April 2012 - Ese-faculty-list

ESE Colloquium-End of Year Celebration
by Musser, Christal A. 27 Apr '12

27 Apr '12

ESE Colloquium-End of Year Celebration On Tuesday, May 1st, the Fall 2011 cohort will wrap up and showcase their hard work on Urbanization with posters and short presentations. All ESE Faculty and Students are invited to attend. I need to plan for refreshments/dinner (Moe's Southwest Grill) at this event, so PLEASE RSVP to Christal (reply to email) by Sunday, April 29th. We will also recognize the ESE students that are graduating in the Spring 12. Tuesday, May 1st 6:00 - 9:00 PM (come and go as your schedule will allow) LILLY 2-425 Thank you! Christal Musser Program Coordinator Ecological Sciences and Engineering Interdisciplinary Graduate Program Purdue University Young Hall, Room 948 155 S. Grant Street West Lafayette, IN 47907 765-494-2102 musser(a)purdue.edu<mailto:musser@purdue.edu> http://www.purdue.edu/ese<http://www.purdue.edu/dp/ese>

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MS Defense Announcement
by Musser, Christal A. 17 Apr '12

17 Apr '12

Nah Eun Kim Master's Thesis Defense Ecological Sciences and Engineering Forestry and Natural Resources Tipping Points Conceptual Models and Applications in the Great Lakes Basin Wednesday, April 18, 2012 3:00 p.m. ABE Building, Room 301 ABSTRACT Humans have left their imprints on natural landscapes since the beginning of evolutionary time. The influence of man on planet Earth is undeniable, observable in changes in the atmosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere. Our alterations to the globe have become so pervasive that they have ushered in an era fittingly named 'the Anthropocene'. As the drivers of the Anthropocene, we continue to exert a disproportionately large influence on the abiotic and biotic aspects of our terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The accumulation of our actions have triggered extensive die-offs of mega flora and fauna, and the destruction of important habitats both onshore and offshore, many of which are referred to as "hot spots" of biodiversity. On a more regional to local scale, the effects of mankind are self-evident with the widespread degradation of critical landscape components such as air quality, soil fertility, and hundreds of thousands of stream miles. While there are countless causes to these problems-some of which are natural-the recurring perpetrator behind the disintegration is human land use and land cover (LULC) change. Conventional anthropogenic LULC change, such as urbanization, catalyzes many alterations within the landscape that exacerbate conditions for the degradation of natural systems, such as streams and lakes. For example, alterations in the local or regional hydrology trigger changes within the flow patterns of streams and the composition of materials (i.e. contaminants) that enter waterways. All of these interactions imply the strong interconnections and feedbacks between natural systems and human institutions which are characteristic of complex systems. Ecologists have studied natural ecosystems using the framework of complex systems in an attempt to understand the effects of change-both natural and human-caused-on ecosystems. Complex systems are characterized as possessing multiple levels of organization within which feedbacks and nonlinear behaviours occur which, in turn, large changes occur from comparatively small forcings. This kind of nonlinear behavior is commonly referred to as the 'tipping point'. As homage to the pervasive and often negative effects of anthropogenic land use change on the natural systems which sustain us, my thesis will explore how freshwater systems are affected by human land use using a complex systems approach. More specifically, this thesis will attempt to address how complex system approaches can be used to understand how anthropogenic stressors affect freshwater river ecosystems in the U.S. Great Lakes basin. Chapter 1 will provide a general overview of the many anthropogenic effects on the Great Lakes region, with a focus on human land use change. Chapter 2 will lay out a conceptual framework for tipping points that will be applied in Chapter 3, which will identify land use-stream quality tipping points within Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois streams. Chapter 4 is a collection of fact sheets that emphasize the effects of common nonpoint source pollutants that run off from anthropogenic land uses. Christal Musser Program Coordinator Ecological Sciences and Engineering Interdisciplinary Graduate Program Purdue University Young Hall, Room 948 155 S. Grant Street West Lafayette, IN 47907 765-494-2102 musser(a)purdue.edu<mailto:musser@purdue.edu> http://www.purdue.edu/ese<http://www.purdue.edu/dp/ese>

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"Development of Sustainable Catalytic Treatment Technologies for Perchlorate"
by Lee, Linda S 12 Apr '12

