Vijay Singh and Robert Houghtalen: Diplomates with Message of Service and Giving

Vijay Singh

Professor Vijay Singh, Ph.D., Sc.D., P.E., P.H., Hon.D.WRE, is the inaugural Caroline and William N. Lehrer Distinguished Chair in Water Engineering and Professor of Civil, Environmental, Biological, and Agricultural Engineering at Texas A&M University. Professor Singh has been recognized for the four decades of leadership in research, teaching and service to the hydrologic and water resources engineering profession. Dr. Singh’s contribution to the state of the art has been significant in many different specialty areas including, hydrologic science, water resources engineering, environmental engineering and irrigation science. Professor Singh has volunteered his time and resources to a variety of charity work in the U.S. and abroad. Most significantly, he has founded and supported his own school to provide almost free secondary education to poor rural children in India. For his charitable and public service work, he was nominated for the Hoover medal, given by the professional societies to recognize an individual for outstanding contributions in civic and humanitarian service. In this recent interview with AAWRE, Professor Singh shared his thoughts on his transition of moving from India to North America, his love of teaching and research, his passion and vision for his school, and his message of service.

• To read interview with Professor Singh

Robert Houghtalen

Robert J. Houghtalen, Ph.D., P.E., D.WRE, is a founding AAWRE Diplomate and former Professor and Chair of Civil Engineering at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Dr. Houghtalen’s areas of expertise are hydrology, hydraulics, environmental engineering, nonpoint source pollution/treatment, and groundwater and surface water modeling. Robert’s research has included water management simulators, urban stormwater management, and project-based learning. He introduced client-based, senior design projects at Rose-Hulman in 1988, and expanded that effort to international humanitarian (service learning) projects in 2005. Dr. Houghtalen retired early, after 21 years at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, to pursue work in humanitarian efforts in Sudan. Dr. Houghtalen and his wife, Judy, spent the 2007-2008 academic year doing humanitarian work in the Sudan during an educational sabbatical. The experiences and journey the two underwent during the sabbatical led them to make the decision to return to Sudan in December 2009 to pursue their humanitarian work on a full time basis. Dr. Houghtalen shared his thoughts with AAWRE, as he reflected on his tenure at Rose-Hulman, his fondness of teaching and research, the current work he has undertaken in Sudan, and his hopes for the region of Sudan.

• To read interview with Professor Houghtalen

Pal Hegedus Receives Hungary’s Knight’s Cross Civilian Award

Pal Hegedus

Pal Hegedus, P.E., D.WRE, Founding Diplomate and Vice President with RBF Consulting in Sacramento , CA , was awarded the prestigious Knight’s Cross Merit of the Republic of Hungary Award -Hungary’s sixth-highest civilian honor. The award was personally presented to Mr. Hegedus by the Environmental and Water Resources Minister, Imre Szabo, on behalf of the President of the Republic of Hungary , Laszlo Solyom. The awards ceremony occurs annually in conjunction with Hungary’s national holiday, the Revolution of 1848. The Knight’s Cross award recognizes Hegedus’ contributions in introducing advanced floodplain management and modeling techniques to local flood control agencies, as well as his work with staff and students at the Technical University of Budapest. A native of Hungary, he has returned annually over the past 10 years to lecture on floodplain management and provide instruction in modeling programs such as HEC-RAS and FLO-2D.

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Read CE News Editorial on Water Infrastructure Needs and Sign up for Free E-Conference

Shanon Fauerbach

Shanon Fauerbach, P.E., the Editorial Director of CE News, stated “Water Infrastructure needs are staggering” in the latest Editor Comments page of July’s CE News. Ms. Fauerbach cites the Clean Watersheds Needs Survey (CWNS) report estimating the national need at $298.1 billion, a $43.4 billion (17 percent) increase in investment needs compared with the 2004 CWNS report. This includes $187.8 billion for wastewater treatment and collection systems; $63.6 billion for combined sewer overflow corrections; and $42.3 billion for stormwater management. In August, Ms. Fauerbach will moderate a free e-Conference on August 25 that will bring hundreds of engineers from across the country together in a virtual environment to learn and network about how to serve government infrastructure clients and the public better. The major theme for the event is Early project planning can lead to success. The event is free for attendees and sponsors pay a fee to exhibit in the virtual tradeshow. CE News, a national civil engineering magazine, website, and e-newsletter, is co-hosting this e-conference.

