Wayne State professor named to the Water Environment Research Foundation research council

DETROIT - A professor from Wayne State University's College of Engineering has been named to the research council of the Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF), the leading independent scientific research organization dedicated to wastewater and storm water issues.

Carol Miller, Ph.D., P.E., professor of civil and environmental engineering at Wayne State University's College of Engineering, and co-Director of the Urban Watershed Environmental Research Group (UWERG) at WSU, was selected by WERF to join other leading water research experts from around the world to provide oversight and coordination of the organization's six research program areas, as well as make funding recommendations for research related to water quality.

Miller is an active water resources researcher focusing on both surface and subsurface water quality and quantity, and has more recently investigated the water/energy interface. She is especially active in urban environmental issues, and helped to launch the Urban Watershed Environmental Research Group (UWERG) which is geared to save, protect and improve what's left of the urban pockets of fresh water throughout the Great Lake region.

Miller and colleagues developed and are testing a system control environment that will optimize the energy consumption of large water utilities such as the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department while improving the health of the Great Lakes. The software has the potential to reduce the energy required to run large water utilities by 15 percent while improving the health of the Great Lakes through reduced polluting emissions.

Since WERF's founding in 1989, they have funded more than $120 million in water-based research focused on developing smarter regulations, innovative tools, improved water treatments and ultimately how to create a cleaner environment.

 "It is an honor to be invited to be a member of the Water Environment Research Foundation's research council," said Miller.  "WERF is at the forefront of important research in water sciences and engineering, and they are leading the way to help meet the water challenges of today as well as those of tomorrow."

"Dr. Miller's appointment to the Water Environment Research Foundation's research council is another example of the incredible researchers at Wayne State University that are working to make great changes and improvements in the world which we live," said Gloria Heppner, associate vice president for Research at WSU. "Dr. Miller is a perfect choice for the council, and she will do an excellent job representing not only Wayne State University, but everyone who is impacted by water systems around the world."

###

Wayne State University is one of the nation's pre-eminent public research universities in an urban setting. Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit, state of Michigan and throughout the world. For more information about research at Wayne State University, visit http://www.research.wayne.edu.

Contact info

Julie O'Connor

Director, Research Communications
Phone: 313-577-8845
Email: julie.oconnor@wayne.edu