Excellence in Environmental Engineering and Science Education (E4S)

The E4S Award will be granted to an educator who has made a significant contribution to the profession in the area of educating practitioners. The award will be jointly administered by AAEES and AEESP and will be bestowed annually at the AAEES Academy Convocation and Celebration of Excellence. A monetary award of $1,000 with an additional $500 for travel by the award recipient to the annual awards ceremony will be granted to the winning nominee.

Examples of significant contributions include:

• Development of educational material or text that enhances the ability of students to succeed as professional environmental engineers serving as practitioners in roles such as infrastructure design and project leadership.
• Demonstration of successful course or curricula development aimed at educating practitioners. Successful deployment of the Environmental Engineering Body of Knowledge concepts.
• Creation of unique methods or curricula that challenge and inspire students in the area of environmental engineering practice.
• Demonstration of successful student educational outcomes (examples include: letters of support/nomination from former students currently practicing environmental engineering, former students passing PE, former students showing leadership as practitioners, critical projects that former students have led).
• Establishment of positive student mentoring relationships or programs.
• Contributions to the profession in terms of activity in professional organizations, delivery of lectures, and interaction with public agencies and the consulting community to bridge the gap between university education and environmental engineering practice.
• Open to all university faculty teaching environmental engineering.

Nomination packages should include: (1) a brief cover letter from the nominator; (2) brief curriculum vitae (4-page maximum) for the nominee, (3) documentation related directly to the award criteria consisting of no more than 30 pages, (4) one (minimum) to five (maximum) letters of recommendation from current or past students; and (5) one (minimum) to three (maximum) letters of recommendation from faculty, administrator, or industry peers. Past nominations will be carried over and considered for three years and can be modified during the current nomination period.

Information on where to submit a nomination package can be found here: https://aeespfoundation.org/awards/e4.

2025 Excellence in Environmental Engineering and Science Education Recipient

Dr. Ramanitharan Kandiah, P.E., BCEE, BC.WRE, PH, ENV SP, F.ASCE, F.EWRI

Dr. Ramanitharan Kandiah is a Professor of Environmental Engineering and currently serves as Chair of the Department of Engineering and Technology and Director of Graduate Programs at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio. He also directs the C. J. Mc Lin International Center for Water Resources Management.

Dr. Kandiah earned his BSc in Civil Engineering from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, an MSc in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering from Hohai University, China, an MS in Environmental Engineering from Marquette University, and a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Tulane University. His postdoctoral research was conducted at Northeastern University, where he also obtained a graduate certificate in Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing.

He is a Registered Professional Civil Engineer (P.E.) in Ohio and a Certified Professional Hydrologist (PH). Additionally, he is a Board Certified Environmental Engineer (BCEE), a Board Certified Water Resources Engineer (BC.WRE), and an Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV SP). Dr. Kandiah serves as a Program Evaluator for the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology - Engineering Accreditation Commission for Civil and Environmental Engineering programs and as a volunteer Peer Reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission.

Dr. Kandiah, a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Environmental and Water Resources Institute, is actively engaged with several professional engineering bodies. These include the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors, the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists, the American Society for Engineering Education, the American Institute of Hydrology, and the Institute of Sustainable Infrastructure.

Thank you to ABET for sponsoring the 2025 Excellence in Environmental Engineering and Science Education Award.  

Past Recipients