Now, the next step for UNC is scaling-up access to
these filters in Cambodia and beyond."
Michael Aitken, professor and chair of the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, said he
was thrilled that the innovative work being done by Sobsey and his students was being recognized.
"We are particularly proud," Aitken said, "that our former PhD student, Joe Brown, led this project and has
gone on to continue his work as a faculty member at the University of Alabama. Receiving this international
award reflects the high quality of research on drinking water for which UNC is known, a reputation that
Professor Sobsey has helped to establish."
"We are very proud of Drs. Sobsey and Brown," agreed Dr. Barbara K. Rimer, dean of the UNC Gillings
School of Global Public Health and Alumni Distinguished Professor of health policy and administration.
"I am especially pleased," Rimer said, "that the award recognizes the team's use of low-cost, sustainable
technologies to address the water problem. Their deceptively simple innovation could have a profound impact
on public health."
The International Water Association is a global network of water professionals in science, research, technol-ogy
and practice. Its members, including 10,000 individuals and 400 corporations in 130 countries, work to
develop effective and sustainable approaches to water management.
The Association's Project Innovations Award Program was established to recognize excellence and innova-tion
in water engineering projects. Among the criteria for the award are the degree of complexity of the
problem being addressed, the innovative application of technology, the future value to the water engineering
profession and the sustainable design of the project.
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Visit ESE's website for News, Events, Seminars and links. www.sph.unc.edu/envr/
8
2008
ESE NEWS
faculty news
Weinberg promoted to Associate Professor
ESE is pleased to announce the promotion of Howard S. Weinberg, D.Sc. to Associate
Professor with tenure effective September 1, 2008. Professor Weinberg was appointed
as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in ESE in 2002. Prior to that, he had served ESE
as a Research Assistant Professor from 1997-2002, a Research Associate from 1992-
1997, and a post-doctoral fellow from 1989-1992. He also held a brief visiting research
appointment at L’Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal in 1993. He was appointed an adjunct
professor at Duke University’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in
2007.
Professor Weinberg’s research expertise is in the chemical analysis of environmental contaminants. His
work includes method development for detecting and quantifying emerging contaminants in water (i.e.,
chemicals that are only beginning to be recognized as potential hazards to the environment or human
health) as well as using analytical capabilities to study the occurrence, fate, and potential for human exposure
of these contaminants in drinking water treatment, wastewater treatment, and aquatic environments. He has
focused in particular on potentially harmful chemicals formed during the disinfection of drinking water
(disinfection byproducts) and more recently on estrogens and other pharmaceutically active chemicals that
have become of significant concern. Several analytical methods developed by Professor Weinberg are used
by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Geological Survey in their water quality research
and surveillance work.
Many of Professor Weinberg’s papers have been published in top-ranked journals in his field, including
Analytical Chemistry, Environmental Science & Technology, Journal of Chromatography A, and Water
Research. He was awarded the Best Paper Award in the water quality and technology division by the Journal
of the American Water Works Association in 2005. In 2006, the Water Environment Federation awarded him
the Harrison Prescott Eddy Medal for research published in a water environment research periodical that
makes a vital contribution to the existing knowledge of the fundamental principles or processes of water
treatment. His publications on disinfection byproducts are highly cited. Collectively, his work has been cited
nearly 400 times. In addition to these publication awards, he has won (with his students) two awards for
poster presentations at American Water Works Association Water Quality Technology Conferences. In 2006
he was invited to give the opening presentation at the first Gordon Research Conference on Drinking Water
Disinfection Byproducts.
In 1999, Professors Weinberg and Aitken created an in-house seminar program that soon evolved to a one-credit
course (now ENVR 400) required of all students in the department. He has been solely responsible for
organizing and administering the course every semester since 2002. The students have rated the course
highly, particularly for its ability to expose them to the breadth of research being undertaken in this Department.
Sobsey interviewed about the Carolina Global Water Partnership
Mark Sobsey, Kenan University Distinguished Professor of environmental sciences and
engineering, is “helping to lead a major new effort, centered at UNC and called the Carolina
Global Water Partnership, to understand how business principles and household point-of-use
(POU) treatment technology can be used to bring safe water to people in the developing
world.” Sobsey is interviewed in Water Technology Online (Vol. 31, Issue 3, March 2008).
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2008
ESE NEWS
faculty news
School to help United Arab Emirates assess environmental health risks
The United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), one of the fastest developing nations in the world, has signed a two-year
contract with researchers from ESE to lead an assessment of health risks due to environmental factors in
their country.
UNC researchers are partnering with U.A.E. University’s Department of Community Medicine and the RAND
Corp., a global public policy research institution. This group will work with the Environment Agency-Abu
Dhabi and its national partners, the Health Authority-Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. Ministry of Health, U.A.E. Ministry of
Environment and Water, Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority and Health Authority- Dubai.
The U.A.E. is a Middle Eastern federation of seven states situated on the Arabian Gulf bordering Saudi
Arabia, Qatar and Oman. The country, with a population of about 4.3 million, has a highly industrialized
economy and significant oil and natural gas reserves.
“The U.A.E. is developing at an unprecedented pace and scale,” says principal
investigator Jacqueline A. MacDonald, assistant professor of environmental sciences
and engineering. “In the past 40 years, it has gone from a small, mostly nomadic and
seafaring economy to a major industrial nation. While all the developments have brought
some vast improvements in public health, they’ve also brought some concerns about
risks due to environmental hazards that come with an industrialized economy.”
MacDonald leads a research team that will assess environmental health risks and use
the results of these analyses to help United Arab Emirates set priorities and develop
policies for mitigating health risks. The work will involve collecting data, working with local stakeholders to
prioritize risks from environmental exposures; and developing computer-based models to estimate impact of
environmental exposures and the burden of disease caused by the most important risk factors, including
both indoor and outdoor air pollution (especially emissions stemming from oil and gas production), water
pollution (both coastal and groundwater), and exposures to hazardous substances in the workplace. At the
same time, the larger-scale epidemiologic study will be conducted to provide a nationwide assessment of
possible links between the environment and the health of people living there.
For more information, visit the project website at http://www.sph.unc.edu/uae.
MacDonald featured in Bryn Mawr's Science & Technology
ESE Assistant Professor Jacqueline A. MacDonald was featured in the February 2008 issue of Science &
Technology (S&T). S&T is Bryn Mawr College’s newsletter on research, teaching, management, policy making
and leadership in science and technology. The article is available on their website at http://www.brynmawr.edu/
sandt/2008_february/connecting.shtml.
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Kamens presents plenary lecture at conference
ESE Professor Richard Kamens presented the plenary lecture at the Atmospheric
Chemical Mechanisms (ARC) Conference held December 10-12, 2008 at The ARC,
University of California Davis. He presented, “SOA Some Old and New Thoughts” on
December 11, 2008.
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2008
ESE NEWS
Rusyn receives NIEHS grant to develop better models for testing chemical hazards
An interdisciplinary team of researchers at UNC and Massachusetts Institute of Technology has received a
five-year, $2.5 million grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) which may
yield knowledge about why some people are more likely than others to be affected by exposure to toxic
chemicals.
Led by Ivan Rusyn, MD, PhD, associate professor of environmental sciences and engineering and principal
investigator, the research effort will establish a partnership between environmental health scientists, biologi-cal
engineers, cheminformaticians, biostatisticians and geneticists.
The funding comes from a National Institutes of Health bioengineering research partnerships program spe-cifically
designed to encourage basic, applied and translational bioengineering research that could contribute
significantly to better human health.
One of the aims of the research is to test the hypothesis that genetic variability among individuals is a major
determinant in the toxic effects of chemical hazards.
"We are extremely pleased to receive this award from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sci-ences,"
Rusyn said. "Our interdisciplinary team is determined to advance the science and practice of environ-mental
health research by building bridges between disciplines."
"This work is valuable," Rusyn said, "as it will contribute to prevention of human disease by improving our
ability to extrapolate and translate findings from chemical testing to human populations and by informing
regulatory decisions that limit exposures to disease-associated environmental agents."
The research team will develop a mouse liver tissue bioreactor that can screen chemicals; build, test and
validate computational models that use chemical and biological descriptors of molecular structures and take
into account genetic diversity; and validate an in vivo / in vitro toxicity screening paradigm for a class of
chemicals called allylbenzene derivatives.
Other members of the research team include Alex Tropsha, PhD (UNC School of Pharmacy), David Threadgill,
PhD (UNC School of Medicine), and Linda Griffith, PhD (Massachusetts Institute of Technology).
Rusyn selected for Society of Toxicology honor
Ivan Rusyn, MD, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Environmental
Sciences and Engineering, has been selected to receive the Society of Toxicology’s
Achievement Award. Rusyn received his doctorate at UNC in 2000 and worked as
a postdoctoral fellow for a year before joining the faculty in 2002.
The Achievement Award is presented to a member of the Society of Toxicology
who has less than 15 years experience since obtaining his/her highest earned
degree (in the year of the Annual Meeting of the Society of Toxicology) and who
has made significant contributions to toxicology. This award consists of a plaque
and a cash stipend.
faculty news
The award was presented at the Society’s 47th annual meeting held on March 16, 2008 in Seattle, Washington.
11
2008
ESE NEWS
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School to strengthen computational toxicology and bioinformatics expertise with major U.S.
EPA award
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded our School a $3.4 million grant to help strengthen
our research portfolio in computational toxicology and bioinformatics.
