M.S. Student Patti Jones wins first place at conference: Patti Jones, who is currently finishing up her M.S. degree in our laboratory, took first place in the Best Oral Presentation at the Rocky Mountain Water Environment Federation/American Water Works Association Annual Student Conference, held May 12, 2009 at the University of Wyoming. Her talk was titled "New Insights to Causes of Activated Sludge Settling Problems: Seasonal and Effects on Biomass Density," and detailed new insights about how biomass density is an important factor affecting solids separation in full scale wastewater treatment.

Busch Award: Dr. Schuler received the annual Water Environment Research Foundation Paul L. Busch Award for the research project Surface Chemistry and Microtopographic Design of Attachment Surfaces:  Engineering Biofilms for Improved Microconstituent Removal. Dr. Schuler formally received the award at a luncheon at the Water Environment Federation Annual Conference (WEFTEC 2008) this October. Please contact Dr. Schuler for more information, or read more about this research project and the award here.

August 2008: The New Centennial Engineering Center is open! Our new 140,000 square foot facility officially opened in September of this year, and houses the Civil Engineering and a portion of the Chemical/Nuclear Engineering Departments. Key features for the Schuler Lab include plenty of new space for the Environmental Engineering labs, including two walk-in cold rooms and specifically dedicated labs for bioreactors, molecular measurements, epifluorescent microscopy, and analytical equipment. Our labs adjoin the Center for Biomedical Engineering and other Chemical Engineering labs are just down the hall - this is particularly exciting for our new research directions.

Job and research opportunities:
Undergraduate work-study students and research assistants: Undergraduate students with interests in water quality, microbiology, and/or mathematical modeling should contact Dr. Schuler about opportunities for working in the UNM Environmental Engineering Lab. Please be prepared to provide a brief description of your qualifications and interests. This is an excellent opportunity for motivated students to gain exposure to laboratory research and environmental analyses.

Postdoctoral associate on agent-based modeling: This position has been filled.

Is your wastewater treatment plant experiencing settling problems? Recent research in our laboratory has demonstrated that low bacterial density is an important factor in some systems - see our recent publications on density and sedimentation in Environmental Science and Technology, Water Research, and Water Environment Research. Please contact Dr. Schuler if you have a plant that you suspect is experiencing settling problems, and you'd like to send in a sample for a free density analysis.

Our integrated fixed film activated sludge pilot scale research system at the South Durham Water Reclamation facility is now up and running. With funding from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, we have built a pilot scale system to develop a promising technology for improved wastewater treatment: integrated fixed film activated sludge technologies (IFAS). This is a collaboration with Entex Technologies of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, as well as membrane and clarifier manufacturers, engineering consultants, and the City of Durham. Read more here.

Contact information

Andrew J. Schuler, Ph.D. (Andy Schuler)
Assistant Professor
Department of Civil Engineering, University of New Mexico
MSC01 1070
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131-0001

Packages can be sent to: 3020 Centennial Engineering Center

Office: 3052 Centennial Engineering Center
Phone: (505)277-4556
Fax: (505)277-1988
schuler@unm.edu