• To read more on Editorial

• Free registration for e-conference

AAWRE Hosts 6^th Annual Diplomate Ceremony

AAWRE-Ceremony-May2010

The American Academy of Water Resources Engineers (AAWRE) held their 6^th Annual Diplomate Induction ceremony as part of the EWRI 2010 World Water and Environmental Resources Congress on May 17 in Providence, Rhode Island. This ceremony was AAWRE's sixth consecutive ceremony held at the annual EWRI Congress since the creation of AAWRE in October 2004 and the annual ceremony has become a regular and consistent event at EWRI's annual conference. At this year's ceremony in Providence, AAWRE inducted two new honorary diplomates, John J. Cassidy, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, NAE, Hon.D.WRE, from Walnut Creek, CA, and Muketeswara Gopalakrishnan, Hon.D.WRE, from New Delhi, India, and all new diplomates from fall 2009 and thru this spring 2010. The Academy also gave special tribute to ASCE Distinguished Member, EWRI Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and one of the first Honorary Diplomates, the late Dr. Warren Bud Viessman.

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Diplomates Needed to Help with O*NET Program for Department of Labor

AAWRE has been contacted by the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) program, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, for help and input for the O*NET program, by collecting current and essential information about Water Resources Engineers and Specialists. The O*NET program is gathering occupational information for a national database that is being used by millions of employers, workers, educators, and students across the country. This database provides information about the skills, abilities, activities, and work context for about 900 + occupations nationwide. AAWRE is requesting for your participation as an occupation expert concerning Water Resource Specialists. By willing to participate in this effort, AAWRE Diplomates will contribute to a key resource providing our nation's citizens with continuously updated occupational information. Responses from all experts will be combined to define the skills, knowledge, and other aspects of work in your field. All Diplomates that wish to participate in this effort, please email AAWRE at certification@aawre.org with subject heading: ONET Program.

• For more information on O*NET Program

Register Now for EWRI's 2010 Watershed Management Conference in Madison

This ASCE-EWRI conference will be the tenth in a series of interdisciplinary specialty conferences focused on watershed management. Themed "Innovations in Watershed Management Under Land Use and Climate Change," this conference will highlight innovative approaches for managing water resources under climate and land use change. Relevant topics include hydrologic measurement and modeling, integrated and/or adaptive water management, aquatic ecosystem restoration, risk-based design, and the use of regional predictions of climate change. This year expects to attract a diverse group of researchers, practitioners, managers, and regulators, and will engage them in one or more activities focused on bridging the gap between research and practice. Please join your colleagues on August 23-27, 2010 in beautiful Madison, Wisconsin, and continue the tradition of the previous Watershed Management conferences.

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SIWI Announces 2010 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate and Industry Water Award Recipient

The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) recently announced the winner of the 2010 Stockholm Industry Water Award to the Cambodian Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority (PPWSA) and Dr. Rita Colwell, distinguished Professor from the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health, has been named the 2010 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate. Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority was awarded the Stockholm Industry Water Award, in recognition of its world class performance in water supply and self-sufficiency and Dr. Colwell's pioneering research on the prevention of waterborne infectious diseases has garnered the recognition of this year's Stockholm Water Prize. The Stockholm International Water Award recognizes the business sector's contribution to sustainable water management, by minimizing water consumption and environmental impact. It is given to any sector of business and industry. The Stockholm Water Prize is a global award founded in 1990 and presented annually by the Stockholm International Water Institute to an individual, organization or institution for outstanding water-related activities. Both awards, along with other SIWI Honors will be officially presented during Stockholm World Water Week, September 5-11 in Stockholm, Sweden.

