This award annually recognizes the top two most outstanding M.S. theses that contribute to the advancement of environmental science and engineering. Each award consists of a plaque and $500 for the student as well as a plaque for the faculty advisor. This award also includes $750 travel allotments to the student winners who attend the awards ceremony.
A selection committee of three AEESP members will read and judge each thesis. Each thesis will be evaluated based on 100 points allocated to the following major categories: scientific and technical merit (30 pts), originality of research (30 pts), contribution to the advancement of environmental engineering (30 pts), and clarity of presentation (10 pts).
Faculty advisors are encouraged to nominate a thesis completed under their supervision but must limit themselves to a single entry. Nominated theses must be from the calendar year prior to when the award is given, i.e., the due date printed on the Master's cover must be from the prior year.
*Eligibility: Faculty advisors are encouraged to nominate a thesis completed under their supervision. Nominated theses must be from the calendar year prior to when the award is given, i.e. the due date printed on the Master's cover must be from the prior year.
Click here for a summary of past Student Award winners.
Past Recipients
| Year | Place | Recipient | Thesis Title | Advisor |
| 2023 | n/a | Alma Rocha | Detection and persistence of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater and natural waters | Natalie Mladenov and Matthew Verbyla, San Diego State University |
| 2023 | n/a | Kartik Bhagat | Elucidating the Role of Ultraviolet Weathering and Biofilm Formation on the Adsorption of Micropollutants onto Microplastics | François Perreault |
| 2022 | n/a | Ri Wang | Exploring the Factors that Determine the Adsorption of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances on Conventional Adsorbents and Novel Cyclodextrin Polymers with Different Surface Properties | Damian E. Helbling, Cornell University |
| 2022 | n/a | Omar Sadab Chowdhury | Evaluation of Potential Health Risks from Microplastics in Drinking Water | Monica B. Emelko and William B. Anderson, University of Waterloo |
| 2021 | n/a | Elizabeth (Libby) McKenna | Disinfection By-Products in Potable Reuse Water and Interpretation of Their Relative Toxicities | David Hanigan, University of Nevada, Reno |
| 2021 | n/a | Quinn T. Whiting | Fluorinated Photoproduct Formation from Photolysis of Fluorinated Pharmaceuticals and Phenols | William A. Arnold, University of Minnesota |
| 2020 | n/a | Olivia Salmon | Impacts of Rare Earth Elements on Biological Wastewater Treatment Processes | Junko Munakata Marr, Colorado School of Mines |
| 2020 | n/a | Kristen E. Snyder | Photochemical Dissolution and Degradation of Industrial Crude Oil and Natural Seep Oil in Seawater | Natalie Mladenov, San Diego State University |
| 2019 | n/a | Timothy Kent | Mechanistic Understanding of the NOB Suppression by Free Ammonia Inhibition in Continuous Flow Aerobic Granulation Bioreactors | Zhiwu Wang, Virginia Tech |
| 2019 | n/a | Stephen A. Todey | Neonicotinoid Insecticide Hydrolysis and Photolysis: Rates and Residual Toxicity | William Arnold, University of Minnesota |
| 2018 | n/a | Hannah Rolston | Experimental Demonstration and Modeling of Aerobic Cometabolism of 1,4-Dioxane by Isobutane-Utilizing Microorganisms in Aquifer Microcosms | Lewis Semprini, Oregon State University |
| 2018 | n/a | Sarah Gustitus | A Fine Line Between Dispersion and Retention: Oil-Sediment Interactions in Nearshore Marine Environments | Prabhakar Clement, University of Alabama |
| 2017 | 1st | Karen S. Casteloes | Techniques and Technologies for Decontaminating Chemically Contaminated Premise Plumbing Infrastructure | Andrew J. Whelton, Purdue University |
| 2017 | 2nd | Teigan Gulliver | Degradation of PHB and PE Microbeads in Aerobic and Anaerobic Biological Wastewater Treatment Microcosms | Junko Munakata Marr and Linda Figueroa, Colorado School of Mines |
| 2016 | 1st | Adel Soroush | Development of Antimicrobial Thin-Film Composite Forward Osmosis Membranes by Using Silver Nanoparticles and Graphene Oxide Nanosheets | Saifur Rahaman, Concordia University |
| 2016 | 2nd | Meng Wang | Peroxidase Enzymes Packaged in Vaults as an Innovative Bioremediation Technology | Shaily Mahendra, University of California, Los Angeles |
| 2015 | 1st | Brian D. Shoener | Advancing Sustainable Wastewater Treatment: Elucidating Tradeoffs among Emerging Resource Recovery Technologies through Quantitative Sustainable Design | Jeremy S. Guest, University of Illinois |
