Alumni

Alumna to lead key regional water utility in the Colorado River Basin headwaters

Anonymous — Tue, 15 Nov 2022 22:25:12 +0000

Alumna to lead key regional water utility in the Colorado River Basin headwaters Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 11/15/2022 - 15:25

Jeff Zehnder

Siri Roman (EnvEngr’03) the next leader of the Eagle River Water & Sanitation District.

When you turn on a faucet, you expect clean water to pour out, but making it happen takes a massive network of pipes, treatment infrastructure, reservoirs and environmental engineers like Siri Roman.

As director of operations for the Eagle River Water & Sanitation District (ERWSD), Roman oversees the flow of millions of gallons of drinking water and treated wastewater every day in a critical Colorado watershed serving communities including Vail, Avon, and Beaver Creek.

“Working with water and wastewater is so awesome,” Roman said. “Wastewater treatment in particular is something I’m very passionate about. I don’t think you’ll find another job that has a more positive impact on the environment. And it has all the engineering disciplines – electrical, mechanical, plus biology, chemistry, hydrology, water quality, everything.”

Roman, who was recently selected by the district board of directors to be their next general manager starting in January, is a 2003 �鶹ӰԺ environmental engineering Bachelor of Science graduate.

“At 17 I don’t think I totally knew what engineering was, but I liked math and science and had a natural interest in the environment and outdoors,” she said. “I chose CU �鶹ӰԺ because of its location and certainly the engineering school reputation.”

After graduating, she worked in environmental-related positions in multiple mountain towns – Telluride, Bozeman, Aspen, and Vail, continuing to learn new things and offering to help coworkers where she could.

She encourages young engineers to take a similar approach.

“My career has never been linear. I wasn’t aiming to be the district’s general manager. My ambition has always been satisfaction in my job and connection with the community. Each job gave me experience and skills that all fit into this new position,” Roman said.

She also advises students to build a professional network and avoid burning bridges.

“Relationships matter. I’m constantly interacting with people I met 10 to 20 years ago,” she said. “This is an important industry, and it’s a small one.”

Roman joined ERWSD in 2012 and said overseeing operations in a mountain community offers unusual challenges and opportunities.

“Utilities in the West face wildfires, floods, mudslides, and shrinking water supplies due to a warming climate; there’s a lot of risk. We have a Gold Medal fishery at the outfall of one of our wastewater treatment plants. Protecting our watershed for the future is equally as important as providing clean and safe water today. Water operations are 24/7, 365. You can’t turn off the wastewater collection system. It’s very dynamic. Every day is different,” Roman said.

The physical location of the district’s wastewater treatment facilities are in the heart of their communities, which demands exacting standards.

“One of our wastewater treatment facilities is across the street from a five-star hotel, another is next to the largest public park in town. The expectation of our customers is to not notice we’re there. That isn’t easy. All of our facility processes are covered, and we treat the air along with the water. It’s very unique,” she said.

Effectively serving full time residents along with thousands of seasonal tourists creates challenges not faced by many utilities. Depending on the time of year, water usage in the district ranges by 700 percent – from 2 million to 14 million gallons per day.

Although the work is demanding, Roman is exactly where she wants to be.

“People move to the Vail area because they value the environment, and our customers value water,” she said. “I live here for a reason. My family recreates on water everyday – skiing, skinning, swimming, fishing, and walking along the creek. I’m very fortunate.”

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Testing for E. coli in real time

Anonymous — Tue, 13 Sep 2022 15:45:34 +0000

Testing for E. coli in real time Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 09/13/2022 - 09:45

A new water quality sensor developed by engineers at CU �鶹ӰԺ can quickly, cheaply and accurately monitor for the presence of E. coli bacteria in water supplies, an issue that may affect more people in the U.S. and around the world in the future. Emily Bedell (PhDEnvEngr’22) is lead author on this research, recently published in Water Research, and a fellow at the Mortenson Center in Global Engineering.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXgA2KKpEfc]

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Corwin recognized for contributions to Environmental Engineering Program

Anonymous — Fri, 27 May 2022 18:32:38 +0000

Corwin recognized for contributions to Environmental Engineering Program Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 05/27/2022 - 12:32

Congratulations to Christopher Corwin (MCivEngr’07; PhD’10), recipient of the 2022 CU �鶹ӰԺ Environmental Engineering Alumni Engagement Medal.