• To read more on the 2010 Industry Water Award
• To read more on the 2010 Water Prize Laureate

Dr. Rao Surampalli Receives AAEE's Gordon Fair Award

Rao Y. Surampalli, Ph.D., P.E., BCEE, D.WRE, Dist.M.ASCE, current AAWRE Board of Trustee and former EWRI Governing Board member is the recipient of the 2010 American Academy of Environmental Engineers (AAEE) Gordon Fair Award. The Gordon Fair Award is AAEE's most prestigious award given to an individual and the award honors one of the pioneers of environmental engineering contributed to the status of the environmental engineering profession by exemplary professional conduct, recognized achievements in the practice of engineering and significant contributions to the control of the quality of the world's environment. Dr. Surampalli was presented with the Gordon Fair Award plaque by AAEE President, Cecil Lue-Hing, Ph.D., P.E., BCEE, Dist.M.ASCE during AAEE's 2010 Awards Luncheon Banquet, held at the National Press Building on April 28 in Washington, DC. Among his many awards thru his career, Dr. Surampalli has been the recipient of ASCE's Government Civil Engineer of the Year Award, the Rudolph Hering Medal, the State-of-the-Art of Civil Engineering Award, the Wesley Horner Medal, and was announced as a new Distinguished Member (Dist.M.ASCE) of ASCE in 2009. Rao is the Director with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Kansas City, Missouri.

• For more info on the Fair Award
• For more info on AAEE

Scholarship is Created to Honor Peter Stahre

A scholarship award has been created to honor the late Dr. Peter Stahre, who died in 2009, by Sweden's VA SYD, who supply fresh drinking water and purify wastewater in Lund and Malmö. Peter Stahre, a Diplomate of AAWRE and active EWRI committee member, was an international known expert and teacher in the field of sustainable urban drainage. Dr. Stahre died on April 1, 2009, after battling cancer at the age of 59. The Peter Stahre Scholarship was founded to recognize contributions that encourage collaboration and creative new ideas around Water and Wastewater technology in combination with vegetation technology. Peter's ideas to use vegetation technologies for sustainable stormwater treatment has been widely spread due to his willingness to share and discuss new solutions. The scholarship is primarily targeted at students, or other innovators, for a well performed project such as: a master thesis, a research project, a practical project or similar. The amount of the scholarship award is $6,950 U.S. Dollars (50,000 SEK) and the recipient will be awarded at the annual meeting of Svenskt Vatten in Sweden the May 17-19. The scholarship is open for applicants worldwide.

• For more information on the Peter Stahre Scholarship
• To read AAWRE tribute to Dr. Stahre

The Reclamation and USACE Seeking Feedback for Addressing Climate Change

The Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), as part of the Climate Change and Water Working Group, have drafted a joint agency perspective on the improved tools and information our agencies need to better incorporate global climate change information into our management of water and water-related resources. Read the draft document "Addressing Climate Change in Long-Term Water Resources Planning and Management: User Needs for Improving Tools and Information."

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Message from AAWRE President Kay Whitlock

Ms. P. Kay Whitlock, P.E., D.WRE, began her term as AAWRE President this past fall and has served on the AAWRE Task Committee and the AAWRE Board since its inception in 2004. Ms. Whitlock is the current Vice President at Burke Engineering and has over 30 years experience in the areas of water and natural resource planning and engineering, federal state and local funding of water projects, and legislation for project authorizations and appropriations. Prior, Kay served as engineer and assistant general manager at Santa Clara Valley Water District in San Jose, California, and also as project engineer for the Illinois Department of Transportation, Division of Water Resources.

• To read Kay's message