This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
Over the past 40 years, the field of environmental engineering has evolved from a discipline focused primarily on "sanitary engineering" to one that brings a multidisciplinary approach to solve environmental problems in natural and engineered systems. This multidisciplinary approach is essential for addressing the growing need for sustainable approaches to using, managing and conserving natural resources. Water is a critical resource requiring sustainable management of both quantity and quality. One of the most critical threats to current and future clean water supplies is emerging contaminants, specifically engineered nanomaterials, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), and pathogens. To address this need, this award will renovate the existing environmental engineering laboratories to create a centralized, high-quality laboratory space to enhance ongoing and future research programs in environmental sustainability. The outcome of the renovation will be the new Environmental Sustainability Laboratory (ESL), that will be used extensively to support the research activities of eight researchers and their collaborators. The renovated space will also allow for integrated research and research training of undergraduate students, graduate students and postdoctoral associates from a range of disciplines and backgrounds. Within this renovated space, Tufts University will be able to pursue the following research goals: (1) acquire fundamental knowledge for enhanced mathematical modeling of engineered nanomaterial transport, distribution and persistence in multi-media environmental systems, (2) understand the influence of wastewater treatment operations and reactive transport processes on the environmental fate of PPCPs in water reuse systems, (3) develop real-time monitoring devices and modeling tools to assess the prevalence and fate of waterborne pathogens in urban areas, and (4) create and implement multi-disciplinary undergraduate and graduate student research training in environmental sustainability.
Intellectual Merit: The laboratory renovations will support relevant research activities of NSF-funded researchers by creating a physical and intellectual environment that focuses on integrating laboratory experiments and mathematical modeling to address the environmental threats posed by emerging contaminants. The anticipated intellectual merits of the integrated ESL include: (1) data generation to advance fundamental scientific knowledge and to provide quantitative inputs to mathematical and conceptual model development and validation, (2) hands-on laboratory research experiences for undergraduate and graduate student researchers that instill technical skills as well as an understanding of the value and limitations of experimental measurements, (3) development of mathematical modeling tools to extend the utility of experimental measurements across media types, and temporal and spatial scales, and (4) use of experimental findings and model output as feedback mechanisms to inform future experimental research.
Broader Impacts: The renovated facility will provide future leaders in environmental sustainability with the skills necessary to develop and apply novel approaches in response to emerging threats to water quality and water supply. Issues of emerging contaminants are broadly discussed in mainstream and alternative media, and thus are timely, societal-relevant research topics. Activities within the ESL will reach beyond the specific studies conducted in the laboratory to influence how research and research training are conducted, technology development and implementation, and environmental policy related to emerging contaminants. The School of Engineering at Tufts University has a strong track-record of recruiting and retaining women and other underrepresented minorities. Using existing programs and the excitement generated through hands-on experiential learning on projects with real-world and social relevance, Tufts plans to recruit and retain a diverse group of students, postdoctoral associates, and faculty for ESL research programs.
The primary goal of this renovation project was to create a state-of-the-art Environmental Sustainability Laboratory (ESL) to support multi-disciplinary experimental and mathematical modeling research that will advance our fundamental understanding of the fate, transport and control of emerging contaminants in multi-media (air-water-soil) environmental systems. The design and construction phases of the project began in October 2010 and were completed in February 2102, resulting in approximately 3,000 sq. ft. of wet-laboratory space and associated infrastructure, including a temperature-controlled chamber and analytical instrument bays. The open-floor plan of the renovated facility fosters collaboration among research groups and promotes the integration of experimental results with mathematical model development and validation. Intellectual contributions of the ESL facility include (a) collection of experimental data to advance fundamental scientific knowledge and provide quantitative data for use as model input, conceptual model development, and model validation; (b) providing laboratory research experiences for undergraduate and graduate student researchers that will instill technical skills as well as an understanding of the value and limitations of experimental data; (c) development of mathematical modeling tools to extend the utility of experimental measurements across media types, temporal and spatial scales; and (d) utilization of experimental findings and model output to inform future research activities and environmental management decisions. The broader impacts of the renovated ESL facility focus on three primary areas; (a) to engage undergraduates in hypothesis-driven research, (b) to integrate experimental results with the development of predictive mathematical tools, (c) to foster student participation in service-based outreach programs. Additionally, the ESL seeks to equip the next generation of environmental scientists and engineers with the skills necessary to understand and implement management strategies and the technical expertise to ensure clean water supplies in an age of global climate change and continued population growth. These goals were realized through a combination of multi-disciplinary research activities and innovative training initiatives. To assess the success of the ESL facility, four (4) scientific objective performance metrics and four (4) broader impact metrics were assessed following completion of the renovation phase of the project in February 2012. The scientific performance metrics focused on four research areas; fate and transport of emerging contaminants, analysis of environmental contaminants in multi-media systems, industrial byproducts, and utilization of experimental data to support mathematical model development and validation. Quantitative metric goals were achieved through the active participation of eight (8) faculty members, who advised a total of two post-doctoral fellows, eleven graduate students, and five undergraduate students conducting research in the ESL. Their work resulted in twelve refereed journal publications and sixteen conference presentations and proceedings. Broader impact goals were achieved through the inclusion of nine undergraduate students in hypothesis driven research, integration of experimental results with the development and validation of predictive mathematical models, participation of graduate and undergraduate students in outreach activities such as Engineers Without Borders (EWB), Teacher Outreach Mentorship Program (STOMP), as well as laboratory tours to students involved in the Bridge to Engineering Success at Tufts (BEST) program, and a group of 75 visiting college and university librarians.
