2024 AAEES Autumn Summit

AAEES Summit on Evidence-informed Practice:  
Translating Research into Practice to Solve Cross-cutting Challenges
Thursday, October 17, 2024
Noon - 3 PM Eastern | 9 am - Noon Pacific 

To complement the Academy Spring Awards event, we are organizing an “Academy Autumn Summit”.

The theme is “Translating Research into Practice to Solve Cross-cutting Challenges”.

The online event will be hosted by the Academy via Zoom. 

 Register now at 
https://www.aaees.org/autumnsummit-registration

Schedule-in-brief (subject to change)

Times posted are approximate.

Supporting biographical information (subject to change)

Daniel Oerther, Ph.D., P.E., BCEE, BCES
Executive Director, American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (AAEES)

Daniel B. Oerther (pronounced O’ thur) is a professor of environmental health engineering at the Missouri University of Science and Technology and the executive director of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists. Dan is a serial humanipreneur, developing triple-bottom-line platforms to eradicate the effects of extreme poverty. One recent example is COAST - the Caribbean Ocean and Aquaculture Sustainability faciliTy. COAST is the world’s first-ever parametric insurance product protecting the food security and livelihoods of artisanal and small-scale fisherfolk and their families. Dan pioneered the concept of the Nurse+Engineer as a prototype V-shaped professional. V-shaped professionals use convergence research in a community context to solve the wicked problems of sustainable development. Examples of Dan’s collaborations include supporting mothers and their children during the first 1,000 days of life, preventing childhood stunting among those under five years of age, and ensuring access to clean water and sanitation in homes, schools, and healthcare clinics. Professor Oerther holds an earned PhD in Environmental Engineering from the University of Illinois. He is a licensed Professional Engineer, and he is Board Certified in Environmental Engineering and in Environmental Science. 

Founded in 1955, the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (AAEES) is a not-for-profit 501(c)(6) organization serving the Environmental Engineering and Environmental Science professions by providing Board Certification to those who qualify through experience and testing. The Academy also provides training through workshops and seminars, participates in accrediting universities, publishes a periodical and other reference material, interacts with students and young professionals, sponsors a university lecture series, and rewards outstanding achievements through its international awards program.

R. Rhodes Trussell, PhD, PE, BCEE, NAE
Founder, Trussell Technologies

Dr. Trussell is known, worldwide, as an authority in water treatment. His career is characterized by the application of fundamental science to improve water technology. He has advised municipalities throughout the United States and on every continent overseas, working on dozens of treatment plants, from less than one mgd to more than 900 mgd. Dr. Trussell often is called upon to help utilities manage projects where public health and the support of regulatory authorities is critical. Since founding Trussell Technologies more than twenty years ago, Rhodes’ has shifted the focus of his work to developing new sources of water for the southwest, particularly through potable reuse.

Over his career Dr. Trussell has been honored by the profession several times, including: membership the National Academy of Engineering, selection as the AAEES Kappe Distinguished Lecturer, and the inaugural recipient of the Frederick G. Poland Medal for sustained and outstanding efforts to bridge environmental engineering research, education, and practice from the AAEES, the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors, and the Environmental Engineering and Science Foundation.

Rula Deeb, PhD, BCEEM, PMP
Senior Principal, Geosyntec

Dr. Deeb promotes awareness and improved understanding of the sources, occurrence, fate and transport, and behavior of emerging contaminants, including: per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), 1,4-dioxane, methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE), perchlorate, N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs). Rula has led strategic planning, business development, and project execution for a variety of industrial, municipal, and federal clients. She is an internationally recognized PFAS expert and is well regarded within the environmental community for her leadership in technical innovation through applied research and project delivery, technology transfer and outreach programs, and professional activities. She is the co-chair of two international conferences, the Remediation Technology Summit and the Emerging Contaminants Summit. She recently served as a member of the planning committee for a 2019 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine workshop entitled "Identifying Opportunities to Understand, Control, and Prevent Exposure to PFAS.”

From 2016 through 2019, Dr. Deeb served as a member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Science Advisory Board Environmental Engineering Committee. Some of her recognitions from the profession include: an Industry Recognition Award for her outstanding contribution as a member of the Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council's Remediation Risk Management team and the Association for Women Geoscientists President's Award. Rula was inducted into Berkeley's Civil and Environmental Engineering Academy of Distinguished Alumni in 2019.

Leon Downing, PhD
Global Practice and Technology Leader, Black & Veatch

Dr. Downing enjoys an international reputation as a leader in resource recovery design and modeling having managed major projects across the United States, United Kingdom, and Denmark. Leon’s breadth of experience encompasses phosphorous removal, granulation of activated sludge, low dissolved oxygen community structure, and membrane aerated biofilm technologies. His work spans the pilot scale, demonstration projects, applied research, compliance plans, operational optimization and energy roadmaps, as well as commissioning and training services. As noted by James Barnard, “Leon is an excellent choice to lead Black & Veatch’s global nutrient removal and recovery practice.”

Leon is a founding member of the Water Environment Federation Biofilm Interest Group, and he has lead several applied research projects for the Water Research Foundation.

Virtual Poster Session

Click here to download a template of the slide.

 Register now at 
https://www.aaees.org/autumnsummit-registration