Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology blog

Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology are glad to welcome Luca Vezzaro (Technical University of Denmark) to the Advisory Board!

Luca has been working on modelling water quality in integrated urban water systems since the start of his PhD project in 2007, with a special focus on trace contaminants (micropollutants). This topic is intertwined with identification and quantification of sources of uncertainty, which has also been a common thread in his work.

His current research focus also includes methods for integrated online control and operations of urban water systems (including Model Predictive Control), validation and assimilation of water quality in sewers, and estimation of the fate of trace contaminants in circular water systems.

Recently, we launched a Data-intensive water systems management and operation themed issue, which is open for submissions until September 10th 2021. This issue is Guest Edited by Branko Kerkez (University of Michigan, USA), Kris Villez (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA) and ESWRT Editorial Board member Eveline Volcke (Ghent University, Belgium).

We’d like to invite you to attend a free live webinar with the Guest Editors, to hear them speak about the scope of this issue and answer your questions about where your research might fit into this topic.

Our Editor-in-Chief, Paige Novak, tells you more below:

“We always strive to make the publishing process clear, equitable, and transparent, and our themed issues are no exception. We are particularly excited about our themed issue on Data-intensive water systems management and operation, which is currently open for submissions, but realize that although this topic is of great interest for many of you, the topic can be confusing. To address this, on July 28^th 2021 at 10am ET/3pm BST, we will hold a brief webinar that we invite you to attend (or watch the recorded version) in which our Guest Editors, Kris Villez, Branko Kerkez, and Eveline Volcke, will hold a panel discussion to introduce the theme of the issue, describe the types of papers that they are looking for, and generally help researchers submit their best and most exciting work to this themed issue. We invite you to attend or watch the recorded version and think about how your work can fit into this issue and check back in early 2022 to read what promises to be a very exciting collection of papers.”

Click here to register to attend this webinar

Can’t attend? Click here to access the recording after the event

Click here to submit your question in advance

We are delighted to announce that Joel Ducoste (North Carolina State University) has joined the Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology Advisory Board.

Dr. Joel Ducoste is a Professor in the Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering Department at North Carolina State University (NCSU) and Interim Associate Dean for Faculty Advancement.  He holds a B.S. (1988) and M.Eng. (1989) in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering (1996) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Ducoste is a board certified environmental engineering member with the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists and is a recognized expert in modeling water and wastewater treatment processes using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD).

His current research interests include physico-chemical processes in water treatment, computational fluid dynamics modeling, water/wastewater process optimization, wastewater sewer collection system sustainability, renewable energy, plant biosystems engineering, and solid waste process modeling.

He is a respected researcher and productive scholar with over 85 peer reviewed journal publications and another 90 peer reviewed conference proceedings and research reports. Dr. Ducoste has received a number of awards including: an NSF Career Award, a Fulbright fellowship, Visiting Professorships at Ghent University, South East University, and Yangzhou University, NC State mentoring awards, and most recently, elected Fellow of the Water Environment Federation. He has served on EPA Science Advisory Boards and 2020-2021 President of the Association of the Environmental Engineering and Science Professors. Dr. Ducoste also spent 5 years in industry at CH2M Hill as a senior process engineer and as an advance-manufacturing engineer at GE Aircraft Engines.

Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology seeks your high-impact research for our upcoming Themed Issue on Data-intensive water systems management and Operation

Guest Edited by Branko Kerkez (University of Michigan, USA), Kris Villez (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA) and Eveline Volcke (Ghent University, Belgium)

The water sector increasingly looks at intensified instrumentation, data collection and automation as tools for daily use. Still, a massive opportunity remains in fully embracing emerging methods and technologies such as artificial intelligence, data analytics, machine learning, low-cost sensor hardware, and edge and cloud computing. Indeed, sensing and automation technology has already infiltrated many facets of society today. As such, the time is ripe to evaluate the role of novel technologies for systems monitoring, diagnostics, and automation of aquatic processes and large-scale water systems. When leveraged, the water sector will do more with less.

