From left to right, Weichang Yuan, Nikhil Rastogi, H. Christopher Frey, Morton Barlaz, Joshua Fu, James East, and Tongchuan Wei

CCEE prominent at 2018 AWMA Annual Conference

CCEE faculty, students, and alumni were prominent at this year’s Annual Conference of the Air & Waste Management Association, held June 25-28, 2018 in Hartford, CT. Dr. H. Christopher Frey delivered the 48th Annual Critical Review on June 26 regarding “Trends in Onroad Transportation Energy and Emissions.” Dr. Morton Barlaz received the Richard I. Stessel Waste Management Award.   Alumnus Dr. Joshua Fu (Ph.D., 2000) received the Lyman A. Ripperton Environmental Educator Award. Graduate students Nikhil Rastogi, Weichang Yuan, and Tongchuan Wei delivered papers in the main technical program, and graduate student James East delivered a paper in the student poster competition. Rastogi won first place and Yuan won second place for best student papers in the main technical program, and East won first prize for the best masters student poster. In addition, alumnus Dr. Provat Saha (Ph.D., 2017) received a second place best dissertation award. Rastogi, Yuan, and Wei are advised by H. Christopher Frey, East is advised by Dr. Fernando Garcia Menendaz, and Saha was advised by Dr. Andy Greishop.

Dr. Chris Frey delivered the Critical Review at this year’s AWMA Annual Conference.

Frey Delivers Critical Review on Transportation at A&WMA Annual Meeting

Dr. H. Christopher Frey, the Glenn E. and Phyllis J. Futrell Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, delivered the 48th Annual Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA) Critical Review at the Association’s Annual Conference on June 26, 2018, in Hartford, CT. The critical review focused on “Trends in Onroad Transportation Energy and Emissions.” Dr. Frey’s presentation was based on a 50-page review paper published in June 2018 the Journal of the A&WA and summarized in a 6-page article in the June 2018 issue of the Association’s EM magazine.

Dr. Frey quantified national and global trends in transportation energy use and emissions, and evaluated key factors that affect these trends. For example, whereas the U.S. had only 8,000 motorized vehicles in 1900, there were over 268 million vehicles in 2017. Air pollution from vehicles was one of many converging factors that led to the 1970 Clean Air Act and the formation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Air pollution from vehicles is still a significant threat to human health, based on estimates of as many as 240,000 premature deaths globally each year from exposure to particles emitted from vehicles. With 1.3 billion vehicles as of 2015, and rapidly growing new vehicle sales especially in China, India, and Indonesia, transportation energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, and other air pollutant emissions are likely to continue to increase. Dr. Frey reviewed key technological trends that affect vehicle energy use and emissions. Looking ahead, Dr. Frey also assessed the potential role of alternative fuels, electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles, other management strategies, and regulations.

Dr. Frey describes the growth in global vehicle population. From left to right: Dr. Frey, moderator Pat Brush, and discussants Michaal P. Walsh, Susan Collet, and Alberto Ayala.

The Critical Review session included remarks from five discussants, including Michael P. Walsh, independent consultant, and founding board member of the International Council on Clean Transportation, Susan Collet, Senior Principal Engineer, Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North America, Alberto Ayala, Executive Director, Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District, Eric Stevenson, Director of Meteorology, Measurement and Rules, Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and Rashid Shaikh, Director of Science, Health Effects Institute. The discussants elaborated on several key themes, including global growth in transportation activity, air quality impacts, the need to deploy new technologies, the need for rigorous and extensive measurement, and the need to quantify and manage health effects.

Dr. Morton Barlaz receives the Stessel Award from Chris Nelson, President of the Air & Waste Management Association, on June 28, 2018 in Hartford, CT.

Barlaz Receives Stessel Award from A&WMA

Dr. Morton A. Barlaz, Distinguished University Professor and Head of the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, received the Richard I. Stessel Waste Management Award [link: https://www.awma.org/content.asp?contentid=212] at the 111th Annual Conference of the Air & Waste Management Association on June 28, 2018 in Hartford, CT. The Stessel Award is given to an individual or organization with outstanding achievements in the science and art of waste management.   Dr. Barlaz received the award in recognition of his work regarding management, prevention, and regulation of waste. His work has led to minimization of the impact of waste in the environment. He was also cited as a distinguished educator in the field of waste management.

Dr. Barlaz is well known for the scientific and technical rigor of his work, which includes quantification of biological and chemical processes related to aerobic and anaerobic decomposition of waste in landfills, the production of methane by landfills, long-term management of closed landfills, acceptance criteria for sulfate-containing wastes, and life cycle analysis related to solid waste management. His current research and industry collaboration addresses the critical issue of elevated temperatures in landfills.

Student Awards

From L to R, Dr. Chris Frey, Weichang Yuan, James East, Nikhil Rastogi

Ph.D. student Nikhil Rastogi won a Best Student Poster Award at the 28th Coordinating Research Council On-Road Vehicle Emissions Workshop in Garden Grove, CA, March 20, 2018. His poster was titled “Modeling Real-World Fuel Use and Emissions for Diesel-Electric Locomotives.” He also won the Best Student Platform Paper Award at the Annual Conference and Exhibition of the Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA), Hartford, CT, June 25-28, 2018 for his paper titled “Procedure for Estimating Energy Use and Emissions from a Diesel Passenger Train.”

Ph.D. student Weichang Yuan won a 2nd Place Student Platform Paper Award at the A&WMA Annual Conference for his paper titled “Development and Validation of Transit Bus Energy Use Rate Models.” Both students are advised by Dr. H. Christopher Frey.

M.S. student James East won first prize for the best masters student poster at the A&WMA Annual Conference for his paper titled, “Impact of Climate Sensitivity Uncertainty on U.S. Air Quality Projections.” East is advised by Dr. Fernando Garcia Menendez.