In The News

2024

April 9 - Ashkan Alborzi won the second place presentation award in the Hudson-Delaware SETAC Spring Meeting for his work titled "Developing a Single Model to Extrapolate fss from one Compound Class to Another in Polymeric Passive Samplers".

2023

Nov 13 - Platform presentations by Cesar Gomez-Avila and Huayun Zhou. Poster presentations by Elham Abaie, Rashedul Islam, Hasti Ziaei, and Ashkan Alborzi at SETAC North America 44th Annual meeting. Louisville, KY.

Jun 26 - Tariq Hussain successfully defended PhD dissertation "Availability and Mobility of Legacy and Emerging Organic Contaminants in Stormwater" for PhD in in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Texas Tech University.

Jun 19 - Hasti Ziaei Jam successfully defended PhD dissertation "Role of Sediment in Mercury Cycling in the Environment" for PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Texas Tech University.

Jan 12 - Cesar Gomez-Avila won the best student poster award in the Battelle Eleventh International Conference on the Remediation and Management of Contaminated Sediments for his work titled "Evaluation of Effectiveness and Performance of Stormwater Management Systems to Limit Sediment Recontamination of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH's)". 

Jan 9- Platform and Poster presentations by Dr. Danny Reible, Magdalena Rokowska,  Xiaolong Shen, Tariq Hussain, Hasti Ziaei, Cesar Gomez-Avila, Huayun Zhou, Ashkan Alborzi, Rashedul Islam and Negar Shaghaghi at Battelle Sediment Conference. Austin, TX.

2022

July 05 - Tianyu Chen successfully defended PhD dissertation "Dynamic Modeling for Membrane with Fixed Charge Groups in Membrane Separation Process" for PhD in Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University.

May 23- Platform presentation by Uriel Garza and Tariq Hussain at Battelle Chlorinated Conference. Palm Springs, CA.

May 12 - Uriel de Jesus Garza Rubalcava successfully defended PhD dissertation "Characterization of Contaminant Fate and Transport Processes in Sediments and Aquifers through High-Resolution Passive Sampling "  for PhD in Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University.

April 1 - Alex Smith successfully defended PhD dissertation"In-Situ Passive Sampling for the Evaluation and Management of Hydrophobic Organic Compounds Contaminated Sediment" for PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Texas Tech University.

2021

April 21 – Xin Zhang successfully defended PhD dissertation - "Modeling Desalination Performance and Energy Behavior of Membrane Capacitive Deionization" for PhD in Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University.

2020

Dec 2020 – Adewesa Odetayou successfully defended PhD dissertation "Development And Application Of Passive Samplers For Assessing Air And Freely Dissolved Concentrations Of Hydrophobic Organic Contaminants"  for PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Texas Tech University.

Oct 2020 – Danny Reible named Gordon Maskew Fair Award Recipient of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists. 
Through the Fair Award, the Academy seeks to identify Board Certified Environmental Engineers, Members or Scientists who have contributed to the status of the environmental engineering or science professions by:

• Exemplary professional conduct
• Recognized achievements in the practice of environmental engineering and science
• Significant contributions to the control of the quality of the world's environment

Mar 2020 - Ilektra Drygiannaki successfully defended PhD dissertation"Assessment of Stormwater Metals on Receiving Water Sediment Recontamination" for PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Texas Tech University.

Mar 2020 - Giovanna Pagnozzi successfully defended PhD dissertation "Evaluating the influence of capping materials on composition and biodegradation activity of benthic microbial communities:Implications for designing bioreactive sediment caps " for PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Texas Tech University.

Mar 2020 - Alex Smith was awarded 1st place PhD Platform presentation for "In-Situ Passive Sampling to Measure Remedial Effectiveness at the Pacific Sound Resources Superfund Site" PNW Regional Chapter of SETAC, Bremerton, WA.

Feb 2020 - Ashkan Alborzi was awarded 1st place Poster competition for "Understanding the Fouling Mechanism in Ultrafiltration Membranes when Treating Produced Water for Refracturing" at the 3rd annual Permian Basin Water in Energy Conference in Midland.

2019

Nov 2019 - Xin Zhang won the "Separations Division Student Poster Award" in AIChE 2019 conference Separations Division poster session, Orlando Florida.

Aug 2019 - Dr Reible hosted the NSF workshop "Networking for Environmental Sustainability in Arid Region Urban Communities" at Texas Tech University.

Jun 2019 - Dimitrios Athanasiou successfully defended PhD dissertation " Effects of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Urban Stormwater on Receiving Sediment" for PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Texas Tech University.