12 Apr '12

FYI - some of you will have interest in attending: Seminar: "Development of Sustainable Catalytic Treatment Technologies for Perchlorate" Timothy J. Strathmann, Ph.D. (Purdue Alum) Associate Professor and Snoeyink Faculty Scholar Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Tuesday, April 17, 2012 Time: 11:30am-12:30 pm Location: Fu Room - Potter 234 Development of Sustainable Catalytic Treatment Technologies for Perchlorate One of the major challenges facing water utilities is meeting increasingly stringent regulations for emerging classes of contaminants. The USEPA recently announced plans to set a stringent regulatory standard for perchlorate (ClO4-), an endocrine disrupting compound (EDC) widely detected in drinking water sources due to improper disposal of ammonium perchlorate, a component of rocket fuel and munitions. This has prompted renewed interest in the development of economical and sustainable technologies for treating perchlorate-contaminated water. This presentation will highlight recent efforts to develop novel heterogeneous catalysts (supported bimetallic Re/Pd) for reducing perchlorate to harmless chloride, and their application for water treatment. Measurements of catalyst activity and stability are combined with spectroscopic studies of the structure and redox cycling of catalyst metals to elucidate the controlling reaction mechanisms and improve catalyst activity. Recent work describing the application of catalysts for treating and recycling waste ion exchange regenerant brines will also be described together with results from a life cycle analysis (LCA) comparing the environmental sustainability of ion exchange and hybrid ion exchange/catalyst treatment processes for oxyanion contaminants like perchlorate. Biosketch Biographical Sketch for Timothy Strathmann: Timm is an Associate Professor and the Snoeyink Faculty Scholar in the Department Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he is also a member of the Center of Advanced Materials for the Purification of Water with Systems (WaterCAMPWS). His research examines redox transformations of aquatic contaminants and the development sustainable catalytic processes for water treatment and bioenergy applications. Dr. Strathmann is the recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER Award and his research has been sponsored by NSF, the U.S. EPA, the Water Research Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Energy. Dr. Strathmann earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees in civil engineering from Purdue University and his Ph.D. in environmental engineering from Johns Hopkins University in 2001. He also conducted postdoctoral work at Princeton University prior to joining the UIUC faculty in 2003. Linda S. Lee Ecological Science & Engineering Interdisciplinary Graduate Program, Program Head http://www.purdue.edu/ese/<http://www.purdue.edu/dp/ese/> Professor, Environmental Chemistry, http://www.agry.purdue.edu/staffbio/lslbio.htm Associate Head, Purdue University, Department of Agronomy Crop Soil & Environmental Sciences 915 W. State Street, 3-363 Lilly Hall West Lafayette, IN 47907-2054 Office: (765) 494-8612; Cell (765) 414-3086 Fax (765) 496-2926

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"Visions for a Sustainable Planet" Oct. 21-24, 2012 in Cinn. OH
by Lee, Linda S 12 Apr '12

12 Apr '12

This year's ASA, SSSA, and CSSSA International Annual Meeting "Visions for a Sustainable Planet" is in Cincinnati, OH October 21-24, 2012 so a good near local opportunity for some of you to attend. Some of the session/symposia you may want to consider submitting abstracts to are below, but there are many more (https://www.acsmeetings.org/) Symposium: Urban Agriculture (Organizer: Sally Brown, University of Washington.) Summary: In cities across the country, a growing number of people are interested in growing their own food. Urban agriculture has many benefits including teaching people about plants and soils. This session will address the range of challenges associated with growing food in urban environments Session: Beneficial Re-Use of Wastes and Environmental Implications of Waste Recycling (Organizer: Chan Penn, Oklahoma State University). Summary: A consequence of the increasing consumption of goods is exponential production of agricultural, industrial, and municipal wastes. There is a consensus that recycling should be a major aspect of waste management. Solid and liquid waste can potentially be utilized to improve soil quality, remediate impacted sites, or prevent environmental degradation. In addition, because of the potential contamination of water and soil resources, the fate of pollutants that may be associated with these wastes must also be considered. This session will examine (1) beneficial re-use of wastes, (2) speciation issues of the pollutants within the waste, and (3) interactions between the waste components and the soil and water systems during the recycling process. Laboratory scale and field studies are welcome. Examples of contributions include, but are not limited to, wastewater re-use, soil application of organic wastes, recycled materials in contact with natural media (e.g. road construction materials, bridge pillars), wastes for constructing synthetic soils, and industrial wastes utilized for improving environmental quality. Session: Not for Export: Contaminant Issues In Agricultural Drainage (Organizer: Sharon Papiernick, USDA-ARS). The continued expansion of agricultural drainage has strong implications for agricultural management to protect water quality. In this topical session, we will review recent developments to assess and reduce contaminant transport via drainage. The session will include discussion of changes in local hydrology effected by artificial drainage and the export of a variety of potential contaminants (nutrients, pathogens, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, salts, etc.) from agricultural land. Trade-offs and risks/benefits of agricultural drainage will be discussed. This session will be useful to those interested in reducing contaminant transport to improve water quality and preserve agricultural productivity. Symposium: Studies On Bioaccessibility and Bioavailability of Soil Metals Impacting Human Health: Organizer: Kirk Scheckel, USEPA-ORD, Summary: To improve risk assessment and decision making for metal contaminated sites with respect to human health, precise and predictive measures of bioavailability are needed. The goal of this symposium is to highlight research efforts that explore relationships of in-vivo animal studies with validated in-vitro bioaccessibility models to understand soil-metal bioavailability to human receptors. Session: Transport and Mobility of Mineral, Biological, and Engineered Colloids Through Porous Media: Implications for Environmental Fate (Organizer: Mark Chappell, USACE-ERDC) Summary: The session describes processes controlling movement of natural soil/sediment colloids as well as engineered materials through porous media. Session: Application of Advanced Spectro-/Micro-Scopic Methods and Technologies for Investigating the Environmental Fate of Natural and Anthropogenic Solid-Phase Materials. (Organizer: Mark Chappell, USACE-ERDC) Summary: This session discusses advanced methods and technologies for determining in-situ characterization of materials, and its constituent components. Advanced technologies include (but certainly not limited to) x-ray absorption and fluorescence, small angle x-ray and neutron, dynamic light scattering and diffusive wave spectroscopy, solid-state NMR, IR spectromicroscopy, etc. Technologies discussed focus on characterizing chemical, structural, and dynamical properties of solid-phase materials, with particular application toward understanding environmental fate. Linda S. Lee Ecological Science & Engineering Interdisciplinary Graduate Program, Program Head http://www.purdue.edu/ese/<http://www.purdue.edu/dp/ese/> Professor, Environmental Chemistry, http://www.agry.purdue.edu/staffbio/lslbio.htm Associate Head, Purdue University, Department of Agronomy Crop Soil & Environmental Sciences 915 W. State Street, 3-363 Lilly Hall West Lafayette, IN 47907-2054 Office: (765) 494-8612; Cell (765) 414-3086 Fax (765) 496-2926