Corwin is a longtime supporter of the EVEN program and a former CU �鶹ӰԺ instructor who now leads Corona Environmental Consulting in Louisville, CO.

Before attending to CU �鶹ӰԺ he was an engineer and project manager for 10 years. After graduating from CU �鶹ӰԺ he worked as a process engineer for Jacobs Engineering (Denver, CO) for two years. He was then hired by the EVEN Program and served as a Senior Instructor until 2018.

While an instructor, he mentored student design groups to eight national awards and received eight teaching awards, including the John and Mercedes Peebles Innovation in Education Award. After Dr. Corwin left the department, he was asked to chair EVEN’s Professional Advisory Board.

Dr. Corwin has been a long-term supporter of the EVEN Program. His firm has hired five of our graduates in the last few years, as well as providing internships to undergraduate students. He personally serves as a long-term mentor to students that he taught while he was here, as well as to current students. Many EVEN faculty, when asked by students what it's like to work for a consulting firm, direct the students talk with Dr. Corwin.

As chair of EVEN’s Professional Advisory Board, Dr. Corwin leads a group of environmental engineering professionals who review curriculum and outreach aspects of the EVEN undergraduate and graduate programs.

The group is charged to respond to specific areas of request from the EVEN faculty and offers professional insight into our current courses, proposed courses, as well as helping us identify areas that the professional environmental engineers see as deficiencies in our approach.

The chair’s role is to take the opinions of the group and produce a report for the EVEN director. Dr. Corwin played an important role in EVEN’s hiring of a new faculty member under the 2021 inclusivity faculty search. He also currently serves as an outside committee member on the research of two current MS students.

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Young alumnus endows environmental engineering scholarship

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 18:32:39 +0000

Young alumnus endows environmental engineering scholarship Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 11/18/2021 - 11:32

Jeff Zehnder

Doug Smart (Fin’20) graduated from the �鶹ӰԺ barely more than a year ago, but he already has an eye toward the next generation with a new undergraduate scholarship.

He earned his degree in business finance and now works in corporate development at Accenture in Chicago, but wanted to endow a scholarship in a completely different field: environmental engineering.

“I thought about where I could make a real impact. Finance is important, but environmental engineering has a tangible impact in the world. We’re kind of in trouble with the environment,” Smart said.

Smart began his college career at Miami University of Ohio, but transferred to CU �鶹ӰԺ his sophomore year, wanting more outdoor opportunities than the Midwest could offer. It changed his perspective on the environment and gave him a strong connection to CU �鶹ӰԺ culture.

“As soon as I transferred here, I was welcomed with open arms. I could tell �鶹ӰԺ cared about students and wanted to help the people involved with the institution,” he said. “When I graduated, I was convinced I was going to return the favor.”

Growing up in the Chicago metro area, Smart saw how his parents kept involved with their alma maters. His father mentored students and his mother served on the board of the University of Illinois.

“They kind of guided me through the process,” he said.

At CU �鶹ӰԺ, many of Smart’s friends were engineering students, and he even took a few courses in the Engineering Center.

“I think business school students should have to take higher-level math and science courses as electives. I did, but it wasn’t required. I feel it’s important to figure out how the world actually works with on a scientific level. I think it’s also important for engineers to know more about business.”

He is excited about the new Rustandy Building that physically joins the Engineering Center and Koelbel Building, hoping it will promote synergies between the programs and encourage more students to take cross-disciplinary courses.

Working with the Office of Advancement, Smart endowed a $5,000 annual scholarship in environmental engineering for students from diverse backgrounds. He also plans to work as a mentor with honorees.