Computational toxicology is a branch of environmental health sciences that applies mathematical and computer
models to predict adverse effects of drugs and environmental chemicals and to better understand the ways
they may cause harm to human health and the environment. This relatively young discipline offers the
possibility that scientists might be able to develop a much better understanding of risks posed by chemicals
released into the environment.
The grant, which will be awarded over four years, aids the establishment of The Carolina Center for
Computational Toxicology (http://comptox.unc.edu). The Center will advance the field of computational
toxicology through development of new methods and computational tools, as well as through interdisciplinary
collaborative efforts within UNC and with other environmental health science researchers.
”We are delighted to receive this highly competitive award,” says Dr. Ivan Rusyn, associate professor of
environmental sciences and engineering at the School, associate director of the Curriculum in Toxicology at
the UNC School of Medicine, and principal investigator for the project. “The UNC Gillings School of Global
Public Health is a world leader in many areas of science that improves the health of people in North Carolina
and around the world, and the new Center will strengthen our capacity for understanding and predicting the
inter-individual differences in risk from environmental exposures.”
Previously printed in Carolina Public Health. Carolina Public Health is a publication of the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health. To subscribe to Carolina Public Health or to view the
entire Fall 2008 issue in PDF, visit www.sph.unc.edu/cph.
Discover magazine seeks opinion from environmental scientist Aitken
Mike Aitken, ESE professor and chair, was quoted in a recent issue of Discover magazine
in an article about a new water supply project in Orange Co., CA (“Better Water - From
Toilet to Tap,” May 2008).
The article describes the Groundwater Replenishment System project which began
operating in California in January 2008. The system recycles water from sewage and
uses it to replenish underground reservoirs. More than 2.1 trillion gallons of water in the U.S. are flushed
down toilets every year, and the project hopes to curb the waste.
In the article, Aitken predicts that water recycling will become increasingly important around the country. The
California project is “the gold standard for how to do it right,” Aitken says.
The Discover article is available online: http://discovermagazine.com/2008/may/23-from-toilet-to-tap/
article_view?searchterm=aitken&b_start:int=1.
faculty news
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2008
ESE NEWS
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faculty news
Nylander-French promoted to Full Professor
ESE Professor and Chair, Mike Aitken, announced the promotion of Leena Nylander-French
to Full Professor effective March 1, 2008.
Dr. Nylander-French obtained a PhD in occupational and industrial hygiene from the Royal
Institute of Technology in Sweden in 1994. She was appointed to the faculty in ESE as an
Assistant Professor in 1997, originally in a joint appointment with Epidemiology. She has
had a full-time appointment in ESE since 2000 and was promoted to Associate Professor
with tenure in ESE in 2002.
She has served as Industrial Hygiene Program Director in the National Institute of Occupational Safety and
Health (NIOSH) Educational Resource Center since 2002, and in 2006 became Director of the Exposure
and Biomarkers Research Core under the NIEHS-supported Center for Environmental Health and
Susceptibility (CEHS) in the Gillings School of Global Public Health. Dr. Nylander-French’s general area of
research is in human exposure to toxic substances via the skin (dermal exposure).
Paerl featured in Science
An article in the December 12, 2008 issue of Science magazine features the research
of Hans Paerl, PhD. Paerl is a Kenan Distinguished Professor of marine sciences at
the UNC Institute of Marine Sciences in Morehead City, N.C., and holds a joint
appointment at the UNC-Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health in the
department of environmental sciences and engineering.
The article, “FerryBoxes Begin to Make Waves,” describes the value of the FerryBox,
a metal container, about one cubic yard in size, holding sensors designed to sample
Heath Retires from Fifty Years at School of Government
Milton S. Heath Jr., professor of public law and government at the School of Government
and joint professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, celebrated his retirement from 50 years on the
faculty on February 28, 2008. At the February ceremony, Bill Ross, secretary of the NC
Department of Environment and Natural Resources, presented Heath with a Long Leaf
water as a ferry boat moves through regional inlets and sounds.
Paerl led the first such data-gathering project in the U.S., FerryMon, which was launched in 2000 in N.C.’s
Pamlico Sound.
Pine award on behalf of Governor Michael Easley. The Long Leaf Pine is the highest civilian award given by
the State of North Carolina.
Also at the ceremony, Mike Smith, dean of the School of Government, announced the launch of an endowment
fund to create the Milton S. Heath Jr. Environmental Lecture at the School of Government. The endowed
lecture, Smith said, “will continue the remarkable tradition of teaching and learning that Milton has embodied
for more than five decades.” The lecture series will be free and open to the public. For more information, call
919.966.9780.
13
2008
ESE NEWS
Assistant Professor REebSeEcc aw Ce. Flcryomes new faculty
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ESE Faculty profiles are available online at: www.sph.unc.edu/envr/
ESE welcomes new faculty
Fry received a BS in Biology from William Smith College in 1995, an MS in Biology
and Pharmacology from Tulane University in 1997, and a PhD in Plant Molecular
Biology from Tulane in 2000. Although her PhD was from the Biology Department at
Tulane, she conducted her dissertation research at Yale University. She then served
as a Post-Doctoral Associate under Professor Leona Samson in the Division of
Bioengineering and Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After her
post-doctoral appointment, Fry remained at MIT as a Research Scientist in Profes-sor
Samson's laboratory until 2006. She then served as the Director of the Genomics
and Bioinformatics Core in the Center for Environmental Health Sciences at MIT.
Fry's general area of research is in using genomic approaches to study exposure to
toxic environmental agents and the corresponding susceptibility or resistance to dis-ease.
Her work involves both experimental and computational approaches to identi-fying
genes that can serve as biomarkers of exposure. Her recent work has focused on prenatal exposure to
arsenic. Fry plans to complement genomic studies on effects of arsenic with experiments to elucidate molecu-lar
pathways that can protect against arsenic toxicity, and she hopes to couple her molecular work with
population studies in the near future. In particular, her goal is to identify genes and their polymorphisms that
lead to arsenic-related diseases.
Assistant Professor Jill R. Stewart
Stewart received a BA in Environmental Sciences (with a concentration in ecology
and a minor in chemistry) from the University of Virginia in 1996, an MS in Public
Health in 1998 and a PhD in environmental sciences and engineering in 2003 both
from this Department. Both her master’s and doctoral research were conducted under
the supervision of Professor Mark Sobsey. Since 2002, she worked as a microbiologist
at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Center for Coastal
Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research in Charleston, South Carolina and
served as the microbiology program lead for the NOAA Hollings Marine Lab Center of
Excellence in Oceans and Human Health. Stewart also holds adjunct faculty positions
in the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina, the College
of Charleston (both in Environmental Studies and in Marine Biology), and the Medical University of South
Carolina.
Stewart’s general area of research is in public health microbiology with an emphasis on microbial contamination
of coastal and surface water systems. Her research has focused on developing methods to detect
microorganisms of public health concern in surface waters and shellfish, and on developing microbial source
tracking techniques. Source tracking is of considerable national interest because sources of microbial
contamination are rarely apparent, and Stewart has become a recognized leader in this area. Her methods
are already being used in field trials and in controlled ecosystem assessments. She plans to extend this
work to investigate the human health risks of impaired water quality.
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14
2008
ESE NEWS
Birnbaum appointed NIEHS director
Linda S. Birnbaum, PhD, adjunct professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences
and Engineering, has been appointed as director of the National Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences (NIEHS), effective January 2009.
As director, she will oversee a $730 million budget that funds multidisciplinary biomedical
research programs and prevention and intervention efforts that encompass training,
education, technology transfer and community outreach. NIEHS, located in Research
Triangle Park, N.C., supports more than 1,240 research grants.
A native of New Jersey and board-certified toxicologist, Birnbaum received her master's and doctoral degrees
in microbiology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She has served as a federal scientist for
nearly 29 years, most recently as senior advisor at the Environmental Protection Agency, where she was
director of the Experimental Toxicology Division for 16 years.
NIEHS, part of the National Institutes of Health, supports research to understand the effects of the environment
on human health.
faculty news
Heath honored as News and Observer's Tarheel of the Week in 2008
ESE’s Joint Professor Milton Heath was featured in the March 23, 2008 issue of the News & Observer
(Raleigh) as the Tar Heel of the Week. The article details his involvement in shielding North Carolina beaches
from intensive development. The full story is available on N&O’s website at: http://www.newsobserver.com/
front/story/1010301.html.
West and ESE Students install solar electric systems during summer trip to Mexico
In the summer of 2008, two ESE students and members of the UNC Okun Chapter of Engineers Without
Borders (EWB), Jill Simmerman and Jessica Lewis, teamed up with ESE Assistant Professor Jason
West and Solar Mexico to install solar electric systems in private homes in northern Mexico and to investigate
the feasibility of future projects in the State of Hidalgo. Lewis (MSPH, West Advisor) is currently studying
climate change and air pollution in ESE and Simmerman earned her BS in 2008 in Environmental Science at
UNC.
Solar Mexico is a project founded in 2002 by West in collaboration
with the Mexican Foundation for Rural Development, a Mexican
nonprofit. Their mission is to provide renewable energy resources to
poor rural families. Solar technologies being used by the Solar Mexico
project include solar panels for electricity in homes, solar ovens for
efficient cooking, and solar water distillers for clean drinking water.
Solar Mexico has subsidized 17 household solar electric systems
and has subsidized the purchase of many ovens for families in need.
