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Introduction to Environmental Engineering Richard O. Mines Jr.: Learning the Basics of Environmental



Richard O. Mines Jr. is an American civil/environmental engineer, academic, and author. He is an Emeritus Professor of Environmental and Civil Engineering at Mercer University.[1] His research is primarily focused on the activated sludge process and biological nutrient removal processes, with particular emphasis on environmental engineering, water treatment, biosolids treatment, and engineering education.[2]


Mines has authored more than one hundred publications. His research works span the field of wastewater treatment, with a particular focus on biological wastewater treatment, and engineering and environmental education.[8]




Introduction to Environmental Engineering Richard O. Mines Jr.




Another line of Mines' research focuses on advances made in environmental sciences and engineering education. Most of his educational research has been featured in the American Society for Engineering Education conference proceedings. Based on the advanced principles, he developed a complete environmental engineering curriculum in 2000.[25] He was also involved in the 2010 service-learning program of Mercer University which focused on the water availability, and quality in a Kenyan community. The research concluded that a biological sand filter (BSF) is an effective mode of water treatment, and given the limited resources, the project's impact on the undergraduate learning program was considered significant.[26] According to his research on the "inverted classroom" pedagogy, students preferred a hybrid teaching model that features both traditional lecture-based method and inverted pedagogy as well. However, it was shown that the results of subject study were dependent on the students' maturity and their self-motivation to become life-long learners.[27] Another research study, described how the students in an engineering design course indicated their preference of digital story telling of design such as unit operations, and processes of water treatment plant in place of a term paper.[28]


Environmental Engineering: Principles and Practice was reviewed by academics, Alfons G. Buekens, and Luc Hens who wrote that "in summary, this textbook on Environmental Engineering: Principles and Practice can be recommended to all teachers with responsibility in environmental engineering. It focuses upon problem solving, introducing statistical analysis, examples with US and SI units, water and wastewater treatment design, sustainability, public health. It offers all major topics of an US environmental engineering curriculum with clear preference for wide-ranging knowledge on the one hand, water treatment on the other."[29]


Students pursuing the civil and environmental engineering curriculum will fi nd this book accessible and will benefit from the emphasis on practical application. The text will also be of interest to students of chemical and mechanical engineering, where several environmental concepts are of interest, especially those on water and wastewater treatment, air pollution, and sustainability. Practicing engineers will find this book a valuable resource, since it covers the major environmental topics and provides numerous step-by-step examples to facilitate learning and problem-solving.


Dr. Mines is a professor of environmental and civil engineering at Mercer. He has served in academia for 34 years and consulting for seven years, specializing in the design of water and wastewater treatment facilities.


Catalog description:An introduction to environmental engineering with an emphasis on protection of air, water, and land resources. Topics covered include water quality engineering, solid and hazardous waste management, air quality control, fate and transport of contaminants in the environment, and regulatory issues.


Criterion 3 student outcomes:The work completed by students in this course will help those students to attain:(a) an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering;(d) an ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams;(e) an ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems;(g) an ability to communicate effectively;(h) the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context; and(j) a knowledge of contemporary issues.


There are a number of comprehensive textbooks that are commonly used in environmental engineering courses and as resources for practitioners. Included in this section are representative textbooks that cover a breadth of topics within environmental engineering, including introductory textbooks (Mihelcic, et al. 2014; Davis and Masten 2013; Mines and Lackey 2009; Masters and Ela 2007) and more advanced texts (Mines 2014, Davis and Cornwell 2012, Nemerow, et al. 2009, Nazaroff and Alvarez-Cohen 2001). While most texts are geared for the classroom, Mines 2014 is particularly well-suited for practitioners. Textbooks that are specific to a subdiscipline are included in later sections. Unless noted, all textbooks include practice problems that supplement the text.


Engineering Geology and Geotechnics. Careers in site investigation, design and stabilization of foundations and slopes; site characterization, design, construction and remediation of waste disposal sites or contaminated sites; and assessment of geologic hazards for civil, mining or environmental engineering projects.


The curriculum may be followed along two concentration paths with slightly different upper division requirements. Both concentrations are identical in the first two years as students study basic science, mathematics, engineering science, and geological science. In the junior year those students pursuing careers in ground-water engineering, engineering geology and geotechnics, or geoenvironmental engineering applications follow the Environmental, Engineering Geology and Geotechnics, and Ground-Water Engineering Concentration. Students anticipating careers in resource exploration and development or who expect to pursue graduate studies in geological sciences follow the Mineral and Petroleum Exploration Engineering Concentration.


The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering programs at UCLA include civil engineering materials, earthquake engineering, environmental engineering, geotechnical engineering, hydrology and water resources engineering, structural engineering, and structural mechanics.


The civil engineering undergraduate curriculum leads to a B.S. in Civil Engineering, a broad-based education in environmental engineering, geotechnical engineering, hydrology and water resources engineering, and structural engineering and mechanics. This program is an excellent foundation for entry into professional practice in civil engineering or for more advanced study. The department also offers the undergraduate Environmental Engineering minor.


At the graduate level, M.S. and Ph.D. degree programs are offered in the areas of civil engineering materials, environmental engineering, geotechnical engineering, hydrology and water resources engineering, and structures (including structural/earthquake engineering and structural mechanics). In these areas, research is being done on a variety of problems ranging from basic physics and mechanics problems to critical problems in earthquake engineering and in the development of new technologies for pollution control and water distribution and treatment.


The Environmental Engineering minor is designed for students who wish to augment their major program of study with courses addressing issues central to the application of environmental engineering to important environmental problems facing modern society in developed and developing countries. The minor provides students with a greater depth of experience and understanding of the role that environmental engineering can play in dealing with environmental issues.


In addition to the course requirements, under this plan students are required to write a thesis on a research topic in civil and environmental engineering supervised by the thesis adviser. An M.S. thesis committee reviews and approves the thesis. No oral examination is required.


Research in environmental engineering focuses on the understanding and management of physical, chemical, and biological processes in the environment and in engineering systems. Areas of research include process development for water and wastewater treatment systems and the investigation of the fate and transport of contaminants in the environment.


Research in geotechnical engineering focuses on understanding and advancing the state of knowledge on the effects that soils and soil deposits have on the performance, stability, and safety of civil engineering structures. Areas of research include laboratory investigations of soil behavior under static and dynamic loads, constitutive modeling of soil behavior, behavior of structural foundations under static and dynamic loads, soil improvement techniques, response of soil deposits and earth structures to earthquake loads, and the investigation of geotechnical aspects of environmental engineering. 2ff7e9595c


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