May 2019 - Soraya Honarparvar successfully defended PhD dissertation " Thermodynamic Modeling and Management of Saline Waters" for PhD in Chemical Engineering Texas Tech University.

Feb 2019 - Dr. Reible named Paul Whitfield Horn Professor, named after the First President of the university(Feb 21 2019)

Feb 2019 - Platform and Poster presentation by Dr. Danny Reible, Magdalena Rokowska, Giovanna Pagnozzi, Dimitrios Athanaiou, Alex Smith, Xiaolong Shen, Ilektra Drygiannaki and Adesewa Aribidara at Battelle Sediment Conference. New Orleans, LA.

Jan 2019 - Magdalena Rakowska rejoined TTU and the group as a Research Scientist.

2018

Dec 2018 - Dec 2019 Initiation of a new SERDP project "Development of Tools to Inform the Selection of Stormwater Controls at DoD Bases to Limit Potential Sediment Recontamination (ER18-1371)".

Dec 2018 - Songjing Yan graduated with a PhD in Chemical Engineering.

Nov 2018 - AIChE Workshop on Industrial Water Use and Reuse chaired by Dr. Reible and Dr. Yoram Cohen at UCLA in San Antonio, TX. Soraya Honarparvar and Nahirobe Barragan also presented at the workshop.

Nov 2018 - Alex Smith, Dimitrios Athanasiou, Ilektra Drygiannaki and Adesewa Aribidara presented papers at the SETAC Annual Meeting in Sacramento,CA.

Oct 2018 - Soraya Honarparvar and Xin Zhang presented papers at the AIChE Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh,PA.

Sep 2018 - Initiation of the NSF Innovation in Graduate education project on Developing Reflective Engineers through Artful Methods (DREAM).

Aug 2018 - Songjing Yan successfully defended dissertation,"Applications of passive sampling technology in HOCs contaminated sediment management and remediation", for PhD in Chemical Engineering , Texas Tech University.

Jul 2018 - Successful kickoff of the 111 US China research program which brings together 16 engineering faculty from around the world with a similar number of Chinese faculty to address the environmental challenges of the Three Gorges Project on the Yangtze River.

Jun 2018 - Tea Vrtlar successfully defended dissertation, "Optimization of DGT Methyl Mercury Recovery, Bank Leaching Assessment and Evaluation of Stabilization Efforts on Mercury Fate and Transport in Freshwater Systems", for PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering , Texas Tech University.

Jun 2018 - Platform presentation by Ilektra Drygiannaki on "Improved tools and methodologies for evaluating the link of stormwater metal release to sediment recontamination"- at 7th European Bioremediation Conference (EBC-VII) and the 11th International Society for Environmental Biotechnology conference (ISEB 2018), Greece.

Jun 2018 - Poster presentation by Giovanna Pagnozzi on "PAH Biotransformation in sediment-capping environments: recommendations for designing bioactive systems"- at 7th European Bioremediation Conference (EBC-VII) and the 11th International Society for Environmental Biotechnology conference (ISEB 2018), Greece.

May 2018 - Platform presentation by Ilektra Drygiannaki, on "Assessment and management of stormwater on sediment recontamination due to metal contaminants"- at SETAC Europe, Italy.

May 2018 - Poster presentation by Ilektra Drygiannaki, on "Assessment and management of stormwater on sediment recontamination: you don't need to measure everything, just the right things"- at SETAC Europe, Italy.

Apr 2018 - Ilektra Drygiannaki was awarded 2nd place in Research Poster competition at the 17th Annual Graduate Student Research Poster Competition of Texas Tech University.

Mar 2018 - Ilektra Drygiannaki was awarded 3rd place in Paper Competition at the 9th Annual Geosyntec Consultants Student Paper Competition.

Mar 2018 - Giovanna Pagnozzi successfully defended her MS Thesis "Influence of capping material upon biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediment-cap systems".She is currently continuing on to PhD studies.

2017

Dec 2017 - Danny Reible provided a presentation to the Water Science and Technology Board of the National Academies on Resilience in Water and Wastewater Infrastructure in the face of extreme flooding.

Nov 2017 - Danny Reible provided Kappe lectures to Oregon State University and University of Houston.

Oct 2017 - Chuan Liang successfully defended MS Thesis on Arsenic removal with iron-loaded cellulose beads.

Oct 2017 - Dr.Danny Reible Chaired kick off meeting on National Academies Committee on the Habitat Conservation Plan of the Edwards Aquifer in San Antonio, TX.

Oct 2017 - Michelle Bejar successfully defended her MS Thesis "Diffusive Gradients in Thin-Films as a Predictor for Mercury Bioaccumulation in Lumbriculus variegatus".