The project is supported entirely by private donations from residents
of the United States, Mexico and elsewhere.
Visit Solar Mexico’s website to read field reports and to learn more
about the project, http://www.nonprofitpages.com/solarmexico and
http://studentorgs.unc.edu/ewb/ to learn more about the Daniel A. Okun Chapter of Engineers Without Borders
at UNC-Chapel Hill.
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15
2008
ESE NEWS
student news
Henderson wins 2008 ESE Achievement Award
ESE is proud to announce Barron Henderson (MS ’08, PhD, Vizuete
Advisor) as the recipient of the 2008 ESE Achievement Award.
The ESE Achievement award recognizes an outstanding Masters
graduate in our department based on the student’s academic excellence
as evidenced by any or all of the following: outstanding performance in
formal courses; quality and depth of the master’s report; creativity and
scientific maturity; service to the department, community or state;
professional promise; and the opinion of the faculty regarding the professional and academic growth of the
student while enrolled in our program.
Henderson finished his master's degree in May of 2008 and is currently pursuing his PhD focusing on
atmospheric model evaluation. In June of 2008, he received an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education
(ORISE) research fellowship at EPA in their Atmospheric Modeling and Analysis Division (AMAD) of the
National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL). At NERL, Henderson works with AMAD evaluating the
influence of modeled chemistry representation on air quality model results used to inform policy.
Henderson was nominated by his advisor, Professor William Vizuete who
praised him in his nomination letter, “In my opinion, Barron has already
reached the level of independent researcher. He is able to explore new
ideas and investigate a problem with little guidance from me. He is always
looking for ways to improve our current research capability and his creativity
has resulted in a complete revamp of my existing research codes.”
“Since joining my group he has been an indispensable mentor to my
younger graduate students. His ability to not only create new ideas, but to
disseminate those ideas clearly is evidence of his future success in the
professional world. His ability and willingness to learn a new field speaks
volumes on his flexibility and intellectual potential,” said Professor Vizuete.
Vizuete is the voice of “The Ozone Hole”
ESE Assistant Professor William Vizuete lent his voice as the narrator of the
infographic, The Ozone Hole. This infographic was created by UNC School of
Journalism and Mass Communications Senior Wilson Andrews and was awarded
second place in the 48th annual William Randolph Hearst Foundation’s Journalism
Awards Program. Visit www.southofhere.org to view the infographic.
faculty news
Henderson is originally from Dallas, TX and completed his undergraduate degree at Austin College. He now
lives in Raleigh with his wife and son Baxter. In his free time, he likes to play soccer, swing dance, play with
Baxter, and read sci-fi.
16
2008
ESE NEWS
student news
Drummey wins 2008
Bunker Award
ESE is pleased to announce
Patricia N. Drummey
(MSEE ’07, Characklis
Advisor) as the recipient of
the 2008 George C. Bunker
Award.
Her nomination was led by her advisor Professor
Greg Characklis who stated in his letter “Tricia
consistently challenged herself in the classroom,
despite being engaged in a very time consuming and
unpredictable research project that involved a
tremendous amount of fieldwork.” He continues,
“Tricia’s intellect, work ethic and personality will take
her as far as she chooses to go in the professional
world, or in academia, should she choose to return.
She will be one of the students whose careers our
Department will look on with great pride in the future.”
Drummey’s research explores the role that microbial
partitioning in stormwater plays in assessing
detention basin effectiveness for microbial removal.
Her thesis entitled “Evaluating Microbial Partitioning
Throughout the Stormwater Transport Chain and its
Impact on the Effectiveness of Wet Detention Ponds”
will be submitted to the Journal of Environmental
Engineering for publication.
Drummey received her BS degree in civil engineering
from the University of Notre Dame in 2003 and her
MSEE from UNC in 2007. Drummey came to our
department highly recommended by the faculty in
Civil & Environmental Engineering at Notre Dame,
as well as those who served with her in the Dominican
Republic while she worked for the Peace Corps.
The Bunker Award was established in honor of Dr.
George C. Bunker, a sanitary engineer and
benefactor of the University of North Carolina and is
given annually by the Department to an MSEE
candidate in environmental engineering who shows
the most outstanding scholarship and professional
promise.
O’Lenick receives Fulbright
award
Cassandra O’Lenick (MS '08,
Jeffries Advisor) received a 2008-
2009 U.S. Student Fulbright
Program award.
O’Lenick, a native of Annandale,
Va., traveled to Poland to study
environmental law, policy, and scientific procedure.
She also studied Poland’s cooperation with the
European Union’s environmental policy.
As the nation’s largest international exchange
program, the Fulbright Program operates in more
than 155 countries. The late Sen. J. William Fulbright
of Arkansas established the program in 1946 to build
mutual understanding among people of the United
States and the rest of the world.
Students are selected for their academic or
professional achievements and leadership potential.
The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the U.S.
Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and
Cultural Affairs. At UNC, it is administered by the
Center for Global Initiatives.
“First and foremost, Fulbright programs promote
cultural exchange,” said Beth-Ann Kutchma, UNC
program advisor. “Through their documentary
projects, dissertation publications and community
service, these students link the Carolina campus to
the world.”
This year, eleven UNC-CH students received
Fulbright awards. Nationwide, more than 1,450
students were chosen.
For more information about the Fulbright Program
for U.S. Students visit their website: http://
us.fulbrightonline.org/home.html.
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ESE's student roster and defense schedule is available online at ESE's website. www.sph.unc.edu/envr/.
17
2008
ESE NEWS
Birak receives outstanding student paper award
Pamela S. Birak (PhD, Miller Advisor) won an outstanding paper award for her
presentation at the 2008 American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting in San
Francisco from AGU's Hydrology Section. The paper, “Rheology of dense non-aqueous
phase liquids at former manufactured gas plants” was recognized by the
committee as being “among the best of a strong group of student presenters,
which sets an example for her fellow students and the entire AGU membership."
Outstanding student paper award winners were announced in the publication Eos,
the weekly newspaper of AGU, and received a formal certificate of achievement.
Lee wins NWRI Fellowship
Hee Suk Lee’s (MSPH, Sobsey Advisor) doctoral work on identifying prevalent
enteric viruses found in water to develop a rapid detection method that will detect
water contamination in less than four hours, a potentially significant improvement
from current bacterial indicators that can take up to four days to provide results,
awarded her a National Water Research Institute (NWRI) Fellowship Award in
2008. This three year, $10,000 a year award was created to support doctoral
graduate research related to water. Visit their website at http://www.nwri-usa.org/
fellowship.htm to learn more about the fellowship.
Khan wins environmental scholarship
Alia L. Khan (BSPH, Sobsey Advisor), has been awarded a $500 scholarship from the
Research Triangle Park, N.C., chapter of the Academy of Certified Hazardous Materials
Managers (ACHMM). The funding is provided to a graduate or undergraduate student
demonstrating outstanding academic merit and strong interest in pursuing a career re-lated
to protecting the environment.
The award was presented on August 13, 2008 at the ACHMM-RTP in Raleigh, NC.
Teuber wins NCWRA poster contest
Leah Teuber (MSEE '08, Singer Advisor) won first place in a poster contest
sponsored by the North Carolina Water Resources Association at the Water
Resources Research Institute’s (WWRI) annual conference, held October 8-9, 2008
at North Carolina State University. The first place award was $300. Winning posters
will be displayed at the new WWRI offices at N.C. State University.
More than 20 participants in the contest hailed from universities including UNC-Asheville,
UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Charlotte, Appalachian State, N.C. State, Elon,
and University of South Carolina.
Teuber’s research, “Mineral Deposits Behind Waterless Urinals,” was begun in Sepember 2007 with advisor
Dr. Phillip Singer, Okun Distinguished Professor of environmental sciences and engineering. “It has been
very interesting work,” Teuber says, “and I’m glad to see that it was so well received at the conference.”
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student news
18
2008
ESE NEWS
Saad inducted into Phi Beta Kappa
Aisha Ihab Saad (BSPH '09, Sobsey Advisor) was inducted November 24, 2008 into Phi
Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest and most honored of all college honorary societies.
Phi Beta Kappa membership is open to undergraduates in UNC's College of Arts and
Sciences and professional degree programs who meet stringent eligibility requirements.
student news
A student who has completed 75 hours of course work and has a grade-point average of 3.85 or better (on a
4-point scale) is eligible for membership. Also eligible is any student who has competed 105 hours of course
work and has a 3.75 grade-point average. Grades earned at other universities are not considered. Less than
one percent of all college students qualify to be members.
This fall, 176 students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill were inducted.There are 270 Phi Beta
Kappa chapters nationwide. UNC's chapter, Alpha of North Carolina, was founded in 1904 and is the oldest of
six chapters in the state.
Past and present Phi Beta Kappa members from across the country have included 17 American presidents
and numerous artistic, intellectual and political leaders. Seven of the nine current U.S. Supreme Court Jus-tices
are members.
Jarabek receives Life Achievement Award
Annie M. Jarabek (PhD, Crawford-Brown Advisor) received a Life Achievement Award
by and at the Annual International Conference on Soils, Sediments and Water held in
October of 2008. This award is given to individuals in the areas of industry, academia,
government and military, who have made significant contributions to the understanding
and solution of soil, sediment and groundwater pollution problems. Jarabek is a senior
toxicologist and special assistant at the National Center for Environmental Assessment in
the Office of Research and Development (ORD) at U.S. EPA and is currently completing
a PhD in ESE’s risk assessment program. Read more about Jarabek and this honor on
page nine of their conference program available at: http://www.sph.unc.edu/images/stories/
academic_programs/ese/documents/24pro8.5x11_final.pdf.
