Environmental Engineering
IntroductionEnvironmental Engineering has had its own identity since about 1900 as a branch of civil engineering. Initially called, Sanitary Engineering, it has been practiced by civil engineers since about 1850 when the public health movement became institutionalized. Sewerage and water supply were the main activities during this early period, largely as hydraulic design problems. Water treatment became widespread about 1900, while wastewater treatment was slower to be instituted. Empiricism was the main approach in design of these facilities, but a scientific basis for design was established beginning in the 1950s. During this period, a master's degree became accepted as a desired credential for entry into the field. During the 1960s the water supply and wastewater field became more broadly identified with general environmental issues, while retaining its identity with public health. Environmental Engineering now encompasses three key ideas: (1) protection of people from hazards caused by poor air or water quality, noise, and radiation; (2) proper disposal of wastes; and (3) security from the damaging effects of all types of human activities. Now, the common themes of Environmental Engineering are to understand human and natural environments and how they function, and to understand how they can be damaged and how hazards arise from environmental contamination. The types of subjects that are addressed every day by Environmental Engineers are listed below:
ResearchEnvironmental Engineering research at Colorado State University reflects the broad spectrum of interests of the faculty. Recent projects have included water reuse planning, aquatic habitat assessment, stream restoration, health hazards of land treatment, water planning, water quality monitoring, giardia removal, filtration theory, water quality standards, nonpoint source pollution, fate and transport of toxic organics and heavy metals, biological treatment of organics, road dust and deicer impacts and urban stormwater management.
Faculty & StaffThe following faculty members are part of Colorado State's Environmental Engineering Program:
Facilities and ResourcesThe Environmental Engineering laboratories are located in the Simons Engineering Research Center in the Foothills Campus and in the Engineering Building on Main Campus. Laboratories include an array of instruments such as a gas chromatograph, UV spectrophotometer, TOC analyzer, zeta-meter, flourometer, 4 ISCO water quality samplers etc., with space for wet chemistry and bench scale experiments at both sites. The Simons Engineering Research Center contains facilities for hydraulic, hydrologic, ground water and water treatment research. Laboratory space includes a 800 square foot chemistry and microbiology teaching laboratory, 800 square foot graduate research laboratory, 800 square foot analytical instrument labs, a separate glass washing and storage room, and assigned office space for graduate students. The Research Center also has a machine shop that has extensive experience fabricating experimental apparatus. Specific analytical equipment to support research projects include: HPLC/MS system, SPE system, Nitrogen evaporation system, 2 Centrifuges, Charm II Liquid Scintillation Counter, UV Visible Scanning Spectrophotometer w/flow thru cell, Spectrofluorimeter w/flow thru cell, Mass Selective Detector, Dionex ICS 2000 Ion Chromatograph, Organic Carbon Analyzer. All students and staff have office space equipped with digital telephone lines, Ethernet and wireless connections, and ample storage space for papers and books. They have high-speed personal computers and access to extensive computing capabilities (including both PC and MAC), as well as fax machines, photocopiers, a conference room with built in projectors and teleconferencing capabilities, slide projectors, overhead projectors, and computer projectors. The Simons Research Center computer lab (25 PC workstations) and “smart room” is also readily available to students and staff on site. The research labs include: The 400 sq ft Environmental Biotechnology Lab (A310) has recently been completely renovated (Spring, 2004) and dedicated solely to molecular and microbiological research. The equipment in this lab includes: Two real-time PCR instruments (a Cepheid SmartCycler and an ABI 7300), a BioRad DCode Mutation Detection System for DGGE, Agarose gel electrophoresis units with power supplies, a pH meter (Orion), an analytical balance (Mettler-Toledo), a UVP BioChemi Imaging system with a 16 bit camera and Labworks software, a BioRad Versfluor fluorometer, freezers and refrigerators for sample storage, and an ABI 310 Genetic Analyzer Capillary Electrophoresis Unit. A Barnstead Diamond Nanopure water purification system is also used exclusively by Dr. Pruden’s students and staff. The 600 sq ft PCR and Fluorescence Microscopy Lab (A314) at the Simons Research Center is designed to prevent PCR contamination and thus is used solely for setting up PCR reactions, storing non-DNA PCR reagents and samples, and for epi-fluorescence microscopy (which does not involve analysis of naked DNA). The equipment in this laboratory includes: a PCR workstation with UV lamp (AirClean Systems), an ultralow -80 freezer (VWR), a -20ºC freezer, a Nikon 50i Epifluorescent Microscope with 10X, 20X, 40X, and 100X objectives, and a hybridization oven (Robbins Scientific). The 100 sq ft RNA Lab (A317) is dedicated to RNA experiments only, in order to avoid contamination of experiments with RNAse. This lab includes: a table-top refrigerated centrifuge (Sorvall), an electrophoresis unit with power supply, an analytical balance (Ohaus), a dry-bath incubator (IsoTemp), a vortex mixer (Fisher), and an ISO Class 5 vertical clean bench with UV lamp (Labconco). The 900 sq ft Environmental Microbiology Lab (B304) is equipped for all general microbiology experiments, including DNA extraction, and PCR thermal cycling. Equipment in this lab includes a heated shaking incubator (VWR), a water bath (Fisher), two thermal cyclers (Eppendorf Mastercycler and a BioRad MyCycler), a laminar flow hood (Envirco), an autoclave (Thermoline Model M), 5 upright refrigerator/freezers, several vortex mixers, a microcentrifuge (Beckman), a centrifuge (Beckman), a bead-beater (BioSpec Products), and ample bench-top space for experimentation.
CoursesThe field of Environmental Engineering is broad and interdisciplinary, and it is difficult to define a prescriptive curriculum that covers all areas. Therefore, to best meet the educational objectives of students, our graduate program in Environmental Engineering provides a high degree of flexibility with a minimum number of required courses. With the assistance of an advisor in the Environmental Engineering Program, the student can develop a course of study that is technically strong, multi-faceted, and concentrates on one or more subject areas of particular interest. Each student is assigned a preliminary advisor upon entering the program who will assist with selection of courses, research topics, and a permanent advisor appropriate for the student's particular interests. Required CoursesGraduate students in Environmental Engineering at both the MS and Ph.D. levels are required to take CIVE540, Fundamentals of Environmental Biotechnology, CIVE536, Wastewater Treatment, CIVE541, Treatment of Water Contaminants II, and CIVE538, Aqueous Chemistry. Equivalent courses at another university may be used to satisfy these requirements. Elective CoursesWater, Wastewater Treatment and Residuals Management
Groundwater and Geoenvironmental
Hydraulics and Wind Engineering
Atmospheric Science
Water Resources and Hydrologic Sciences
Ecology
PhD Qualifying ExamThe Ph.D. Qualifying exam in the Environmental Engineering program is administered by the student’s Ph.D. dissertation committee. The committee members are asked to submit 2-3 questions to the student’s advisor in advance of the exam. Immediately before the exam, the student has 2 hours to review the submitted questions using any written materials they wish. Then, the student meets with the dissertation committee to answer the questions orally. |
College of Engineering
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Colorado State University
Campus Delivery 1372
Fort Collins, CO 80523-1372
Ph: (970) 491-5048, Fax: (970) 491-7727
