Civil and Environmental Engineering
Solving Today’s Complex Environmental
Problems
The development and implementation of efficient and cost effective solutions to remediate ecosystems contaminated by anthropogenic pollutants requires expertise from the physical and social sciences, engineering, and education. WSU has experts in numerous departments across campus involved in environmental research and education. The Center for Multiphase Environmental Research (CMER), formed in 1997, acts as an umbrella organization within the WSU family to foster cross-disciplinary collaboration of students and faculty with a mission of educating the next generation of environmental professionals. This mission is accomplished through interdisciplinary research that provides cutting edge solutions to important environmental problems, and by transferring this technology to industry and governmental agencies. True interdisciplinary education at the doctoral level is a relatively new concept. Instead of students being narrowly focused on individual research and coursework, experts from a variety of disciplines broaden students’ perspectives by requiring common coursework and seminars that include students and faculty from multiple disciplines. Initial collaboration was established through a NSF Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training grant received in 1998. About 20 faculty and 45 Ph.D. students from six departments and three colleges have participated in the program and graduates and their employers have commented on the advantages of this unique educational experience.
Several new discoveries and research directions have resulted from the interdisciplinary interactions developed through CMER. One example is the discovery that biological reduction of chromium (from the soluble and toxic form of hexavalent chromium to the insoluble and less toxic trivalent form of chromium hydroxide) actually forms organo-chromium complexes that remain relatively soluble and mobile in the environment. This finding, involving students from microbiology, chemistry, and engineering, has led research in new directions and has generated additional funding dedicated to defining the fundamental mechanisms involved in the production of these unique organo-chromium complexes. This cross-disciplinary interaction is the only way to discover and find solutions to our environmental problems, and students and faculty are fully committed to not only continue but to expand these interactions. Research within CMER will continue to expand upon the success of collaborative research and education to solve today’s environmental problems, and to educate professionals who will be future leaders in the field of environmental science, engineering, and education.
Contact Information
David Yonge, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Multiphase Environmental
Research
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Washington State University
PO Box 642910
Pullman, WA 99164-2910
Telephone: 509-335-2147
E-mail: yonge@wsu.edu
Environmental and Natural Resources
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