Richardson receives award at SBRP Annual Meeting
Stephen Richardson (PhD, Aitken Advisor) was awarded one of two Student
Poster Awards for outstanding presentations at the 2008 Superfund Basic
Research Program (SBRP) Annual Meeting held December 7-9, 2008 in Pacific
Grove, California. The poster, entitled “Effects of Biostimulation and Anaerobic
Conditions on PAH Biodegradation in Contaminated Soil from a Manufactured
Gas Plant Site,” was co-authored by Maiysha Jones (PhD, Aitken Advisor), Dr.
David Singleton, and Professor Michael Aitken.
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19
2008
ESE NEWS
Flack and Thomasen receive 2008-2009 AIHF scholarships
Two ESE doctoral students have been selected as recipients of 2008-2009 American Industrial Hygiene
Foundation (AIHF) scholarships. Jennifer Thomasen (MSPH ’07, PhD, Nylander-French Advisor) is the
recipient of the highest honor, the American Industrial Hygiene Foundation Scholarship and Sheila Flack
(MSPH ’06, PhD, Nylander-French Advisor) is the recipient of both the Carolinas Local Section Scholarship
and the Fred Venable/Deep South Local Section Scholarship. A special presentation of the awards was
made at the annual AIHF Recognition Reception at the American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition
(AIHce), held on June 2, 2008 in Minneapolis, MN.
The mission of the American Industrial Hygiene Foundation is to advance the profession by awarding
scholarships for students in industrial hygiene and related disciplines. Since 1982, AIHF has distributed
more than $900,000 to more than 45 different schools and universities and 356 students. These scholarships
have enabled talented students to complete their education and have encouraged the most promising scholars
to enter or remain in the industrial hygiene profession.
For their doctoral research project, Thomasen and Flack, working alongside two other doctoral students,
recruited spray painters from North Carolina (15 workers) and in the state of Washington (33 workers) to
investigate individual dermal and inhalation exposures to 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) monomer
and oligomers in an occupational environment. During this project, they determined the breathing-zone
exposure to HDI by personal filter sampling, dermal exposure to HDI by noninvasive tape-strip sampling of
the stratum corneum, and systemic exposure by measuring the major HDI metabolites HDA and acetylate
HDA in blood and urine. Thomasen has taken the lead in investigating the factors affecting and errors
involved in the measurement techniques of breathing-zone concentrations, while Flack leads the analyzing
of blood samples by GC-MS and is currently developing statistical models to investigate the correlation
between breathing-zone and dermal exposure levels and the biomarker levels in blood.
student news
Jennifer Thomasen completed her Master of Science in Public Health in December
2007 under the direction of Professor Leena A. Nylander-French. During her Master’s
research, she was responsible for the development and validation of techniques to
measure inhalation exposures to polyisocyanates using LC-MS instrumentation.
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Visit ESE's website for News, Events, Seminars and links. www.sph.unc.edu/envr/
Jennifer Thomasen
Sheila L. Flack completed her Master of Science in Public
Health in December 2006 also under the direction of Professor
Leena A. Nylander-French. During her master’s research,
she developed a strong understanding of the development
Sheila Flack
and testing of monitoring methods for both inhalation and dermal exposures and
GC-MS instrumentation. Her research is presented in the scientific peer-reviewed
article based on her Master’s technical report published in the Journal of Environmental
Monitoring (Flack, S.; Goktepe, I.; Ball, L.M. and Nylander-French, L.A. (2008).
Development and evaluation of quantitative monitoring methods for dermal and
inhalation exposure to propiconazole. J Environ Monit, 10, 336-344). Flack and
Thomasen have continued their doctoral studies in Professor Nylander-French’s laboratory.
20
2008
ESE NEWS
student news
Gatti Receives EPA STAR Fellowship
Daniel M. Gatti (PhD, Rusyn Advisor) was awarded an EPA Science to Achieve Re-sults
(STAR) Fellowship for his proposal entitled "Genome-wide in-silico modeling of
liver gene regulatory networks." The EPA STAR Fellowships are highly competitive
awards made once every two years to a select group of students nationwide. The
purpose of the fellowship program is to encourage promising students to obtain ad-vanced
degrees and pursue careers in an environmental field. The fellowship includes
funding for tuition, fees, stipend and supplies for up to three years. He joins previous
STAR Fellows in ESE (2007): Shannon Starck (MS, Weinberg Advisor), Alison Hege
(PhD, Curriculum in Toxicology), and Lanakila McMahan (PhD, Sobsey Advisor).
Gatti is a Ph.D. student in the laboratory of Dr. Ivan Rusyn. He is also a student in the Bioinformatics and
Computation Biology (BCB) Training Program. His research involves the use of sophisticated statistical and
computational approaches to analyze data on toxicity measurements, including gene expression and other
-omics endpoints, and genetic polymorphisms with a goal of constructing gene regulatory networks which will
aid in understanding and predicting toxicity. This type of research is fundamental for improving the linkages in
the source-to-outcome continuum because a firm understanding of the molecular events in normal cells and
how they are perturbed by environmental agents is the foundation for understanding how toxicants lead to
disease. In addition, this work will help to identify sensitive sub-populations — people whose genes harbor
polymorphisms that may be associated with adverse responses to otherwise tolerable exposure levels.
Prior to enrolling in the Ph.D. program, Gatti received his Masters degree in ESE in 2007, served as the
department's computing consultant from 2004 to 2005 and was the lab manager for both Professors Singer
and Weinberg performing drinking water analysis from 2002 to 2004. Gatti received his BS in Chemical
Engineering from Georgia Tech in 1992 and his Programming Certificate from NC State in 1999. He worked
at the NC Supercomputing Center doing environmental modeling and software development from 1997 to
2002 before coming to UNC. Gatti has been a recipient of a number of awards from the Department and
several research societies.
Gatti wins a student poster award at the 2008 meeting of the Complex Trait Consortium
The Complex Trait Consortium (CTC) is an international network of researchers that studies the genetic
basis for human disease and variation. At the 7th annual meeting held in Montreal, Quebec on May 31 to
June 3 2008, Daniel Gatti won an award for his poster entitled “FastMap: Fast Association Mapping in
Inbred Mouse Populations.” It introduces a fast method for finding regions of the genome that are likely to
regulate the expression of specific genes. He shares this honor with his co-authors Andrey Shabalin, Tieu-
Chong Lam, Dr. Fred Wright, Dr. Ivan Rusyn, and Dr. Andrew Nobel.
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ESE Postdoc Sara Rodriguez-Mozaz wins Best Poster Award at ACE08
While a Postdoc in ESE, Sara Rodriguez-Mozaz won first place in the Water Science &
Research Best Poster competition at the 2008 American Water Works Association's (AWWA)
Annual Conference & Exposition (ACE) in Atlanta, Georgia on June 8-12, 2008. The poster
entitled "Novel Strategies for the Characterization of Mixed-Oxidant Solutions for Drinking
Water Disinfection," is also authored by Professor Howard S. Weinberg, Ana M. Saenz de
Jubera and Alison C. Sykes.
The authors' research focuses on mixed oxidants, the onsite generated disinfectant that demonstrates greater
efficacy in Cryptosporidium parvum inactivation, as well as inhibition of biofilm formation and lower DBP levels
than traditional chlorine.
21
2008
ESE NEWS
student news
Rusyn’s laboratory students recognized by the North Carolina Chapter of the Society of
Toxicology
Alison Hege (PhD, Curriculum in Toxicology) and Pamela Ross (MSPH '08, Rusyn Advisor) received first
and third place awards, respectively, in the graduate student poster competition held at the North Carolina
chapter of the Society of Toxicology 2008 Spring Meeting. Students from UNC, NC State University and
Duke University presented their work at the meeting.
Hege presented a poster entitled “Phenotypic anchoring of gene expression data from acetaminophen
hepatotoxicity studies in the mouse model of the human population reveals biomarkers of response.” Her
work shows that changes in gene expression in liver, when correlated with an observed toxicity in a large
panel of inbred mouse strains, reveal biomarkers of effect that may be more reflective of population-wide
responses to toxic insults.
Ross presented a poster entitled “Time-course comparison of xenobiotic activators of CAR and PPAR-alpha.”
This work establishes common fingerprints of exposure to activators of CAR and PPAR-alpha in
rodent liver and demonstrates what changes correlate with the presence or absence of a corresponding
nuclear receptor.
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Environmental sciences students win NOAA scholarships
Two rising seniors at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have won Ernest F. Hollings Scholarships
from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Ben Edwards of Knightdale, N.C., and Ben Bogardus of Cullowhee, N.C., each will receive $8,000 in
academic assistance during their junior and senior years.
The Hollings scholarship program also provides them with a 10-week paid summer internship at NOAA or a
partner facility. The awards are designed to increase undergraduate training in oceanic and atmospheric
science, boost public understanding and support for stewardship of the ocean and atmosphere, and improve
environmental literacy.
Edwards is pursuing a major in environmental science and a minor in marine sciences. He is a Carolina
Scholar and a National Marine Science Bowl state champion. He is also a lab technician at the Gillings
School of Global Public Health. In 2005, he spent eight weeks at the Dauphin Island, Alabama, Sea Lab
Summer Program, where he conducted and presented field-based marine science research.