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Reminder: Purdue Lectures in Ethics, Policy, and Science: this Thursday 5:30 pm in PFEN "Climate Change and EPA" Dr. Lisa Heinzerling
by Lee, Linda S 10 Apr '12

10 Apr '12

Dr. Lisa Heinzerling of Georgetown University and the EPA will be on campus onThursday, April 12th, to give a talk on "Climate Change and the EPA" for the Purdue Lectures in Ethics, Policy, and Science at 5:30 PM in PFEN 241. Dr. Heinzerling is one of the lead attorneys on the lawsuit that forced EPA to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act (Mass et al. vs. EPA). So she is a very knowledgeable and important person on climate policy these days - I would strongly encourage you to attend this session if you are interested in US climate policy.

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Earth Day Symposium-Linking Biodiversity and Sustainability Across Natural and Managed Landscapes-April 23, 8:00-4:30 pm on Purdue West Lafayette Campus
by Lee, Linda S 06 Apr '12

06 Apr '12

Titles of all talks and a general schedule of events can be found below. There will be evening (April 23) keynote lecture by John Robinson (Wildlife Conservation Society). Visit www.purdue.edu/symposium to register to attend and to find additional details about the Earth Day Symposium. ALSO on April 24 (not in flyer), Steve Hallett will present "The Ecology of War' at 7pm in the Krannert Auditorium [cid:image001.jpg@01CD1170.7C069D30][cid:image002.jpg@01CD1170.7C069D30] [cid:image003.jpg@01CD1170.7C069D30][cid:image004.jpg@01CD1170.7C069D30]<http://www.purdue.edu/earthday> [cid:image005.jpg@01CD1170.7C069D30][cid:image006.jpg@01CD1170.7C069D30]<http://www.purdue.edu/symposium> [cid:image007.jpg@01CD1170.7C069D30][cid:image008.jpg@01CD1170.7C069D30]

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Postdoctoral Fellow Opportunities at NCSU
by Lee, Linda S 06 Apr '12

06 Apr '12

See attached for postdoctoral positions in several potential projects in the areas of agriculture and environmental sciences.

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Opportunity to help with a follow-up of a Purdue Winter Service Learning Project in Haiti
by Lee, Linda S 04 Apr '12

04 Apr '12

FYI since I know many of you like to participate in such causes and love your coffee! A great opportunity to get some unique and very good coffee from Haiti for yourself and (or) for love ones while helping some students here at Purdue making a difference in the lives of many Haitians who are living in rural sectors of Northern part of Haiti. You can purchase this coffee at http://coffeestore.alltech.com/. If you enter "Purdue Heifer International Haiti" in the charity code section, the Purdue class responsible for the Purdue effort will receive $4.50 for every bag someone orders online. This money will be sent to Purdue Heifer International Club who will then use it to help our partner Heifer International projects in northern Haiti. Additional details on this effort and the trip the students took are in the attached file.

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