In this special issue we seek to publish articles that report a significant advance in the theory, understanding, practice or application of emerging techniques and
technologies, including:

• Instrumentation, including state-of-the-art sensors and novel sensor concepts
• Data analytics and machine learning
• Low-cost and energy-efficient hardware for computation, and automation
• Advances in decision support systems
• Real-time monitoring and control
• Autonomy & Automation
• Privacy and cybersecurity
• Integration of data-intensive techniques, such as scale, model-based tools for
  real-time operation and management

The reported studies should be rooted in applications across aquatic science and engineering, including but not limited to:

• Chemical and microbial contaminants
• Water distribution and wastewater collection
• Stormwater infrastructure, green and gray
• Potable reuse
• Residue management
• Watersheds

All submitted manuscripts will undergo initial assessment and peer review as per the usual standards of the journal. Please quote “EWData21” in the “Comments to the Editor” section during the submission process.

Click here to find out more

Submissions due: 10th September 2021

Submit your work now: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/esw 

Niveen Ismail is currently an assistant professor in the Picker Engineering Program at Smith College, an all-women’s liberal arts college. She received her MS (2011) and PhD (2015) in Environmental Engineering from Stanford University. She received her MS in Biology (2010) from Temple University and B.S. in Chemical Engineering (2003) from New Jersey Institute of Technology. The Ismail research lab examines the use of natural systems to improve water quality with a focus on the understanding the interaction of filter feeders with aquatic contaminants.

Read her Emerging Investigator article “Emerging investigator series: interacting effects of environmental factors on Daphnia magna removal of Escherichia coli from wastewater” and read more about her in the interview below:

Your recent Emerging Investigator Series paper focuses on removal of E. colifrom wastewater with zooplankton. How has your research evolved from your first article to this most recent article?

My research interests have expanded quite a bit with respect to the suite of contaminants we study in my lab, which now includes microbial pollutants, metals, microplastics, and nanoparticles. This particular area of research examining zooplankton interaction with microbial pollutants has evolved over the years to include more complex matrices and experimental designs that better mimic environmental systems.  My very first published paper looked at PCB maternal transfer in diamondback terrapins. I have been interested in aquatic contaminants since I started conducting research as an undergraduate.

What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment?

It’s hard to pick one specific topic, but I am really excited to have my undergraduate students back in lab after a long hiatus due the pandemic closures. Since I am a faculty member at a primarily undergraduate institution, my undergraduate students are the heart of my lab and are critical to the success of my research. With regards to specific research, we have restarted our work looking at various zooplankton species interactions with phages/viruses. We also are about to scale up our work examining the impact of silver nanoparticles on zooplankton to a mesocosm level. It’s always exciting to have experimental work progress from microcosm/batch scale to mesocosm scale and see how the kinetics change as we consider different variables and move closer to environmentally realistic conditions.

In your opinion, what are the most important questions to be asked/answered in this field of research?

Like many other scientists researching water technology, trying to improve water quality is a driving motivator behind all the research I do. Specific to my research focus, zooplankton are such critical species to natural treatment systems, but so little is known about their overall contributions to improving water quality and the effects of contaminants on their ability to filter feed. Ultimately, to effectively implement natural treatment systems, we need to be able to model and predict all the different factors that impact system performance. Often zooplankton grazing is excluded from inactivation and fate/transport models, so the mechanisms and the kinetics related to these filter feeders need to be elucidated.

What do you find most challenging about your research?

Balancing experimental specificity of working with a particular zooplankton species with broad applicability to the water treatment sector is a challenge we think about a lot. There is also the logistics of working with different biological species that can be challenging when it comes to maintaining cultures and dealing with culture crashes at the most inopportune moments.

In which upcoming conferences or events (online or in person) may our readers meet you?

I always look forward to attending AEESP and GRC Environmental Science: Water conferences. I also usually attend SETAC and ACS conferences.

How do you spend your spare time?

Right now, I have a 6-month-old so she is the focus of my time outside of work. I do still prioritize finding time to run in the woods almost every day and recently have tried to embrace New England winters by starting to cross country ski.

Which profession would you choose if you were not a scientist?

I always loved science so it is hard to imagine a different profession. I toyed with idea of being a veterinarian based on my love of animals so perhaps I would reconsider that option. Also, I could envision doing something related to running which I am extremely passionate about, but not sure what that would actually be.

Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?

Give yourself time to get into a rhythm in lab and do not be discouraged if progress seems to be very slow (or non-existent). Also take the time to truly connect with your students and build a positive lab culture.