Bogardus is pursuing a major in environmental science and a minor in geology. He was accepted last
summer at the Flathead Lake Biological Station, an ecological research and education center located in the
Rocky Mountains near Glacier National Park. He serves as a research assistant for the UNC geography
department on a dam and stream restoration study in Chapel Hill and the Adirondacks.
The Hollings scholarships are named in honor of Ernest F. Hollings, a former U.S. senator from South
Carolina.
Clark wins NC AWWA-WEA Scholarship
Lily P. Clark (BSPH ’09, Ball Advisor) was awarded a $1,000 University Scholarship from North Carolina
American Water Works Association-Water Environment Association (NC AWWA-WEA) in 2008. NC AWWA-WEA
awards two $1,000 grants annually to outstanding four-year university student applicants. More
information is available on their website at www.ncsafewater.org.
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22
2008
ESE NEWS
Several members of ESE, including one fast-moving
graduate student, modeled healthy behaviors when
they participated in the 26-mile Boston Marathon on
April 21, 2008.
Marc Jeuland (PhD, Whittington Advisor) finished
15th overall and third among American men in a field
of more than 22,000 in the event. His time of 2 hours,
photograph, Marc Jeuland
He enjoys the camaraderie of running with friends,
especially those at the Carrboro Athletics Club.
“Boston’s a great race, with a long history, a
challenging course, and terrific crowd support,” he
says, “and I came away from the race feeling very
happy to be a marathoner.”
photograph, Tricia Drummey
20 minutes, 57 seconds,
was only 13 minutes longer
than the first place runner,
Robert Cheruiyot of Kenya,
who completed the course
in 2:07.46.
“At the finish, someone
called out, ‘You’re 15th,’ and
I couldn’t believe it,”
Jeuland said.
Drew Steen, graduate
student in the Department
of Marine Sciences and Jeuland’s friend, praised
Jeuland’s performance in the race, especially given
that travel and illness had caused him lost training
time.
“Marc’s too self-effacing to talk about himself, but he’s
had a number of running successes in his time at
UNC,” Steen said, “including a strong showing at the
U.S. Olympic qualifiers in New York in November
2007. He came to UNC after a three-year stint in the
Peace Corps in Mali, where he was sufficiently
instrumental in the construction of a new wastewater
treatment station that it was named after him.”
Jeuland’s graduate research is focused on the
impacts of climate change on the economics and
planning of dams, with a particular focus on the Blue
Nile Basin in Ethiopia. He worked with a local
sanitation company near Bamako, Mali, on the
wastewater treatment project.
Jeuland says he runs “because it keeps me healthy,
provides balance in my life and also is a way to
unwind from the rigors of academic study and work.”
Boston Marathon includes ESE athletes
Patricia Drummey,
(MSEE '07, Characklis
Advisor) finished in
3:30:13. Drummey is
new to the marathon
experience, having
qualified for Boston at
an event in Maine last
fall. After the race, she
described how it felt to
see her mom cheering
her on at the top of
Heartbreak Hill.
“I had ‘Patti’ written on my shirt,” she said, “which
was great because it got a lot of cheers from the
spectators. It was also good because I actually go
by ‘Tricia,’ so when my mom, friends and family yelled
‘TRICIA!’, I knew it was somebody who actually knew
me. I heard and saw my mom while I was
approaching, and ran on by, but had to turn around
to give her a quick, sweaty hug.
“We decided,” Drummey teased, “that’s where the
extra 13 seconds on my 3:30 time came from.”
photograph, David Leith
Also participing was ESE
Professor David Leith whose
time was 3:51:34,155th in his
age division.
Leith was modest about the
fine showing he made. “To run
in the Boston Marathon has
been an ambition of long
standing and I’m glad to have
done it, finally. I’m also glad it’s
over,” he said.
student news
23
2008
ESE NEWS
2008 graduates
DATE NAME TYPE TITLE ADVISOR
7 Brian Pachkowski
Doctoral Dissertation
Final Oral Defense
Functional Studies of Accessory Factors Associated with Base Excision Repair Swenberg
7 Alex Carll
MSPH Technical
Report Final Oral
Defense
A Rat Model of Heart Failure Induced by Isoproterenol and/or High Salt Diet to
Examine the Effects of Particulate Matter Inhalation
Ball
25 Kenneth W. Fent
Doctoral Dissertation
Final Oral Defense
Quantitative Monitoring and Statistical Modeling of Dermal and Inhalation Exposure to
Monomeric and Polymeric 1,6-Hexamethylene Diisocyanates During Automotive Spray
Painting
Nylander-
French
28 Treavor H. Boyer
Doctoral Dissertation
Final Oral Defense
Removal of Natural Organic Matter by Anion Exchange: Multiscale Experimentation
and Mathematical Modeling
Singer
1 Matthew Martin
Master’s Thesis Final
Oral Defense
Classification of Chemicals Based on Structured Toxicity Information Rusyn
2
G. Christopher
Wedding
Doctoral Dissertation
Final Oral Defense
Understanding Sustainability in Real Estate: A Focus on Measuring and
Communicating Success in Brownfield Redevelopment and Green Building
Crawford-
Brown
16 Adrienne Cizek
MSPH Technical
Report Final Oral
Defense
Comparing the Partitioning Behavior of Giardia and Cryptosporidium with that of
Indicator Organisms in Stormwater Runoff
Characklis
18 Jennifer Cannon
Doctoral Dissertation
Final Oral Defense
Capsid properties Contributing to Norovirus Persistence in Humans Vinje
18 Patrick Craig
MSPH Technical
Report Final Oral
Defense
Methyl-donor Enrichment Attenuates Alcohol-induced Liver Injury: Mechanisms of
Protective Action
Rusyn
24 Pamela K. Ross
MSPH Technical
Report Final Oral
Defense
Time-course Comparison of Xenobiotic Activators of CAR and PPAR-alpha in Mouse
Liver
Rusyn
25 Erik Michael Andersen
MSPH Technical
Report Final Oral
Defense
Improved Recovery of Multiple Microbial Indictor Organisms from Source and Treated
Drinking Waters by Optimized Hydraulic Modification to Hollow-fiber Ultrafilters
Simmons
5 Kate Bronstein
Master’s Thesis Final
Oral Defense
Jordan Lake, We Need to Talk . . . You Might Have a Drug Problem: A Case Study of
Antibiotic Occurrence in a Drinking Water Reservoir Impacted by Wastewater
Discharge
Weinberg
5 Matthew Stiegel
MSPH Technical
Report Final Oral
Defense
A Comparison of Indoor Fungal Spore Concentrations between Naturally Ventilated
and Mechanically Ventilated Dormitories at Duke University
Flynn
5 Xiangyu Fan
Master’s Thesis Final
Oral Defense
Simulation Study of Surfactant Phase Behaviors in Brine Base Remediation
Technology
Miller
6 Daniel Anderson
MSPH Technical
Report Final Oral
Defense
Application of a Lung Deposition Model to Fiber Data from Three North Carolina
Asbestos Textile Plants
Nylander-
French
9
Cassandra Ruth
O’Lenick
Master’s Thesis Final
Oral Defense
Effects of in vitro Exposure of Human Respiratory Epithelial Cells to Formaldehyde Jeffries
12 Lisa Casanova
Doctoral Dissertation
Final Oral Defense
Survival and Transmission of Coronaviruses in the Healthcare Environment Sobsey
JANUARY
MARCH
APRIL
MAY
24
2008
ESE NEWS
2008 graduates
DATE NAME TYPE TITLE ADVISOR
12 Susan Hsu
MSEE Technical
Report Final Oral
Defense
Effect of Natural Organic Matter on Lime Softening and Removal of Bromide and
Dissolved Organic Matter Using Ion Exchange: Two Applications of Magnetic Ion
Exchange
Singer
12 Rachel Hulkower
MSPH Technical
Report Final Oral
Defense
Inactivation of Surrogate Coronaviruses on Hard Surfaces by Healthcare Disinfectants Sobsey
21 Kat Galloway
Master's Thesis Final
Oral Defense
New Particle Formation in a Realistic Daytime Urban Atmosphere:
SO2/NOx/O3/Hydrocarbon Air Mixtures
Kamens
28 Byron C. Kominek
MSEE Technical
Report Final Oral
Defense
A Technical and Economic Feasibility Study of Using a Small-Scale Anaerobic Digester
for Energy Production from Cafeteria Food Waste at a Local North Carolina School
Aitken
29 Casey Caldwell
MSEE Technical
Report Final Oral
Defense
Considerations of Risk Tolerance in Developing Probability-based Inter-utility Transfer
Agreements
Characklis
11 Benjamin A. Aiken
MSPH Technical
Report Final Oral
Defense
Sustainability Assessment of the Biosand Filter in Bonao, Dominican Republic Sobsey
12 Tina S. Lusk
MSPH Technical
Report Final Oral
Defense
Comparison of E. coli Methods for Detection in Water: The Effects of Incubation Time
and Temperature
Sobsey
26 Angela D. Coulliette
Doctoral Dissertation
Final Oral Defense
Characterization of Fecal contamination in the Newport River Estuary (North Carolina,
USA)
Noble
3
Stephanie D.
