SEAS to Host 2015 AEESP Research & Education Conference

The Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science has been named the host site for the 2015 Research & Education Conference for the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP), to be held on June 13-16, 2015. The biannual conference is the flagship event for AEESP members to exchange information on novel research and educational activities, particularly relating to the advancement of innovative research and the preparation of students for professional practice in environmental engineering and science.

“We are extremely excited to host the more than 600 faculty, postdocs, and graduate students visiting Yale for this conference,” said conference chair Jaehong Kim, the Barton L. Weller Professor of Chemical & Environmental Engineering. “Hosting the premier event of the largest society in our field is a tremendous honor and a recognition of the continuing excellence that Yale’s environmental engineering program has become known for.”

With the theme of “Environmental Engineering and Science: At the Nexus,” the 2015 conference will showcase excellence in interdisciplinary research and education strategies and technologies at the intersection of diverse disciplines. Beginning with a workshop on current “grand challenges and opportunities” in the field, the program will also feature multiple educational and career development workshops — including an NSF CAREER Workshop — and two full days of technical sessions. As well, several plenary lectures will be delivered with focus on new strategies and technologies at the nexus of diverse disciplines.

“Hosting the AEESP Conference at Yale is an opportunity for our environmental engineering faculty, graduate students, and alumni to further engage with a global community of scholars,” said conference co-chair Menachem Elimelech, the Roberto C. Goizueta Professor of Chemical & Environmental Engineering. “The conference will feature lively discussions on the future of environmental science and engineering — conversations that will find a welcome home at the historic Yale campus and in the greater city of New Haven.”

Paul Van Tassel, chair of the Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering and professor of chemical & environmental engineering and biomedical engineering, expressed equal excitement for how this year’s conference theme will promote the environmental engineering program’s numerous collaborations with other Schools and disciplines across Yale. “Leading researchers and educators,” he said, “will find at Yale a flourishing environmental engineering program, and a campus uniquely devoted to advancing environmental scholarship and pedagogy.”