NEWSBITS

EU Research Program on "Optimal Management of Wastewater Systems"

as. The COST 624 program is "dedicated to the optimization of the performance and cost-effectiveness of wastewater management systems by increasing the knowledge of microbial systems and by implementation of integrated plant-wide control based on a description of the entire wastewater system, thereby providing new concepts for dealing with wastewater in a future sustainable society" (Source: COST 624 website).

More information: http://ensic.u-nancy.fr/COSTWWTP/Intro.htm

Conference on Decision Making in Urban and Civil Engineering

as/ms. The objectives of this conference are, to promote discussion and mutual interaction between members of the urban and civil engineering community, who are interested in the possibilities and problems generated by new decision making tools and methods. Concerned domains are: construction, building, architecture, public works, infrastructure, urban planning, transportation, water management, environment, and so on.

Decision making will be considered both through methodological aspects and adapted tools. Examples: ranking and decision making methods, multicriteria analysis methods, decision support systems, knowledge based systems, geographical information systems, virtual reality systems, applied computer vision, support systems for interactive design, cooperation between systems, metadata, organizational memories, robotics, concurrent engineering...

The conference will take place from October 9 to 11, 2000 in Lyon, France.

More information: http://www.univ-savoie.fr/dminuce/

Zero Effluent Concept realized in New Urban Building

as. The house with its 35 inhabitants produces no wastewater effluent. Not a small surprise considering its location in an urban setting in the outskirts of Freiburg. Like any other town in the area, Freiburg has a well developed sewer system leading to a huge central sewage treatment plant for the 600'000 people in the region.

The wastewater concept encompasses the separation of grey- and blackwater. Greywater is treated in an aerated sand filter to bathing water quality and then infiltrated into the ground. Faeces, urine and a minimum of flushing water are lead to a biogas digester where they are fermented together with organic waste from kitchen and garden. The residues from the digester will be taken over by a local farmer.

The house holds a number of other surprises for the interested visitor, namely its energy concept. Have a look at it on http://www.vauban.de/wa.html. The website is in German, but maybe a number of requests from other countries may convince the authors to make an English translation.

Lotus Effect May Cause Revolution in Wastewater Technology

as. In the near future, nanotechnology may cause a revolution in water technology, which may well become highly relevant for ecological engineers. Based on a German patent, several companies are currently developing applications for surfaces modeled after the surface of the lotus leaf.

Due to their nanostructure, these surfaces do not allow dirt particles to stick to them. This may have significant consequences for any technology dealing with sticky organic matter, such as wastewater. Wastewater or urine pipes may not clog anymore.

Find more information on the lotus effect on: http://www.botanik.uni-bonn.de/biodiv/bionics.htm

Joint Project on Constructed Wetlands

as. A new joint project on constructed wetlands has just been started in Germany. The goals of the joint project are:

• to demonstrate the efficiency of constructed wetlands
• to further improve their reliability
• to verify dimensioning criteria
• to develop a new kind of hydraulic steering
• to evaluate their hygienic risk potential.

The joint project is financed by the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (a German national foundation) and may serve as an example how increasingly well accepted constructed wetlands have become in Germany as a means for wastewater treatment.

More information: http://www.Bodenfilter.de [in German]

Short Introductory Course in Ecological Engineering and Civil Engineering [in Dutch]

hvb. On 15th and 16th March 2000 an introduction course on ecological engineering and civil engineering will take place in Delft, organised by the Foundation for Postacademic Education. It is the first course on this topic in Delft.

The course will include presentations about general principles of ecological engineering as well as presentations about concrete experiences, like the use of wetlands for treatment of run-off, instrument for measuring eco-efficiency, mitigation and compensation measures, the use of natural processes to clear-up waste sites, water as design principle and how to integrate ecological, economical and social functions to reach greater sustainability.