Friedman
Doctoral Dissertation
Final Oral Defense
Rapid Molecular Detection of Male-specific Coliphages as a Tool for Determining
Sanitary Quality and Source of Fecal Pollution in Recreational Waters
Sobsey
16 Rick Johnston
Doctoral Dissertation
Final Oral Defense
Chemical Interactions Between Iron and Arsenic in Water Singer
17 Jon Russell Sobus
Doctoral Dissertation
Final Oral Defense
Comparing Urinary Biomarkers of Exposure to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Rappaport
30 Juneil Lee
Master’s Thesis Final
Oral Defense
Modeling Groundwater for the Coastal Plain Region of North Carolina Miller
13 Ben Lebron
Master’s Thesis Final
Oral Defense
Remediation of Contaminated Soil from a former Manufactured Gas Plant with Heat-
Activated Sodium
Miller
14 Christopher Gibbons
Master’s Thesis Final
Oral Defense
Concentration of Adenoviruses and Noroviruses from Seawater with Argonide
Nanoceram Cartridge Filters: Method Effectiveness and Occurrence in Southern
California Recreational Waters
Sobsey
15 Rebecca Wilson
MSPH Technical
Report Final Oral
Defense
A Method for Dilute Mixing of Reactants in an Outdoor Aerosol Chamber and the
Application to an á-pinene/Ozone System
Kamens
15 Jacopo J. Wiggins
MSPH Technical
Report Final Oral
Defense
An Evaluation of Worker Exposure to Formaldehyde in a Histology/Necropsy lab: An IH
investigation
Flynn
15 Arne Newman
Master's Thesis Final
Oral Defense
An Investigation of Cosolvent Flushing for the Remediation of PAH's from Former
Manufactured Gas Plant Sites
Miller
18 Hongbo (Shirley) Zhu
Doctoral Dissertation
Final Oral Defense
Improvement of the Bioavailability of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Field-
Contaminated Soil
Aitken
AUGUST
JULY
JUNE
MAY
25
2008
ESE NEWS
Alumni updates
Treavor Boyer (PhD '08, Singer Advisor) joined the faculty as Assistant Professor in the Department of
Environmental Engineering Sciences at the University of Florida in 2008.
Boris Brglez’s (MPH ’03, Ball Advisor) 2003 technical report entitled “Disposal of Poultry Carcasses in
Catastrophic Avian Influenza Outbreaks” has been published as Chapter 15 of Dr. David Swayne’s new
book, Avian Influenza. [Brglez, B., & Hahn, J. (2008). Methods for Disposal of Poultry Carcasses. In D. E.
Swayne (Ed.), Avian Influenza (pp 333-352). Wiley-Blackwell.]
Shannon Marquez (PhD '98, Crawford-Brown Advisor), associate professor and director of the MPH program
at the College of Health Professions at Temple University was recently appointed to the Philadelphia’s Board
of Health by Philadelphia’s Mayor Michael A. Nutter in October 2008.
Matthew N. Waters (PhD ’07, Piehler and Martens Advisors) has accepted a tenure-track position as Assistant
Professor of Biology and Environmental Sciences at Shorter College in Rome, Georgia.
Jian Zhen Yu (PhD ’96, Jeffries), associate professor in the department of chemistry and the atmospheric,
marine, and coastal environmental program of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
participated in the US EPA’s Atmospheric Chemistry Seminar Series in Research Triangle Park, NC in
November 2008. Professor Yu presented a seminar entitled “Secondary Aerolsol Formation from Ethylene
and Isoprene in the Urban Atmosphere of Hong Kong: A Multi-phase Chemical Modeling Study."
DATE NAME TYPE TITLE ADVISOR
22 Keegan Sawyer
Doctoral Dissertation
Final Oral Defense
The Pulmonary Health Effects of Diesel Exhaust and Diesel Exhaust Particles:
Evidence from Human and Cellular In Vitro Exposure Research
Madden/Ball
9 Susan Casper
MS Thesis Final Oral
Defense
The Global Burden of Anthropogenic Ozone and Fine Particulate Matter Air Pollution
on Premature Human Mortality
West
27 Sandra M Chung
MSPH Technical
Report Final Oral
Defense
Development of a Low-cost Absorbent Pad Test for the Detection of Escherichia coli in
Contaminated Drinking Water
Sobsey
18 Gang Cao
Doctoral Dissertation
Final Oral Defense
SOA Formation from Toluene Oxidation in the Presence of Inorganic Aerosols Jang/Jeffries
19 Rebecca R. Boyles
MSPH Technical
Report Final Oral
Defense
Effects of Ambient Particulate Matter on Cytokine Production in Mouse Macrophages
and Epithelial Cells
Jeffries
24 Jeff Hayes
MSPH Technical
Report Final Oral
Defense
Relationships Between the Occurrence and Concentrations of Cryptosporidium,
Giardia and Fecal Indicator Microbes in Waters from Tributaries of the Kensico
Reservoir
Sobsey
9 Eric S. Money
Doctoral Dissertation
Final Oral Defense
Modern Space/Time Geostatistics Using River Distances: Theory and Applications for
Water Quality Mapping
Serre
15 Leah Teuber
MSEE Technical
Report Final Oral
Defense
Mineral Deposits Behind Waterless Urinals Singer
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
AUGUST
2008 graduates
alumni news
ESE's student roster and defense schedule is available online at ESE's website. www.sph.unc.edu/envr/.
26
2008
ESE NEWS
Young Receives ESE Distinguished Alumni Award in 2008
The Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering is pleased
to announce John S. Young, Jr. (MS ’77, O’Melia Advisor) as the recipient
of an ESE Distinguished Alumnus Award for 2008.
This award was established in 1995 to recognize deserving graduates or
former students for their outstanding professional achievements and
contributions to the field of environmental sciences and engineering. Past
recipients of this award have been leaders in their fields of expertise.
Young is Chief Operating Officer (COO) of American Water and holds a seat on the company’s Board of
Directors. Young joined the American Water System in 1977 as the Director of Water Quality for the Eastern
Division. He held increasingly responsible positions in engineering and water quality and in 1991 was named
Vice President – Engineering.
He received his BS in Civil Engineering from Duke University in 1975 and his MS in Environmental Engineering
from UNC in 1977.
alumni news
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Visit ESE's website for News, Events, Seminars and links. www.sph.unc.edu/envr/
Young has held leadership positions in a number of
professional and civic organizations Throughout his
more than 25 years of experience in the planning,
design, construction management and operation of
water and wastewater systems. He has also provided
expert testimony and lectures in those areas. During
2000 and 2001, Young was the integration lead for
the major acquisition of Citizens Water Resources.
Young is an active member of several professional
organizations, including a Board Member of the
Design/Build Institute of America and past New
Jersey AWWA Section Chair and Fuller Awardee. He
also serves on the US EPA National Drinking Water
Advisory Council (NDWAC).
Young was nominated by ESE Alumni, Terry Rolan and John Ramaley. “John is highly respected and very
knowledgeable about the water business. It will probably be a surprise to him that I would submit this nomination
since he and I see the utility business from public vs private perspectives. Nonetheless he is a very fine
representative of ESE and UNC and he has earned my respect,” said Ramaley in his nomination letter.
Young was the featured guest of the Department on April 25, 2008. During his visit, ESE Professor and
Chair Mike Aitken presented him this award at the ESE Ice Cream Social, Young presented a seminar
entitled “ The Business of Water – Trends Impacting Service Quality and Sustainability “ and was the guest
speaker at Learning & Libations (L & L) held at the Carolina Brewery.
Terry Rolan (left), Phil Singer and John Young (right) at
the 2008 Ice Cream Social
27
2008
ESE NEWS
ESE is proud to present the following
staff with much deserved Star Heel
Awards. This award was created by a
staff news
(Left to Right): Oksana Kosyk, Nadia Georgieva, Melody Levy, Elise Pohl, Nataliya Vanchosovych
Robin Whitley
Service Appreciation Awards
The University recognizes and expresses
appreciation for the long-term service of permanent
SPA and EPA Non-Faculty employees, both full-time
and part-time. Eligibility for awards is determined by
an employee’s Total State Service according to the
University’s fiscal year, July 1 through June 30. The
program currently recognizes employee service at
five-year intervals, beginning with five years and
ending with fifty years of service.
2008 awardees:
Nadia Georgieva - Five Years
Oksana Kosyk - Five Years
Jim Wallace- Five Years
generous sponsorship from TIAA-CREF and supple-mented
by ESE. It allows individual departments to
award a gift certificate to deserving employees.
2008 awardees:
DJ Fedor
Melody Levy
Rebecca Lloyd
Elise Pohl
Nataliya Vanchosovych
Robin Whitley
Star Heels and Service Award Winners receive their honors during 2008 ESE Holiday Party
Young entrepreneur in ESE is illustrator of new book for
minority children
Melody Levy, 26-year-old assistant for student services in the
Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, is the lead
illustrator of the first in a series of children’s books called Mrs. Applebee
and the Sunshine Band. Book One, Meet the Class (2007), is authored
by André Wesson, a UNC alumnus and founder of Se7enth Swan
Publishing Group, LLC, which will publish the Mrs. Applebee series.
Se7enth Swan addresses the need for learning material to meet the needs of African American and Hispanic
children, aged three to ten, by generating products that help minority children “reclaim their identities and
both imagine and create endless possibilities for their lives.” Levy also serves as the company’s director of
operations.”We are committed to helping all children view themselves and education in a positive light,” Levy
says. “We intend to do this by including positive multicultural images in our products and constantly
emphasizing to our audience that learning is fun.”
