Environmental Engineering

The Environmental Engineering Program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is designed to meet the needs of engineers and scientists in the environmental field. Coursework provides a strong foundation in both the theoretical and practical aspects of the environmental engineering discipline, while project and research activities allow for in-depth investigation of current and emerging topics. Our current areas of focus include:

We offer flexible programs leading to the degrees of Master of Science, Master of Engineering, and Doctor of Philosophy, as well as certificate programs. You can complete your degree full-time or part-time, on-campus or through distance learning. Our faculty are dedicated to both teaching and research, and will work closely with you to establish a program of study.

For all students applying for this particular program, the background requirements are:

 

Environmental Engineering Classes

Coursework in environmental engineering expands and strengthens students' knowledge of theoretical concepts and their practical applications. We offer graduate level courses in the broad areas of water quality and waste treatment. Topics covered in classes include the following (a full listing is below): hydraulics and hydrology; physical, chemical and biological treatment systems for water, wastewater, hazardous waste and industrial waste; contaminant transport, transformation and modeling; and water quality. In addition to the courses listed in the graduate catalog, 4000-level undergraduate courses taken at WPI (with additional course work) and graduate-level courses offered by other WPI Departments (with approval) may also be applied to an environmental degree.

Courses typically meet once per week in the evenings for three hours, though some course meet during the day. Full-time students take classes on campus, while part-time students have the option of coming to campus or taking classes through the Advanced Distance Learning Network. A minimum of two environmental engineering courses are offered via ADLN each semester. This allows part-time, off-campus students the ability to complete a Master's degree in only three years.

Environmental Engineering Class Listing

Environmental Engineering Facilities

Environmental Engineering Laboratory

The WPI CEE Department has an environmental research laboratory in which graduate students conduct thesis and doctoral research. Students may arrange for lab access 24 hours a day and have full use of the state-of-the art equipment. Such equipment includes:

Ancillary equipment includes two fume hoods, waterbaths, refrigerators and incubators, balances, spectrophotometers, pH meters, conductivity meters, DO meters, furnaces, ovens, freezers, and an ultrasonic bath.

Alden Research Laboratory

The CEE Department also maintains a close relationship with Alden Research Laboratory, Inc.(ARL) in Holden, MA. ARL is an engineering laboratory that provides services for analytical, numerical, and physical modeling. The Laboratory, which was established in 1894, maintains large-scale facilities for flow meter calibration and hydraulic modeling. Some of the laboratory's current specialties include flow meter testing, fish protection & passage, air flow modeling, computational fluid dynamics (CFD)

Environmental Engineering Research

The faculty are actively involved in laboratory research, field research, and computational modeling. The environmental engineering program encourages active participation in the pursuit of higher education. As such, students completing a thesis or dissertation receive the support and guidance of all the Department's faculty, with authorized use of laboratory equipment and materials. Some recent thesis/dissertation topics have included the following:

Professors at WPI actively practice a lifelong pursuit of knowledge. Below is a listing of the research interests of the environmental engineering professors. Click on their name to see their research home page. If you would like any additional information or are interested in developing a project, send them an e-mail!

Faculty Environmental Engineering Presentations & Publications

Graduate students and professors in environmental engineering attend conferences regularly to present their research results, learn from other researchers, and network with environmental engineering professionals from around the country. Conferences we have attended include meetings of the American Water Works Association, American Chemical Society, American Geophysical Union, and Water Environment Federation. Some selected publications and presentations from our faculty and students are shown below.

Publications

Bergendahl, J., Grasso, D., Strevett, K., Butkus, M., and Subramanian, K. 2002. A Review of Non-DLVO Interactions in Environmental Colloidal Systems. Reviews in Environmental Science and Biotechnology, 1 (1), 17-38.

Plummer, J.D. and Edzwald, J.K. 2002. Effects of Chlorine and Ozone on Algal Cell Properties and Removal of Algae by Coagulation. Journal of Water Supply: Research and Technology - AQUA, 51 (6), 307-318.

Plummer, J.D. and Edzwald, J.K. 2001. Effect of Ozone on Algae as Precursors for Trihalomethane and Haloacetic Acid Production. Environmental Science and Technology, 35 (18), 3661-3668.

Bergendahl, J. and Grasso, D. 2000. Prediction of Colloid Detachment in a Model Porous Media: Hydrodynamics. Chemical Engineering Science, 55, 1523-1532.

O'Shaughnessy, J.C., and Blanc, F. C. 2000. Aqueous Solvent Removal of Contaminants from Soils. Engineering Considerations and Remediation Strategies: Volume 1, pp. 617 Ð 638. Marcel Decker.

Mathisen, P. and Madsen, O. S. 1999. Waves and currents over a fixed rippled bed III. Bottom and apparent roughness for spectral waves and currents. Journal of Geophysical Research, 104 (C8), 18447-18461.

Mathisen, P. and Madsen, O. S. 1999. Waves and currents over a fixed rippled bed II. Bottom and apparent roughness experienced by currents in the presence of waves. Journal of Geophysical Research, 101 (C7), 16543-16550.

Presentations

Plummer, J. D.; Long, S. C.; Wong, K.; and Mahar, E. J. 2002. Inactivation of E. coli and MS2 Coliphage with Ultrasound and Chlorine. Proceedings of the AWWA Water Quality Technology Conference, Seattle, WA, November 2002.

Bergendahl, J. and Thies, T. 2002. Advanced Oxidation of MTBE with Zero-Valent Iron and Hydrogen Peroxide. 34th Mid-Atlantic Industrial & Hazardous Waste Conference, Rutgers University, NJ, September 20-21, 2002.

Long, S. C.; Pei, R.; Mahar, E. J.; and Plummer, J. D. 2002. Watershed level evaluation of three source-tracking microbial indicators. Proceedings of the AWWA Water Quality Technology Conference, Seattle, WA, November 2002.

Bergendahl, J. and Grasso. D. 2002. Dimensional Analysis of Particle Detachment from Granular Media. 76th ACS Colloid and Surface Science Symposium, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, June 23 - 26, 2002.

O'Shaughnessy, J. C., Mathis, C. A., and Manz, R. D. 2001. Thermal Desorption Applications for Petroleum Contaminated Soil Remediation. Proceedings of the 1st. International Symposium on Petroleum Contaminated Soils. London, UK, August, 2001.

Potts, J., Pierson, S., Mathisen, P., Hamel, J., and Babau, V. 2001. Wind Energy Resource Assessment of Western and Central Massachusetts. Proceedings of the ASME Wind Energy Symposium, January 2001.

Nardini, C.A., O'Shaughnessy, J.C., and Manz, R.D. 1999. Remediation of Coal Tar, PCB and Chlorinated Solvent Contaminated Soils using Thermal Desorption. Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Contaminated Soils, Sediments & Water, Amherst, MA., Oct., 1999.

Roberge, J. and Mathisen, P. 1999. Sensitivity Analyses to Assess the Use of Cfd for Predicting the Occurrence of Swirl in Pump Intakes. Proceedings of the Symposium on Industrial Application of Swirling Flows, 1999 ASME/JSME Conference on Fluids Engineering, San Francisco, CA, July 1999.

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Last modified: October 23, 2007 13:06:12