Thanks to the research of Garrick E. Louis, University assistant professor of systems engineering, developing nations from South America to Africa may be better able to handle their waste management systems effectively.
Recognizing Louis' vital research, President Bill Clinton last week honored Louis and 58 other national researchers with the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. The award is specially tailored for younger scientists and engineers who make substantial contributions to their fields.
Louis received the honor for developing a research and educational program in integrated municipal sanitation systems. He aims to improve the quality of sanitation system infrastructure around the globe.
"I was surprised initially" by the award, Louis said. "But my program officer at the National Science Foundation told me, 'Well, it was easy to recommend this for the award because your proposal got the highest evaluations of all the proposals received by the bioengineering and environment systems division.'"
Louis' research in municipal sanitation has four main objectives, which he submitted in his proposal. Each stage involves the research, education and outreach for all the individual management services involved.
First, he shows water supply capacity and how to manage wastewater and sewage in urban centers for both developed and underdeveloped countries.
Bringing together waste management from both developed and developing countries, those nations then will evaluate the performance of existing services.
The focus of this collaboration will be to increase performance and integrate new services for standardized use.
The next step involves identifying the best practices and disseminating them to waste management services.
Louis has begun to integrate waste management services from Accra, Ghana; Maputo, Mozambique, and from the country of Trinidad and Tobago.
With open communication between waste management services, a consortium will be formed to ensure the best practices will remain for a long time, Louis said.
University officials said they were thrilled to have a faculty member recognized at a national level.
"Garrick is one of our rising stars in systems engineering, and I think this is a well deserved recognition of his rising national stature," Engineering School Dean Richard W. Miksad said.
"We have had a number of faculty receive presidential career awards, but this is the first of this [Presidential Early Career] award that one of our faculty has received," Miksad said.
Read More
Class of 2024 celebrates graduation at final exercises
By Finn Trainer | 19 hours agoIn his opening remarks, University President Jim Ryan praised the graduating class for their resilience during challenging times.
U.Va. Alumni Association submits plans for new Alumni Hall building
By Caroline Hagood | 2 days agoWest said that despite the proposal moving through City Council’s review process, the project is still years away from becoming a reality.
Graduating student leaders reflect on how they impacted the University community
By Jackie Bond and Brandon Kile | 3 days agoAccording to Lilian Rojas, Board of Visitors student representative and fourth-year Batten student, the Class of 2024 is defined by its resilience.