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2008 Star Heels
28
2008
ESE NEWS
faculty/staff updates for 2008
New hires:
1/1/08, Jacqueline A. MacDonald, Assistant Professor
1/1/08, J. Jason West, Assistant Professor
1/16/08, Karen Yokley, Postdoctoral Trainee (EPA NHEERL)
2/11/08, Peter Sandusky, Postdoctoral Research Associate (Rusyn lab)
4/1/08, Anne Helmer, HR Facilitator
5/1/08, DJ Fedor, Specialty Trades Tech
6/1/08, Ying Li, Postdoctoral Research Associate (UAE/MacDonald)
7/1/08, Lisa Casanova, Postdoctoral Research Associate (Sobsey lab)
7/1/08, Jill R. Stewart, Assistant Professor
7/1/08, Rebecca C. Fry, Assistant Professor
8/1/08, Lisa Smeester, Research Specialist
8/21/08, Eli Rosen, Postdoctoral Research Associate (Kamens)
9/1/08, Tiina Folley, Research Specialist
9/1/08, Alea Morren, Admin Support Specialist
9/1/08, Myroslav Sypa, Applications Analyst
9/1/08, Nataliya Vanchosovych, Admin Support Specialist
9/1/08, Zuber Farooqui, Postdoctoral Research Associate (UAE/West, Vizuete)
9/1/08, Kunhi Thengumthara, Postdoctoral Research Associate (UAE/West, Vizuete)
9/1/08, James Merchant, Gillings Distinguished Professor
9/15/08, Jennifer Platt, Research Associate/Project Manager (UAE)
10/1/08, Chris Davidson, Applications Analyst
11/1/08, Kaida Liang, Social Clinical Research Manager
12/1/08, Zhenfa Zhang, Research Specialist
Promotions/Reclassifications:
3/1/08, Leena Nylander-French, Promotion to Professor
9/1/08, Howard S. Weinberg, Promotion to Associate Professor with tenure
11/1/08, Deborah Williams, Business Officer (formerly Faculty Assistant)
12/31/08, Fredric Pfaender, Professor to (fixed term, part-time) Professor (50 %)
Departures/Leaves:
1/1/08, Dale Whittington, Pogue Leave (Spring 2008 semester)
2/18/08, Suramya Waidyanatha, Senior Scientist
4/1/08, Robyn Gardner, Human Resources Facilitator
5/31/08, John (Chad) Roper, Postdoctoral Research Associate (Aitken lab)
7/1/08, Donna Simmons (Retired), Administrative Officer
7/1/08, Cass Miller, Kenan Leave (Fall 2008 semester)
7/17/08, Karen Yokley, Postdoctoral Trainee (EPA NHEERL)
7/31/08, Christine Stauber, Postdoctoral Research Associate (Sobsey)
8/1/08, Matt Coy, Processing Assistant
8/31/08, Otto D. (Chip) Simmons, III, Research Assistant Professor
9/1/08, Gunnar Boysen, Research Assistant Professor
11/7/08, Peter Sandusky, Postdoctoral Research Associate
12/19/08, Sara Rodriguez, Postdoctoral Research Associate
29
2008
ESE NEWS
ESE honor roll of donors, 2008
Individuals
Elizabeth Ann Hayes Adams
Oscar Hunter Adams
Robert Adamski
Michael Demilt Aitken
R F Albani
Terry P Anderson
Eugene Appel
Linda Appel
William Brian Arbuckle
William Moseley Archer III
Robert Glenn Arnold
Carol S Ashley
David Bruce Babcock
Patricia Michel Backus
Nina J Baird
Frank Hauser Barr
James Joseph Barry III
David Allen Barskey
C W Bartholomai
Mary Ann Baviello
Michael Peter Bell
Christine S Berndt
Robert Alan Berndt
Mark Dean Beuhler
David Michael Bolda
Elise Johnston Bolda
Michael Austin Boyd
Kristin A Bradley-Bull
Jo Ellen Brandmeyer
Philip Postel Braswell
David Arnold Broaden
Vance Brooks
Kenneth S Broun
Marjorie Broun
Arthur Emil Bruestle
Edward Bryan
Joel Simpson Bulkley
Omisade Billie Burney-Scott
Meredith Casteel
Talia Chalew
Charles Groce Chandler
Linda Laughridge Chandler
Ching Kuang Chen
Cassandra Maurer Childs
Kimberley Dene Cizerle
Michael A Clarke
Terri Ann Colangelo
Richard Francis Cole
Jean Marie Colthurst
Gretchen Anne Cowman
Burton Craige
Heather Barkley Craige
Mara C Cusker Gonzalez
William Alexander Darity Jr
Frederick Emerson Davis
Robert Lloyd Davis
Clifford Earl Decker Jr
Ruth Deer DeHolton
Carrie Anne Delcomyn
Keith Allen Demke
Brian Andrew Dempsey
Patricia M DeRosa
Jan Elizabeth DeWaters
Guy Thomas DiDonato
Francis A DiGiano
Wendy Doughtery
Leroy Charles Doughty
Gloria Dragonette
Patricia Nicole Drummey
Howard J Dunn
James Kenneth Edzwald
Dan Elliott
George Roy Elmore Jr
Michael William Enghauser
Jose Antonio Felix-Filho
Kevin Michael Fitzpatrick
Margaret Mary Fitzsimmons
Sheila Lani Flack
Robert Harold Forbes Jr
Donald L Fox
Alexandra Steiner French
Wendy Lynn Fuscoe
Robert Ernest Gandley
Jay Marshall Goldring
C Montrose Graham Jr
Kathleen Marie Gray
David Allan Green
Stefan Johannes Grimberg
James Robert Grube II
Martin Edward Gurtz
Elizabeth Alexander Guthrie
Kenneth Gutterman
Mohammad Taghi Habibian
Howard Palmer Haines
David Michael Hamby
Jane Holman Hardwick
Peggy L Harris
Robert Lee Harris Jr
Kenneth James Hausle
Richard John Heggen
Tara Lynn Hickey
Julia Terrell Hickman
John Malvern Higgins Jr
Nancy Hochberg
Alexander Ryan Hodges
Thomas Clemmer Holloway
William E Holman
Gerald C Hook
Omar Snowden Hopkins
Claudia B Horowitz
Cathy Howell
Jeffrey Alan Hughes
Marshall L Hyatt
Tracy Lynn Jackson
Bruce Allan Jacobs
Jessica St Aubin Jacobs
Joseph Francis Jadlocki Jr
Jaret Carl Johnson
Monica Jolles
Baxter Lee Jones
Curtis Jones
Richard Miles Kamens
Joseph Francis Kanney
James Stuart Kantor
Christopher Kees
Mariah Leigh Keller
Judith Kincaid
Marcia Klebanow
Lisa Pfrogner Knowles
Christopher F Knud-Hansen
Peter Jonathan Kolsky
Bert Petty Krages II
N Scott Kukshtel
Patricia Weggel Laane
Sandra W Lake
Debra Lang
J Tate Lanning Jr
Charles Duane Larson
Donald Thomas Lauria
Marie M Lauria
Paul Thomas Lauria
Andrew James Lawler
Desmond Frederick Lawler
David Ernest Layland
Margaret Edith Layne
Philip Lehman
Kurt Vance Leininger
Donald Eric Lentzen
Rosemary Budd Lentzen
James Robert Leserman
Susan D Levin
Linda West Little
Frank A Loda Jr
Sharon Corinne Long
Walter R Lynn
Khalil Hosny Mancy
Patricia Worley Mancy
John Clyburn Matheson III
Denise Louise Matthews
Craig Stephen Maughan
Alex Simon Mayer
M Timothy McAdams
Donald Edward McCall
William Sheffield McCoy
Scott Miller McCurley
Mary Elizabeth McCutchen
Leslie Jane McGeorge
Douglas Lyndal McKay
Margaret C McKinney
Ross McKinney Sr
David Nicholas McNelis
Maria E Meisch
James Chamblee Meredith
Donna Volney Michaux
Margaret S Misch
Christine Lorraine Moe
Jim Moore
Jonathan David Moore
Mary Berkley Mueller
Timothy James Mukoda
Robert Wesley Mullennix
Patricia Louise Murphy
Katherine Sue Neitzel
Raymond Joseph Nierstedt
Michael Arthur Noska
Ray Thurmond Oglesby
William Kevin O'Neil
Douglas Martin Owen
Cristy Smathers Patten
Read Lewis Patten
Robert Francis Peoples
Howard B Perry
Howard August Peters
David Edward Pinsky
Marcy Leigh Policastro
Susan Pollitt
Jefferson Boyce Prather
Elizabeth Larsen Pullen
Jonathan Jay Pullin
Alan J Rabideau
Norman DePue Radford Jr
Brian Lee Ramaley
David Alan Reckhow
Bobby Riley Redding
Thomas Franklin Redick
Thomas Andrew Ridgik
Alan E Rimer
J Thomas Rimer
Laurence Rimer
Linda Bray Rimer
Glenn Donald Rives
Charles Eric Rodes
Herbert Harold Rogers
Anthony Terrell Rolan
Scott Edward Rowden
S Reid Russell III
David Hess Sarr
Teresa Marie Savarino
Jennie Perey Saxe
James K Schaefer
Marion Eldredge Schoenbach
Victor Julian Schoenbach
Christopher Roman Schulz
Kellogg Jonathan Schwab
Robert E Seymour Jr
Andrew J Shapiro
Dorothy B Silver
William Golden Simpson Jr
Philip C Singer
Lawrence M Slifkin
Miriam Kresses Slifkin
Leonard Smock
V L Snoeyink
James Harold Southerland
Gerald Eugene Speitel Jr
Lee Spencer
Robert Spielman
Jeanne Stahl
Jane Patricia Staveley
Doran Webster Stegura
Pearson H Stewart
Jeanette Stokes
Joel Leslie Storrow
Mary H Sugioka
Mary Elizabeth Hibbs Sutton
Abby Little Swanson
John Henry Sweitzer
James M Symons
Pickens C Talley
J Chi-Chung Tang
Jeanie Driver Taylor
Lois H Terrill
Colin G Thomas Jr
Kent William Thomas
Margaret B Thomas
Blossom McGarrity Tindall
John Eric Tobiason
Christopher R Tompkins Jr
Cheryl Mather Toms
Kimberly Dawn Simpson Tum Suden
Billy G Turner
David Marc Turner
Margaret Bliss Umphres
Gladwin Olin Unrau
David Francis Utterback
Ralph Gene Wallace
Jenny Warburg
John R Wells
Roland Willis Wentworth
J Keith Weston
Gary John White
Melinda Faye Wiggins
Jack Eugene Wilson
David Winter
Patty Winter
Robert Oakley Winters
Dana Lynn Woodruff
John David Wray
Robert Stanley Wright
Kuan Mu Yao
Antoinette Young
Beverly Ann Young
John Sterling Young Jr
Guo Zhishi
Michael Alexander Zustra
Corporations/Foundations
American Water Works Assoc.
