Engineer involved in Flint water crisis wins award at U-M
ANN ARBOR—Marc Edwards, the engineer who helped to bring the Flint water crisis to light, has been chosen to receive the inaugural Borchardt-Glysson Water Treatment Innovation Prize from a panel of environmental engineers from the University of Michigan and industry.
Edwards, the Charles P. Lunsford Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech University, is recognized for his contributions to the fields of water treatment and public health and to society at large.
He received the award today at the Borchardt Conference, a triennial symposium on advancements in water and wastewater treatment at U-M. He delivered the lecture: “Sustainable Water Distribution Systems of the Future: Fixing Old Mistakes and Avoiding New Ones.”
“Marc Edwards is widely recognized for his work on corrosion in water distribution systems and building plumbing” said Lut Raskin, the Altarum/ERIM Russell D. O’Neal Professor of Engineering in civil and environmental engineering. “His efforts in Washington, D.C., and Flint have been far-reaching. His work has not only helped people in those communities, but brought to light nationwide deficiencies in our water infrastructure, especially in small and underserved communities.”
The new $10,000 Borchardt-Glysson Water Treatment Innovation Prize was recently established through a gift by Tom and Greta Newhof to the U-M College of Engineering. Tom Newhof received his bachelor’s of civil engineering from U-M in 1960 and a master’s in 1961.
The award recognizes an individual whose accomplishments in the water or wastewater treatment fields have been nationally and internationally recognized. The prize selection committee used five criteria to evaluate the candidates, including their overall record of accomplishments, their role in developing innovative technologies, their potential for continued contributions to the field, the quality of nomination and supporting documents.
The donors chose to recognize professors Jack Borchardt and Eugene Glysson by selecting the name of the prize. Borchardt (1916-1987) was a professor of civil and sanitary engineering at U-M from 1948 until his retirement in 1982. Borchardt was a devoted educator, technical innovator in the water and wastewater treatment field, and promoter of public health.
Glysson (1926-2014) was a professor of civil and environmental engineering for more than 40 years. He performed research and taught classes in solid-waste management and water and wastewater engineering. He was known for his devotion to students, the engineering profession and community service including Chi Epsilon, the Civil Engineering Honor Society.
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