Oct 2017 - Dr.Danny Reible gave Kappe Lectures at Washington University in St. Louis, Lehigh University and Carnegie Mellon.

Sep 2017 - Dr.Danny Reible gave Kappe Lectures at Arizona State University, University of Cincinnati, Vanderbilt, University of Tennessee, Clemson, Duke.

Jul 2017 - Alex Smith presented at the "How to Change the World" program at the Nation Academy of Engineering's Global Grand Challenges Summit in Washington D.C.

Jun 2017 - Danny Reible visited Tsinghua University where he is a Foreign Expert Visiting Professor.

Jun 2017 - Platform presentation by Ryan Campbell on "Exploring the Effects of a Visual Thinking Strategies Workshop on the Reflective Thinking of Undergraduate Engineering Students" at the 124th Annual Conference & Exposition of the American Society for Engineering Education.

Jun 2017 - Dr.Danny Reible provided Kappe Lecture at Chicago Metropolitan Water District for the District and Chicago-area universities.

May 2017 - Platform presentation by Giovanna Pagnozzi on "Influence of capping material type upon biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments" at Fourth International Symposium on Bioremediation and Sustainable Environmental Technologies.

May 2017 - Tea Vrtlar and Dimitrious Athanasiou (MS CE) and Songjing Yan (MS ChE) complete degree requirements. All are continuing on to PhD studies.

May 2017 - Xiaolong Shen successfully defended dissertation, "Developing Models for the Assessment and the Design of the In situ Remediation of Contaminated Sediments", for PhD in Chemical Engineering , University of Texas.

May 2017 - InProgress Review presentation by Danny Reible to SERDP/ESTCP Technical Advisory Board.

Apr 2017 - Dr.Danny Reible provided Kappe Lecture to University of Oklahoma where he also provided lectures in support of OU Earth Week.

Apr 2017 - Dr.Danny Reible provided Kappe Lecture to New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Feb 2017 - Dr.Danny Reible visited Tsinghua University where he is a Foreign Expert Visiting Professor.

Jan 2017 - Danny Reible named 2017 Kappe Lecturer of American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists. The Kappe Lecture Series was inaugurated by the Academy in 1989 to share the knowledge of today's practitioners with tomorrow's environmental engineers and scientists.

Jan 2017 - Six platform and poster presentations by the group at Battelle Sediment Conference.

• Poster presentation by Rakowska, M.I on "Evaluation of porewater reductions due to carbon placement via sedimite and aquagate at a contaminated sediment site".
• Poster presentation by Rakowska, M.I on "Performance Reference Compounds in PDMS Samplers May Indicate the Presence of Oil Phases in Sediment".
• Platform presentation by Rakowska, M.I on "Sampling for PCBs in Columbia Slough Sediment: Activated Carbon Pilot Study Baseline Data".
• Platform presentation by Giovanna Pagnozzi on "Effect of capping materials on naphthalene transformation in model bioactive capping systems".
• Platform presentation by Balaji Rao on "Assessing Mercury Bioavailability with Diffusive Gradient in Thin-film Samplers (DGTs) - Part 1".
• Platform presentation by Tea Vrtlar on "Assessment and Evaluation of Management Approaches for Soluble Release of Mercury from a River Bank Using DGT Passive Samplers"

2016

Nov 2016 - Platform presentation by Dr.Kayleigh Millerick ,G.Pagnozzi and D.Reible on "Evidence of PAH Biodegradation in Active Sediment Capping Materials" at 3er Simposio International del Doctorado en Ciencias in Procesos Biotecnológicos.

Nov 2016 - Posters and presentations by the group at the SETAC World Congress, Orlando FL.

• Platform presentation by Rakowska, M.I on "Modeling Activated Carbon Amendments in Shallow Ecosystem".
• Poster presentation by Songjing Yan on "Spatial variations of porewater and bulk sediment concentrations in complex sediment matrices".
• Poster presentation by Balaji Rao on "Accessibility of diffusive gradient in thin films (DGT) samplers to representative Hg forms in sediments".
• Poster presentation by Tea Vrtlar on "Field sampling and laboratory evaluation of reactive capping/in situ treatment of mercury contaminated solids using DGT devices".

Nov 2016 - Soraya Honarparvar presented "Thermodynamic Modeling of Produced Water with Electrolyte NRTL Model: Aqueous Sr2+ - Na+ - SO42- - Cl- "Quaternary System at the AIChE Annual Meeting", San Francisco, CA.

Oct 2016 - Laboratory move to new facilities at Maddox Engineering Research Center. This building is a $30 million renovation