Bruce Rittmann, PhD, a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering, as well as director of the Center for Environmental Biotechnology at the Biodesign Institute, is to receive the Simon W. Freese Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). One of top awards given by the organization, Rittmann has been honored for his notable achievements in environmental engineering. The honor comes with an invitation to give a featured lecture at the Environment and Water Resources Institute annual congress in June 2009 in Kansas City.
Additionally, Rittmann has been selected as this year’s recipient of the ASU Faculty Achievement Award in Defining Edge Research, Natural Sciences/Math. The Faculty Achievement Award was conceived as a way of celebrating the top intellectual contributions at ASU every year. This year will be the second year of the award, whose faculty nominations are judged by Regents’ Professors in each category.
Rittmann pursues research that is aimed at developing microbiological systems that capture renewable resources and also minimize environmental pollution. His work, which combines engineering with microbiology, biochemistry, geochemistry and microbial ecology, can be used to reclaim polluted water and generate energy from waste substances. Rittmann is also a recognized leader in the development of the Membrane Biofilm Reactor, an approach that uses bacteria to destroy pollutants in water. The Membrane Biofilm Reactor is especially effective for removing perchlorate from water, which contaminates water from the Colorado River to groundwater in Phoenix, and is being launched commercially.
Rittmann’s previous accolades include the National Water Research Institute’s Clarke Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Water Science and Technology, and he is one of the world’s most cited researchers, according to the Institute for Scientific Information. Rittmanns textbook, Environmental Biotechnology: Principles and Applications, is used by universities around the world to educate students about the ways in which microorganisms can be used to improve environmental quality. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
