Environmental engineering aims to better the world in many big and important ways. Bruce Rittmann is making outstanding contributions to a very small field of environmental engineering, but one no less important than others: microbes.
Rittmann, Regents’ Professor at the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering and director of the Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology in the Biodesign Institute at ASU, researches the management of microbial communities to provide services to society, including generating renewable energy, cleaning water and soil and improving human health.
The American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists recently recognized him with its 2016 Gordon Maskew Fair Award, which honors engineers and scientists who have contributed to the status of the environmental engineering or science professions.
The award is named after Dean Fair, a pioneer of environmental engineering who began a legacy of environmental science and engineering research and education.
Rittmann has published more than 590 journal articles, books and book chapters, holds five patents with five others pending, and has won numerous prestigious awards and honors.