“It’s not going to save the world, but it’s something,” Smart said. “I want more people to learn about the environment so that we have a better chance of saving it.

If you are inspired by this story and would like to donate to the College of Engineering and Applied Science, please consider making a gift or contacting eng.advancement@colorado.edu to learn more.

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Val Constein (EnvEngr BS'19) is Olympics-bound

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Jun 2021 18:56:03 +0000

Val Constein (EnvEngr BS'19) is Olympics-bound Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 06/30/2021 - 12:56

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Meet EVEN Alumna Daniela Brandao

Anonymous — Tue, 10 Mar 2020 17:13:16 +0000

Meet EVEN Alumna Daniela Brandao Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 03/10/2020 - 11:13

Meet Daniela Brandao, the first graduate from the Environmental Engineering program at CU �鶹ӰԺ. Daniela currently works as a senior program manager for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.

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Christina Barstow Recent Alumni Award

Anonymous — Fri, 07 Feb 2020 16:31:04 +0000

Christina Barstow Recent Alumni Award Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 02/07/2020 - 09:31

Christina Barstow is the recipient of the 2020 Recent Alumni Award. She earned a PhD in Environmental
Engineering in 2016 and has published over a dozen peer reviewed papers.

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Environmental Engineering Celebrates 20th Anniversary

Anonymous — Fri, 25 Oct 2019 20:05:28 +0000

Environmental Engineering Celebrates 20th Anniversary Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 10/25/2019 - 14:05

CU �鶹ӰԺ’s Environmental Engineering Program marked its 20th anniversary on Oct. 21 2019 with an evening celebration for faculty, students, staff and alumni.

The evening included a brief introduction and history of the program by Director Fernando Rosario-Ortiz. He spoke about how the program is growing and its impact on the study of environmental engineering around the world.

Professor JoAnn Silverstein, associate dean for faculty advancement in the College of Engineering and Applied Science and former chair of civil, environmental and architectural engineering, gave a few words from the college perspective. She shared that students are choosing to study environmental engineering because of their passion to do good in the world and their desire to protect the environment under changing conditions.

Undergraduate student Alison Kessenich also shared her experiences as an environmental engineering student. Kessenich is a senior and works as a student assistant at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. She has also worked on recovering climate data from ice cores at the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research’s Stable Isotope Lab. Kessenich spoke about her personal growth and the valuable education she has received.

The evening’s keynote speaker was Daniela Brandao, the program’s first graduate 20 years ago, now working as a senior project manager for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commision. She spoke about what the program has meant for her and how her experiences at CU �鶹ӰԺ helped her succeed in her career.

The program concluded with awards presented to faculty and staff who have helped make the Environmental Engineering Program what it is today. Among those honored were former directors Angela Bielefeldt, Jana Milford, Joe Ryan and Scott Summers; former advisor Laurels Sessler; current advisor Joanne Uleau; and current program coordinator and communications specialist Laurence Lambert.

Finally, Instructor Mike Walker spoke about the capstone senior design class. Two representatives of the Rocky Mountain Water Environment Association, Julie Smith and Ben Miller, gave the RMWEA Award to student Lin Ye, whose team won this year regional and national student design competition.

The evening wrapped up with cake, campfire mugs for the guests and more celebration.

EVEN 20th Anniversary Photo Gallery

CU �鶹ӰԺ’s Environmental Engineering Program marked its 20th anniversary on Oct. 21 2019 with an evening celebration for faculty, students, staff and alumni.

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CEAE alumna Sara Beck talks career goals, riding the Tour De France route

Anonymous — Tue, 17 Sep 2019 16:45:31 +0000

CEAE alumna Sara Beck talks career goals, riding the Tour De France route Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 09/17/2019 - 10:45

Sara Beck finished her undergraduate degrees at CU �鶹ӰԺ in 2003, double majoring in aerospace engineering sciences and studio arts. After an impressive first job at NASA, she returned to the College of Engineering and Applied Science and earned her PhD in environmental engineering under Professor Karl Linden in 2015.

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