This award is given annually to recognize an environmental engineering or environmental science graduate student whose research contributes to the knowledge pool of wastewater management. The award selection will be based on original, innovative research of publishable quality and other factors as provided below.
Both Master’s and Ph.D. students are eligible. The award will consist of a plaque and a cash honorarium of $1,500.00 for the student and a plaque for the faculty advisor. A $500.00 travel allotment to student recipients who attend the AAEES Excellence in Environmental Engineering and Science awards ceremony will also be provided. This award selection committee is administered jointly by AEESP and AAEES, and is co-sponsored by HDR. Eligible applicants will be judged based on academic program performance (45%), professional or community service (15%), project significance (25%), purpose and goals (10%), and any other evidence provided (5%). An applicant remains eligible up to one calendar year following graduation and receipt of the degree earned.
Refer to the nomination package for the required submission requirements.
*Eligibility: Consideration for this award is open to Master's and Ph.D. students performing research in the field of wastewater management. An applicant remains eligible up to one calendar year following graduation and receipt of the degree earned.
Professor Wesley Eckenfelder, Jr. is considered the “godfather” of industrial wastewater management. He was a great colleague and mentor to numerous practitioners, professors, and students. His prolific contributions to the environmental engineering discipline included writing over thirty books, serving as a principal in several environmental engineering firms, and receiving twenty-eight awards from a wide range of professional societies. In addition, Dr. Eckenfelder was an accomplished professor with a teaching career that included positions at Manhattan College, the University of Texas at Austin, and Vanderbilt University. He was known internationally as an early developer and innovator of biological wastewater treatment technology that is now considered a standard skill employed by practicing professionals, worldwide.
Click here for a summary of past Student Award winners.
Past Recipients
| Year | Recipient | Advisor |
| 2023 | Anna Kogler | William A. Tarpeh, Stanford University |
| 2021 | Jiong Gao | Dionysios D. Dionysiou, University of Cincinnati |
| 2020 | Joseph Weaver | Francis L. de los Reyes III and Joel Ducoste, North Carolina State University |
| 2018 | Andrew Pfluger | Junko Munakata Marr and Linda Figueroa, Colorado School of Mines |
| 2016 | Matthew Verbyla | James Mihelcic, University of South Florida |
| 2015 | Bryan Coday | Tzahi Cath, Colorado School of Mines |
| 2014 | Maureen Kinyua | Sarina Ergas, University of South Florida |
| 2013 | Roland Cusick | Bruce Logan, Pennsylvania State University |
| 2012 | Xie He | Francois de los Reyes, North Carolina State University |