The course will be given in Dutch language. It will take place in Delft, the Netherlands and will cost 1050 Dutch guilders (about 500 US dollars).The e-mail address for information about the course and applying for attendance: info@pao.tudelft.nl

Faculty Position in Ecological Engineering

The Ohio State University is embarking on an ambitious plan to develop a comprehensive academic program in the new field of ecological engineering. This new discipline concerns itself with design, restoration and/or construction of self-regulating and self-sustaining terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. While initially focusing on graduate and post-graduate education, the long-term goal of the program is to develop a new undergraduate ecological engineering curriculum that can achieve ABET accreditation. The Ecological Engineering Program is jointly administered by the School of Natural Resources, the Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Geodetic Science. The University will initially appoint three new tenure-track faculty at the ASSISTANT PROFESSOR level, one in each of the collaborating school/departments. Two positions have been filled, and a third is still open. The unfilled position is:

ECOLOGICAL AND BIORESOURCE ENGINEER
to work in area of ecologically engineered systems in rural and rural/urban interface environments; develop and apply ecotechnologies for drainage, stormwater, stream systems, wastes, watersheds, and water supply. Develop undergraduate courses that introduce ecological engineering principles and ecotechnologies. Background in agricultural, biological, biosystems, bioresource, environmental, or equivalent engineering program, with demonstrated interest and experience in ecology. Must hold P.E. registration, or be eligible and actively pursuing same. Primary appointment in the Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering.

Please send letter of application (stating the position of interest by name and your teaching and research interests), a curriculum vitae, up to three reprints, and the names, addresses, phones, and e-mail addresses of three persons who have been asked to provide letters of recommendation. Send application materials and have letters sent separately to: William J. Mitsch, Chair, Ecological Engineering Search Committee, School of Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, 2021 Coffey Road, Columbus, OH 43210

The Ohio State University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer. Women, minorities, Vietnam era veterans, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Came in Feb 11, 2000, Source: Frederick C. Michel Jr., Ohio State University

Job Opportunity - CAD Draftsperson

Ecological engineering and design firm is seeking a Technician/CAD Operator to assist staff designers & engineers. Candidate is multi-task oriented, independently motivated, has advanced computer literacy, and the ability to take ideas from a detailed engineer's sketch to a final CAD drawing. Technical drafting and mechanical drawing skills required. General technical and mechanical knowledge a plus. Interest in ecological systems and solar energy and greenhouse design also a plus. Experience with ArchiCAD in a Macintosh environment is preferred.

Please send resume to:
Sustainable Strategies
Attn: David Del Porto
50 Beharrell Street
Concord, MA 01742, USA
Phone: +1 (978) 369-9440
Fax: +1 (978) 369-2484
e-mail: sustainable@aics.net

Came in Jan. 28, 2000 AS

Small Towns Electronic Conference

as/ds. The third conference on small towns water and sanitation provision is planned to take place between January 31 and March 10, 2000. This electronic conference offers the opportunity to draw attention to town water supply and sanitation, to share experience, and to collectively build the foundation for a small towns initiative. The conference will aim to draft basic principles and best practices for the delivery of town water supply and sanitation services, and collect practical information that would be useful to those embarking on or refining such programs.

There will be three sessions. The first will focus on definitions (What's a small town?), the second on management models (How should small town water supplies be managed and operated?), and the third on basic principles and best practices for two or three management models. During the first session participants are invited to present a case study from their experience.

If you want to join this conference, simply send a message asking to subscribe to the list owner at: sup-request@mailbase.ac.uk

Once you have subscribed to this list, you will receive further information about the forthcoming conference. Other information and resources about the e-conference can be found at: http://www.oneworld.org/thinktank/water/index.html .

Internet Conference on Material Flow Analysis of Integrated Bio-Systems

as/jf. In March 2000, the 1st session of the Internet Conference on Material Flow Analysis of Integrated Bio-Systems (March-Oct 2000) willl start with 4 paper discussions:

1. Kangmin Li & Qiuhua Wang (P R China) : Digester Fishpond Interaction in Integrated Biomass System (listname: ET-VENUS)
2. Julian David Chara & Elkin Dario Pulido (Colombia) : Material flow in "Pozo Verde" Integrated Farm in Cauca Valley Province, Colombia.(listname: ET-LOKE)
3. Paul Adler (USA) : Phytoremediation of aquaculture effluents. (listname: ET-TOR)
4. Punya Prasad Regmi (Nepal) : Resource flow Analysis of the Nepalese Mountain Farming System (listname: ET-FREJ)

Each paper discussion will be conducted via a LISTSERV mailing list. To join a paper discussion of your choice you need to join the respective mailing list - either by email or via its web interface for the mailing list at http://segate.sunet.se/archives/

Joining by email: address an email to listserv@segate.sunet.se and use the subscription command: SUB listname yourfirstname yourlastname