Engineers positively impact virtually every aspect of the world around us. From the water we drink and the air we breathe to the roads and bridges we drive on and the buildings in which we live and work.
Environmental and Civil Engineers design and construct the infrastructure of our society and are responsible for creating sustainable solutions to tomorrow’s challenges while protecting the health of the public and of the environment. Both our Environmental and Civil Engineering programs have earned ABET accreditation, which is a measure of external recognition of the quality and rigor of the programs. Students graduating from ABET accredited programs are immediately able to sit for the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, one of the first steps in achieving professional licensure.
ALUMNUS RETURNS
LANDFILL RESEARCH
Landfill leachate (“garbage juice”) is an industrial wastewater generated by landfills that is often treated using wastewater treatment plants and represents a large cost to the solid waste industry and tax-payers. This study explores a low-cost, low-maintenance, floating wetland treatment system using plants native to South Florida that has the potential to passively treat leachate in ponds, reducing pollutants before discharge to wastewater treatment plants. The end goal of this research is to provide design criteria for floating treatment wetlands so that landfill managers can reduce leachate management costs by pre-treating their leachate using this type of system.
SUNSCREEN RESEARCH
Dr. Thomson, Dr. Karatum, and Dr. Redfern are working with seven female undergraduate STEM students to investigate the potential environmental impacts of chemical ultraviolet (UV) filters found in sunscreens and other personal care products. Over this past summer and fall, they surveyed beach-goers about their sunscreen usage to identify the most commonly occurring chemical UV filters in SWFL. They also identified the average volume of sunscreen applied, the most common factors influencing sunscreen selection, and how often people apply sunscreen. Currently, they are working on calculating the average loading rate of chemical UV filters into SWFL beaches based on these data. In addition, they are looking at the near-shore concentrations of UV filters at our popular tourist beaches, the potential impacts on the health and growth of mangroves (a keystone species), and the potential interaction with harmful algal blooms and microcystin (the toxin) production.