Black & Veatch
Camp Dresser & McKee
Clorox Company
Duke Energy Foundation
Environmental Group of the
Carolinas
Exxon Mobil Corporation - HQ
HDR Engineering, Inc
NC Section AWWA Inc.
North Carolina Symphony
Orange Water & Sewer Authority
Patterson Harkavy LLP
Peoples & Quigley Inc
Sojourner Group, LLC
The Formaldehyde Council Inc
Trussell Technologies
30
2008
ESE NEWS
2008 seminars and events
JANUARY
1/16/08: ENVR 400; Dr. Marc Serre (Assistant Professor,
ESE); Space/Time Statistics and its Environmental and
Health Multidisciplinary Applications
1/23/08: ENVR 400; Kenneth Fortino (PhD Student, ESE);
Climate Change and Lake Sediments: An Arctic Perspective
1/26/08: Guest Seminar; Rob Pinder (Scientist, Atmospheric
Modeling and Science Division, NOAA-EPA Partnership);
Can Air Quality Models Capture the Observed Impacts of
Emission Reduction Programs?
1/30/08: Bagel Breakfast
1/30/08: ENVR 400; Pamela S. Birak (PhD Student, ESE);
Subsurface Wastes at Former Manufactured Gas Plants:
What Are They and How Can We Clean Them Up?
FEBRUARY
2/6/08: ENVR 400; William B. Allshouse (PhD Student, ESE);
Space/Time Modeling of Hydrogen Sulfide from Hog
CAFOs in Eastern North Carolina
2/13/08: ENVR 400; Kim de Bruijne (PhD Student, ESE);
Comparing the Toxicity of Fresh and Aged Diesel Exhaust
Using a Newly Developed /In Vitro/ Exposure System
2/15/08: Guest Seminar; Michael C. Kavanaugh (Vice
President and National Science and Technology Leader,
Malcolm Pirnie, Inc); Environmental Engineering in the 21st
Century: Balancing Economic Growth Risk Reduction and
Sustainability
2/27/08: Bagel Breakfast
2/27/08: ENVR 400; John R. Ridpath (PhD Student, ESE);
Identification of a Possible Human Population Hyper-
Susceptible to Formaldehyde
MARCH
3/1/08: Open House
3/5/08: ENVR 400; William E. Funk (PhD Student, ESE); New
Techniques Using Protein Adducts as Exposure Biomarkers
3/19/08: Bagel Breakfast
3/19/08: ENVR 400; Dr. Steven B. Wing (Associate Professor,
Epidemiology, UNC); Integrating Epidemiology with
Community Action for Environmental Justice
3/26/08: ENVR 400; Leigh-Anne Krometis (PhD Student,
ESE); Are All Microbes Created Equal?: Indicator Organism
and Pathogen Partitioning in Urban Stormwater
APRIL
4/2/08: ENVR 400; Dr. Xin Yang (Postdoctoral Research
Associate, ESE); What is in our Drinking Water?:
Disinfection Byproducts Generated During Chloramination
4/11/08: Spring Picnic; UNC Farm
4/16/08: Bagel Breakfast
4/22/08: Guest Seminar; Rose M. Cory (Director’s
Postdoctoral Fellow, Los Alamos National Laboratory);
Deconstructing Dissolved Organic Matter: Linking Chemical
Composition with Reactivity
4/24/08: Guest Seminar; Dev Niyogi (Assistant Professor,
EAS & Agronomy & Indiana State Climatologist,
Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, Perdue);
Impacts of Anthropogenic Land Cover Changes on
Regional Rainfall
4/25/08: Ice Cream Social & Awards Presentation
4/25/08: ESE Distinguished Alumni Seminar; John S. Young
(COO, American Water); The Business of Water -Trends
Impacting Service Quality and Sustainability
4/28/08: Guest Seminar; Carlo De Michele (Assistant
Professor of Hydrology &Water Resources, Dept. of
Environmental, Hydraulic, Infrastructure & Surveying
Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Italy); Modeling
Hydrologic Extremes in Stationary and Non-
Stationary Environments via Copulas and SDEs
4/29/08: Guest Seminar; Jamie Bartram (Coordinator of
WHO’s Managing Environmental Risks to Health Program);
Developments in Water and Health at the World Health
Organization
MAY
5/2/08: Guest Seminar; Vera I. Slaveykova (Swiss National
Science Foundation Professor, Ecole Polytechnique
Federal de Lausanne, Switzerland); Dissolved organic
matter as a key player in metal bioavailability
5/9/08: Donna Simmons Retirement Reception
AUGUST
8/27/08: ENVR 400; Rebecca Fry (Assistant Professor, ESE);
Revealing the Genome-wide impact of Arsenic Exposure
SEPTEMBER
9/3/08: ENVR 400; Grace Wallenborn (PhD Student, ESE); Air
Pollution and Cardiovascular Disease: The Role of Zinc
9/5/08: Guest Seminar; Joe Rudek (Scientist, NC Office of
Environmental Defense); Atmospheric and Aquatic Impacts
of Hog Farms
9/10/08: Bagel Breakfast
9/10/08: ENVR 400; Dan Gatti (PhD Student, ESE);
Understanding the role of genetic background on liver gene
expression
9/17/08: ENVR 400; Seth Ebersviller (PhD Student, ESE);
Rapid Shift in Toxicity Due to Gas-Particle Interactions in
the Atmosphere
9/24/08: ENVR 400; Joachim Pleil (Research Physical
Scientist, Methods Development and Applications Branch,
Human Exposure and Atmospheric Sciences Division, EPA
and Visiting Scholar, ESE); Evidentiary breath analysis for
alcohol: chemical interferences and toxicokinetics related to
environmental co-exposures
31
2008
ESE NEWS
2008 seminars and events
OCTOBER
10/1/08: ENVR 400; Gina Panasik (PhD Student, ESE);
Taking Empirical Data to Model Nitrogen in an
Agroecosytem Best Management Practice
10/3/08: Guest Seminar; Walid Elshorbagy (Associate
Professor, Water Resources and Environmental
Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Department, United Arab Emirates University); Water
Issues in the United Arab Emirates and UAE University
10/6/08: Guest Seminar; Walid Elshorbagy (Associate
Professor, Water Resources and Environmental
Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Department, United Arab Emirates University); Coastal
Water Quality in the United Arab Emirates
10/8/08: Bagel Breakfast
10/8/08: ENVR 400; Lisa Casanova (PhD Student, ESE); This
will only hurt for an hour: environmental health, vaccination,
and polio control.
10/10/08: Picnic at Anderson Park
10/13/08: Guest Seminar; David Rosenberg (Assistant
Professor, Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering and
Utah Water Research Laboratory, Utah State University);
Multi-scale water management and modeling for Jordan
10/22/08: ENVR 400; Julianne Tajuba and Jessica Lewis
(MSPH Students, ESE); Where in the world is Engineers
without Borders
10/29/08: ENVR 400; Rebecca Clewell (PhD Student, ESE);
Rubber ducky, you’re no longer the one: phthalates and
children
NOVEMBER
11/1/08: Open House
11/5/08: ENVR 400; Fred Pfaender (Professor, ESE); 37
years in DESE: Time flies when you’re having fun
11/7/08: Dan Okun Memorial Symposium
11/12/08: Bagel Breakfast
11/12/08: Guest Seminar; Tony Fane (University of New
South Wales, Australia); The Energy Challenge for
Membrane Technology
11/17/08: Guest Seminar; David W. Schnare (Director, Center
for Environmental Stewardship at the Thomas Jefferson
Institute); 30 years at the public trough and musings on the
future of environmentalism
DECEMBER
12/4/08: Holiday Party
ESE News
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