Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology blog

Daniel Gerrity earned his Ph.D. in Civil & Environmental Engineering as a Department of Homeland Security Fellow at Arizona State University (ASU). After graduation, he worked as a Post Doctoral Researcher at the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) where he studied the occurrence and treatability of trace organic contaminants in water and wastewater. Dr. Gerrity then worked as a Senior Engineer for Trussell Technologies in San Diego where he focused on the development of alternative treatment trains for potable reuse applications.

Dr. Gerrity is now an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Construction at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) where his teaching and research interests focus on water reuse.

Read Daniel’s Emerging Investigators article ‘Prediction of Trace Organic Contaminant Abatement with UV/H2O2: Development and Validation of Semi-Empirical Models for Municipal Wastewater Effluents’ here.

– How has your research evolved from your first to your most recent article?
Throughout my career, I have worked with advisors and mentors with experience in diverse fields ranging from environmental microbiology to chemical engineering. My early publications with Morteza Abbaszadegan, John Crittenden, and Hodon Ryu were related to my Ph.D. research at Arizona State University. These publications primarily focused on the use of advanced treatment technologies, specifically UV/TiO2 photocatalysis, for microbial inactivation.

After graduation, I had the opportunity to pursue post doctoral research with Shane Snyder at the Southern Nevada Water Authority where my research shifted toward the study of trace organic contaminants in water and wastewater. During that time, we were awarded a project by the WateReuse Research Foundation to study the use of ozone and UV/H2O2 to oxidize trace organic contaminants in wastewater treatment applications. This study served as the basis of the most recent article, and it also provided an opportunity to collaborate with other emerging researchers (Yunho Lee who is now at GIST) and established leaders in the field (Urs von Gunten of EAWAG). .

– What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment?
The most exciting part of my current research and my early career at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas is the opportunity to tie all of my past experiences together. In addition to pursuing additional research related to trace organic contaminants, I am also beginning to incorporate more topics related to environmental microbiology. For example, I am currently studying the role of wastewater treatment plants in either promoting or mitigating the effects of bacterial antibiotic resistance. This project gives me an opportunity to integrate my early experience in microbiology with my recent experience with trace organic contaminants, specifically antibiotics.

My current research also emphasizes the role of potable reuse in providing sustainable water supplies for communities in semi-arid environments. Given the importance of potable reuse in the American Southwest, I am excited that my research is critically important to my own community.

– What do you see as the biggest challenge in potable reuse treatment?
It is exciting to see how much potable reuse has evolved in such a short period of time, which is a testament to successful collaborations between researchers, industry, municipalities, and the public. In recent years, public acceptance of the topic was one of the critical challenges hindering widespread adoption of potable reuse. However, the long-term success of several benchmark systems and better communication of its benefits and safety have transformed planned potable reuse into a common and accepted practice.

In some locations, implementation of potable reuse requires compliance with very strict quality- or treatment-based standards. The biggest challenge for potable reuse is trying to figure out how we can achieve those standards in a sustainable and cost-effective way, while ensuring that we are fully protective of public health. That being said, this challenge applies to all forms of water and wastewater treatment—not just potable reuse.

– This is your second article in Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology. How was your experience publishing with us?
The experience has been fantastic in both instances. The part that really interests me is the unique way that the journal is reaching out to the scientific community and the general public. From the use of Twitter to eye-catching artwork to the Emerging Investigators blog, the journal’s communication seems to stand out compared to other journals. Most importantly, the journal still maintains an extremely high quality of scientific research related to cutting edge topics. I’m excited to be able to publish in this journal because I think it will grow rapidly and reach wider audiences.

– In which upcoming conferences or events may our readers meet you?
My graduate students and I will be presenting at the International Ozone Association meeting in Las Vegas in August 2016, and I will likely be attending WEFTEC in New Orleans in September 2016. Beyond those two specific conferences, I often attend the annual WateReuse meetings.

– How do you spend your spare time?
I now have an 11-month old daughter who is quickly becoming way too mobile for my liking! When my wife and I are not chasing her around, we go to a gym called SinCity CrossFit in Las Vegas. I’ve developed a great community of friends there, and it allows me to mentally escape from science and teaching—at least for a little while.

Beyond that, I love getting outside and seeing all of the great places Las Vegas has to offer. Most people miss out when they visit Las Vegas because they never get away from the Strip to see places like Red Rock, Mount Charleston, and Lake Mead.

– Which profession would you choose if you were not a scientist?
I enjoy CrossFit so much that I would probably become a coach or possibly open my own gym. Seeing someone achieve their fitness goals or master a specific CrossFit skill is just like seeing the light bulb go off in a student’s head in the classroom. They are both very rewarding experiences.

– Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?
Particularly in environmental engineering, there are so many opportunities to collaborate with people in other fields because the problems we are trying to solve require expertise in so many different areas (engineering, materials, biology, chemistry, public health, political science, sociology). In the end, collaboration will likely yield a better product, and you will likely gain knowledge or skills in a new area.

Brooke Mayer is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering at Marquette University. She graduated from the Environmental Engineering program at Arizona State University with her B.S. in 2004, M.S. in 2006, and Ph.D. in 2008.

Brooke’s research interests primarily relate to physicochemical water and wastewater treatment processes, with specific areas of emphasis in virus quantification and mitigation, removal/degradation of emerging chemical contaminants, and the waste-to-resource paradigm embodied by phosphorus recovery.

Read Brooke’s Emerging Investigators article ‘Virus mitigation by coagulation: recent discoveries and future directions’ here.