| 2nd | Caitlin Rose Proctor | Effect of Various Water Chemistry Factors on Legionella Proliferation and the Premise Plumbing Microbiome Composition | Amy Pruden, Virginia Tech | |
| 2014 | 1st | Jeremy Alan O'Neal | Phosphorus Recovery by Hybrid Anion Exchange and Struvite Precipitation: Applications to Source-Separated Urine and Combined Wastewater Streams | Treavor H. Boyer, University of Florida |
| 2nd | Cameron Kostigen Mumper | Influence of Amonion and Macromolecules on the Toxicity and Adsorption of Silver Nanoparticles to the Amonia Oxidizing Bacteria Nitrosomonas Europea | Tyler S. Radniecki, Oregon State University | |
| 2013 | 1st | Jenna E. Forsyth | Optimization of Aqueous Chlorine Photochemistry for Enhanced Inactivation of Chlorine-resistant Microorganisms | Michael C. Dodd, University of Washington |
| 2nd | Cale Thomas Anger | Quantification of Triclosan, Chlorinated Triclosan Derivatives, and their Dioxin Photoproducts in Lacustrine Sediment Cores | William A. Arnold, University of Minnesota | |
| 2012 | 1st | Andrew J. Nelson | Bench-Scale Evaluation of an Energy Efficient Acoustic Aerosol Purification Device with a Newly Designed Bioaerosol Testing and Evaluation Chamber | Mark J. Rood, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |
| 2nd | Ahmed El-Hadidy | Removal of Enteric Viruses by Ultrafiltration Membranes | Sigrid Peldzus, Michele Van Dyke and Peter M. Huck, University of Waterloo | |
| 2011 | 1st | Victoria Sacks | Validation of Polyethylene Passive Samplers for the Detection of Emerging Contaminants | Rainer Lohmann, University of Rhode Island |
| 2nd | Cynthia Schafer | The Impact of Tank Material on Water Quality in Household Water Storage Systems in Cochabamba, Bolivia | James Mihelcic, University of South Florida | |
| 2010 | 1st | Peter Steen | Photochemical Formation of Dioxins from Hydroxylated Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers | William Arnold, University of Minnesota and Kristopher McNeill, ETH Zurich |
| 2nd | Matthew Donnelly | Persistence of Bacterial Pathogens, Fecal Pollution Indicators, and Microbial Source Tracking Markers in Manure Amended Soils | Shane Rogers, Clarkson University | |
| 2009 | 1st | Douglas F. Call | Hydrogen Production in a Microbial Electrolysis Cell Lacking a Membrane | Bruce Logan, The Pennsylvania State University |
| 2nd | Caroline Rose Warne Zoueki | Bacterial Adhesion to Hydrocarbons: Role of Toluene, Asphaltenes and Resins | Nathalie Tufenkji and Subhasis Ghoshal, McGill University | |
| Hon Men | Leah M. Teuber | Mineral Deposition Behing Waterless Urinals | Philip C. Singer, UNC-Chapel Hill | |
| 2008 | 1st | Erin Seyfried | Tetracycline Resistance Genes In Aquaculture Environments: Genotypic Diversity and Potential Resistance Reservoirs | Katherine McMahon, University of Wisconsin |
| 2nd | Venkatraman Srinivasan | Analytical Solutions For Sequentially Coupled Multi-Species Reactive Transport Problems | Prabhakar Clement, Auburn University | |
| 2007 | 1st | Simoni Triantafyllidou | Addressing and Assessing Lead Threats in Drinking Water: Non-Leaded Brass, Product Testing, Particulate Lead Occurrence and Effects of the Chloride to Sulfate Mass Ratio on Corrosion | Marc Edwards, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University |
| 2nd | Arzu Atabek | Investigating Bacterial Outer Membrane Polymers and Bacterial Interactions with Organic Molecules Using Atomic Force Microscopy | Terri A. Camesano, Worcester Polytechnic Institute | |
| 2006 | 1st | Berat Z. Haznedaroglu | Fatty Acid Methyl Ester Profiling of Indicator Organisms for Microbial Source Tracking | Metin Duran, Villanova University |
| 2nd | Ilisa Tawney | Evaluating the Impact of a Wetland Plant and Rhizosphere Microorganisms on the Fate of a Model Chlorinated Solvent in a Wetland Plant Bioreactor | Jennifer Becker, University of Maryland | |
| 2005 | 1st | Angela C. Kolz | Degradation and Sorption of Tylosin in Swine Manure Lagoons | Say Key Ong and Thomas Moorman, Iowa State University |
| 2nd | Rachel A. Kirkham | Uranium Complexation with Humic Substances: An Experimental Study and Modeling Review | Brian Dempsey, Pennsylvania State University | |
| 2004 | 1st | Janalyn Brown | Microbial Cell Densities and Treatment Performance in Nitrifying Activated Sludge Reactors | Kevin Robinson, University of Tennessee |
| 2nd | John Greenleaf | Synthesis and Characterization of a Polymeric/Inorganic Hybrid Sorbent: Removal and Underlying Sorption Mechanism of Aresenic(III) and Arsenic(V) | Arup SenGupta, Lehigh University | |
