People
Jeanine D. Plummer
Associate Professor
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Schwaber Professorship in Environmental Engineering
Director, Environmental Engineering Program
Office: Kaven Hall, 106
Phone: +1-508-831-5142
Fax: +1-508-831-5808
jplummer@wpi.edu
Educational Background
- B.S., Cornell University, 1993
- M.S., University of Massachusetts, 1995
- Ph.D., University of Massachusetts, 1999
Research & Teaching Interests
- CE 3059 – Environmental Engineering
- CE 4060 – Environmental Engineering Laboratory
- CE 560 – Advanced Principles of Water Treatment
- CE 565 – Stream, Lake and Estuarine Analysis
- CE 571 – Water Chemistry
Research
My research is focused on the provision of safe drinking waters. My first area of research is source water protection. The objective is to develop watershed monitoring plans to best identify fecal pollution when such sources are ambiguous based on multiple land uses. This work includes statistical analysis of water quality parameters to evaluate data usefulness, taking into account season, precipitation, and other factors that impact source water quality. We also use microbial source tracking (MST) to identify human vs. non-human animal contamination, so that mitigation strategies can be properly targeted. Another area of current research is the development of better indicator systems for pathogens. While coliform bacteria have been used for over a century to indicate potential presence of pathogens, new tools are needed to accurately identify viral pathogen risk. We are working on developing a tool that better predicts the fate, transport and survival of viral pathogens in the environment and through drinking water treatment plants. A last area of research is water treatment, and I have focused most recently on alternative disinfection strategies such as sonication, solar radiation, and inactivation with organic acids. The goals with this work are to demonstrate the effectiveness of innovative disinfectants for microbial inactivation, to develop strategies to reduce disinfection byproduct formation, and to explore treatment methods for developing countries.
Recent Publications
Honors & Awards
- McGraw-Hill / AEESP Award for Outstanding Teaching in Environmental Engineering and Science (2010)
- Professor of the Year for Massachusetts, Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 2008
- Board of Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Teaching at WPI, 2006
- Board of Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Advising at WPI, 2005
- Teaching Technology Fellowship at WPI, 2004 – 2006
- First place, poster competition at AWWA Annual Conference, Water Science and Research Division, 2003
- Second place, poster competition at AWWA Water Quality Technology Conference, 2002
- Faculty Advisor to award winning Major Qualifying Project at WPI, “Salisbury Pond Sediment Dredging Feasibility Study,” 2001
Years of Service at WPI
- 2009 – present Alena and David M. Schwaber Professorship in Environmental Engineering, WPI
- 2006 – present Director, B.S. Program in Environmental Engineering, WPI
- 2005 – present Associate Professor, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, WPI
- 1999 – 2005 Assistant Professor, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, WPI
Professional Societies/Memberships
- American Society of Civil Engineers
- American Water Works Association
- Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors
- Council of Environmental Deans and Directors
- International Water Association
- New England Water Works Association