– How has your research evolved from your first to your most recent article?
Even at this early stage in my career, I can say that my evolution as a researcher has been characterized by non-linearity. Interestingly enough, this article is the most closely related to my first publication, which focused on virus removal during enhanced coagulation.

Since that time, I’ve explored and expanded my interests to include not only viruses and coagulation, but also other contaminants, e.g., disinfection byproduct precursors, as well as treatment processes such as phosphorus recovery. Aside from my growing breadth of interests, the biggest change has been my research role.  I’m incredibly lucky to work with an extraordinary team of researchers, including my very talented Ph.D. student and co-author, Joe Heffron.

– What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment?
It’s really hard for me to pick out one single most exciting thing. Students in my lab group are doing some wonderful research right now, including our work on viruses, advanced oxidation processes, and nutrient recovery. One exciting new project that we’re starting in the fall is my NSF CAREER study focused on using proteins to recover phosphorus.

– What do you consider the main challenge in water quality and treatment?
I believe that many technical challenges remain, but perhaps the most challenging aspects are non-technical, or at least involve better integration of technical and non-technical considerations. I think that further progress in the social and economic dimensions is essential to ensure access to safe, clean drinking water and sanitation for all.

– How was your experience publishing with Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology?
The experience was excellent from start to finish. ES:WR&T maintains an astonishing turn-around rate, while consistently publishing extremely interesting articles of great contemporary relevance. The reviewers and editors were very fast and thorough, and helped us to greatly improve the final article.

– In which upcoming conferences or events may our readers meet you?
I’ll be attending the International Water Association’s Particle Separation 2016 conference in June in Oslo, Norway, where my Ph.D. student and co-author, Joe Heffron, will be presenting a talk describing our research on virus treatment during electrocoagulation.  I’ll also be presenting a poster on my new bio-based phosphorus recovery project at the Gordon Research Conference on Environmental Sciences: Water later this summer.

– How do you spend your spare time?
I enjoy spending time with my family, getting out into the great outdoors, traveling, and reading “non-technical, fun” books in my free time.

– If you could not be a scientist but could be anything else, what would you be?
When I was little, I dreamed of being in the Olympics.  But since I’m fairly “vertically challenged”, I think that I would be a teacher, following in my parents’ footsteps. Fortunately, I have the great opportunity to both teach and do research in my job!

– Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?
Believe in yourself and don’t be afraid to try new things!  You’ll undoubtedly be told that you can’t do something or you’re just not the right fit, but you never know until you try – and the learning process doesn’t hinge on successes alone.  If you’re open to new opportunities and you build a positive support system of mentors, colleagues and friends, there are no limits.

Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Ameet J. Pinto received his PhD (2009) in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech with Prof. Nancy Love. He did his post-doctoral research with Prof. Lutgarde Raskin and Prof. Chuanwu Xi at the University of Michigan before working as a Lecturer at the University of Glasgow (2012-2015). He has recently started as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Northeastern University.

His research focusses on microbial ecosystems at the interface of infrastructure and environmental/public health, with a particular focus on drinking water microbial ecology. You can find out more about his research interests at www.pintolab.com.

Read Ameet’s Emerging Investigators article ‘Microbial communities in full-scale drinking water distribution systems’ here.

– How has your research evolved from your first to your most recent article?
My first research article was on development of process strategies to mitigate the impact of toxic contaminant spills on wastewater treatment plants and this one is on microbial communities in drinking water systems. Over the years, I have moved from process engineering to microbial ecology while also transitioning from one end of engineered water cycle (wastewater) to the other (drinking water). It has been a fun learning experience; one that has helped me appreciate the critical relationship between microbiology, technology, and environmental/public health.

– What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment?
I have been thinking a lot lately about how we could predict and (possibly) control microorganisms that end up in our water supply system. It’s really not very novel – wastewater engineers and treatment plant operators have been doing it for a long time. It’s just that a majority focus in the drinking water field has been on eliminating biology rather than exploiting it – and that’s the space where I think there is lots of room for innovative thinking and exciting research.

– What do you see as the biggest challenge or threat to drinking water distribution systems?
In the immediate future – water conservation. Enforcing water conservation practises at the consumer’s end without addressing the legacy infrastructure that transports water to them seems short sighted. It will have significant implications for water quality and safety.

– How did you find out about the Environmental Science journals and how was your experience publishing with us?
I don’t remember how I heard about the Environmental Science journals, but I have been reading papers in Environmental Science: Process and Impacts for a few years now and was really happy to see the launch of Environmental Science: Water Research and Technology in 2015. My experience with the submission and review process was excellent and look forward to submitting here again in the future.

– We can see you are active on Twitter (@watermicrobe). What are your views on social media and academia?
Addictive and essential. I have new collaborations courtesy of Twitter with great researchers I have never met in person! Three things I love about twitter: (1) stay up-to-date on what’s new in research – particularly in fields outside my own, (2) bioinformaticians talk shop there, and (3) good venue to promote some of your own work to a broader audience. And also, @DrScienceCat

– In which upcoming conferences or events may our readers meet you?
I will be at ASM Microbe 2016 in June. I am co-convening a session on the Urban Water Cycle Microbiome with Lut Raskin at that conference. I will also be at the International Society of Microbial Ecology Conference in August and the Microbial Ecology in Water Engineering conference in September. It is shaping up to be an exciting summer!

– How do you spend your spare time?
Netflix.

– Which profession would you choose if you were not a scientist?
If not a scientist, I think I would have been teacher. As a University Faculty, I get to do both. #winning

– Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?
Talk about your ideas often and openly. If it is a good one, someone might offer to help you out with it or if they are already working on it, they’ll invite you to collaborate. If it is a bad one, someone might talk you out of it.