| 2003 | 1st | Jennifer L. Packer | The Photochemical Fate of Pharmaceuticals in the Environment | William A. Arnold, University of Minnesota |
| 2nd | Cory McDowell | Effects of Ethanol on the Migration and Distribution of Gasoline in the Vadose Zone | Susan Powers, Clarkson University | |
| 2002 | 1st | Katherine Dombrowski | Electrothermal Regeneration of Activated Carbon Fiber Cloth with Adsorbed Volatile Organic Compounds | Mark J. Rood, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |
| 2nd | Meghna H. Swami | Biodegradation of Chloromethane under Nitrate-Reducing and Aerobic Conditions | David L. Freedman, Clemson University | |
| 2001 | 1st | Cristina Clarkson Davis | Aqueous Silica in the Environment: Effects on Iron Hydroxide Surface Chemistry and Implications for Natural and Engineered Systems | Marc Edwards, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University |
| 2nd | Jenny Baeseman | Identification of an Excreted Biomolecule: Identification and Environmental Applicability | Paige J. Novak, University of Minnesota | |
| 2000 | 1st | Shane William Rogers | Influence of air channel spacing, porous media type, and airflow rate on NAPL volatilization during air sparging | Say Kee Ong,Iowa State University |
| 2nd | Patrick S. Oldenburg | Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria: inactivation kinetics in chloraminated water and a method for their rapid enumeration | Daniel Noguera, University of Wisconsin-Madison | |
| 1999 | 1st | Daniel B. Oerther | Application of Molecular Tools for the Analysis of Biological Foaming in Activated Sludge | Lutgarde Raskin, University of Illinois |
| 2nd | David Briley | Optimization of Coagulation Conditions for the Removal of Algae in Conventional Water Treatment | Detlef Knappe, North Carolina State University | |
| 1998 | 1st | Eric W. Aitchison | Phytoremediation of 1,4-Dioxane by Hybrid Poplar Trees | Jerald L. Schnoor, University of Iowa |
| 2nd | Annika Van Gelder | Particle Counting in the Water Industry: Count Standards and Sample Stabilization | Desmond F. Lawler, University of Texas - Austin | |
| 1997 | 1st | Kevin T. Russell | The Use of Decision Analysis for Groundwater Remediation Design | Alan Raideau, State University of New York at Buffalo |
| 2nd | Matthew E. Griffin | Use of Molecular Tools to Enhance the Evaluation of Anaerobic Co-Digestion of the Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid waste and Sewage Sludge | Lutgarde Raskin, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign | |
| 1996 | 1st | Jonathan Pressman | Mass Transfer of Chlorinated Solvents and Biofouling of Hollow Fiber Membrane Modules | Gerald Speitel, The University of Texas at Austin |
| 2nd | Peter Mayer | Residential Water Use and Conservation Effectiveness: A Process Approach | James P. Heaney, University of Colorado-Boulder | |
| 1995 | 1st | Jeanine D. Plummer | Removal of Cryptosporidium parvum from Drinking Water by Dissolved Air Flotation | James Edzwald, University of Massachusetts |
| 2nd | John E. Woolschlager | A Model to Determine the Actual Amount of Biodegradable Organic Matter in Drinking Water Supplies | Bruce Rittmann, Northwestern University | |
| 1994 | 1st | Shawn M. Sock | A Comprehensive Evaluation of Biodegradation as a Treatment Alternative for the Removal of 1,4-Dioxanee | C.P. Leslie Grady, Jr. and Robert M. Cowan, Clemson University |
| 2nd | Eric M. Hesse | The Influence of Natural Organic Matter on the Enhanced Coagulation Effects of Ozonation | David Reckhow, University of Massachusetts | |
| 1993 | 1st | Jennifer Becker | Biodegradation of Chloroform Under Methanogenic Conditions | David Freeman, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign |
| 2nd | David Widrig | Preozonation to Enhance Coagulation: The Effect of Algal Species and Water Quality on the Removal of Dissolved Organic Carbon | Kimberly Gray, University of Notre Dame | |
| 1992 | 1st | Daniel Noguera | Soluble Microbial Products Modeling in Biological Processes | Bruce Rittmann, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign |
| 2nd | Joseph Wood | Modeling the Simultaneous Removal of Sulfur Dioxide and Hydrogen Chloride from Municipal Waste Combustion Flue Gas Via Spray Dryer Absorber | Mark Rood, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign | |
| 1991 | 1st | John Joseph | Application of Queing Theory to Standpost Design | Donald T. Lauria, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill |
| 2nd | Anundra Ramana | A New Class of Sorbents for the Selective Removal of Arsenic (V) and Selenium (VI) Oxy-Anions | Arup K. Sengupta, Lehigh University |