Resume

• 2011

  PhD

  Environmental Engineering

  Air and Waste Management Association\nAmerican Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists\nAssociation of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors\nWater Environment Federation

  University of Central Florida

• 2008

  M.S.Env.E.

  Environmental Engineering

  Air and Waste Management Association\nAmerican Academy of Environmental Engineers\nAssociation of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors\nSociety of Environmental Engineers\nSolid Waste Association of North America\nTau Chi Alpha\nWater Environment Federation

  University of Central Florida

  Design of Air Pollution Controls

  Current Topics in Environmental Chemistry

  Theory/Practice of Atmospheric Dispersion

  Hazardous Waste Incineration

  Groundwater Hydrology

  Water Policy

  Biological Treatment Systems

  Chemical and Biological Processes

  Sludge Management Operations

  Physical/Chemical Treatment Systems

  Hydraulic Engineering

  Aquatic Chemistry

• 2004

  Bachelor of Science

  Chemistry

  Benton Engineering Council\nSociety of Health and Medical Physics Students\nPhi Sigma Rho (Fall 2005)

• Nanotechnology

  Water

  Water Quality

  Recycling

  Water Resources

  Solid Waste

  Waste Management

  Hazardous Waste Management

  Environmental Awareness

  Environmental Permitting

  Environmental Compliance

  Sustainability

  Groundwater

  Wastewater Treatment

  Environmental Impact Assessment

  Environmental Issues

  Hydrology

  ArcGIS

  Environmental Engineering

  Grand Challenges - Management of Municipal Solid Waste

  Grand Challenges - Management of Municipal Solid Waste

  The Role of Landfills in US Sustainable Waste Managament

  Navigating the Academic Job Search for Environmental Engineers: Guidance for Job Seekers and Mentors

  This research sought to understand the behavior of engineered nanoparticles in landfill leachate by examining the interactions between nanoparticles and leachate components. The primary foci of this paper are the effects of ZnO

  TiO2

  and Ag nanoparticles on biological landfill processes and the form of Zn

  Ti

  and Ag in leachate following the addition of nanoparticles. Insight into the behavior of nanoparticles in landfill leachate was gained from the observed increase in the aqueous concentrations over background for Zn

  Ti

  and Ag in some tested leachates attributed to leachate components interacting with the nanoparticle coatings resulting in dispersion

  dissolution/dissociation

  and/or agglomeration. Coated nanoparticles did not affect biological processes when added to leachate; five-day biochemical oxygen demand and biochemical methane potential results were not statistically different when exposed to nanoparticles

  presumably due to the low concentration of dissolved free ionic forms of the associated metals resulting from the interaction with leachate components. Chemical speciation modeling predicted that dissolved Zn in leachate was primarily associated with dissolved organic matter

  Ti with hydroxide

  and Ag with hydrogen sulfide and ammonia; less than 1% of dissolved Zn and Ag was in the free ionic form

  and free ionic Ti and Ag concentrations were negligible.

  Behavior of Engineered Nanoparticles in Landfill Leachate

  Nicole Berge

  Emerging contaminants: Nanomaterial fate in landfills

  This research sought to compare the effectiveness of three landfill enhanced treatment approaches aimed at removing releasable carbon and nitrogen after anaerobic landfilling including flushing with clean water (FB 1)

  leachate recirculation with ex-situ treatment (FB 2)

  and leachate recirculation with ex-situ treatment and in-situ aeration (FB 3). After extensive treatment of the waste in the FB scenarios

  the overall solids and biodegradable fraction were reduced relative to the mature anaerobically treated waste. In terms of the overall degradation

  aeration did not provide any advantage over flushing and anaerobic treatment. Flushing was the most effective approach at removing biodegradable components (i.e. cellulose and hemicellulose). Leachate quality improved for all FBs but through different mechanisms. A significant reduction in ammonia–nitrogen occurred in FB 1 and 3 due to flushing and aeration

  respectively. The reduction of chemical oxygen demand (COD) in FB 1 was primarily due to flushing. Conversely

  the reduction in COD in FBs 2 and 3 was due to oxidation and precipitation during Fenton’s Reagent treatment. A mass balance on carbon and nitrogen revealed that a significant fraction still remained in the waste despite the additional treatment provided. Carbon was primarily converted biologically to CH4 and CO2 in the FBs or removed during treatment using Fenton’s Reagent. The nitrogen removal occurred through leaching or biological conversion. These results show that under extensive treatment the waste and leachate characteristics did meet published stability values. The minimum stability values achieved were through flushing although FB 2 and 3 were able to improve leachate quality and solid waste characteristics but not to the same extent as FB 1.

  Application of landfill treatment approaches for stabilization of municipal solid waste

  Evaluation of Leachate Dissolved Organic Nitrogen Discharge on Wastewater Effluent Quality

  Evaluation of Leachate Dissolved Organic Nitrogen Discharge on Wastewater Effluent Quality

  To understand the applicability of the termination indicators for landfill municipal solid waste (MSW) with low initial lignin content

  four different accelerated landfill stabilization techniques were applied to anaerobic landfilled waste

  including anaerobic flushing with water

  anaerobic flushing with Fenton-treated leachate

  and aerobic flushing with Fenton-treated and UV/H2O2-treated leachate. Termination indicators

  including total organic carbon (TOC)

  ammonia-N (NH4+-N)

  the ratio of UV absorbance at 254 nm to TOC concentration (SUVA254)

  fluorescence spectra of leachate

  methane production

  oxygen consumption

  lignocellulose content

  and humus-like content were evaluated. Results suggest that oxygen consumption related indicators used as a termination indicator for low-lignin-content MSW were more sensitive than methane consumption related indicators. Aeration increased humic acid (HA) and (HA + FA)/HyI content by 2.9 and 1.7 times compared to the anaerobically stabilized low-lignin-content MSW. On the other hand

  both the fulvic acid (FA) and hydrophilic (HyI) fractions remained constant regardless of stabilization technique. The target value developed for low-lignin-content MSW was quite different than developed countries mainly due to low residual biodegradable organic carbon content in stabilized low-lignin-content MSW.

  Evaluation of monitoring indicators for the post-closure care of a landfill for MSW characterized with low lignin content

  MSW Leachate Organic Matter Generation and Removal Project Description Final

  Fate of Leachate Organic Matter Discharged to a Wastewater Treatment Plant

  Behavior of Engineered Nanoparticles in Landfill Leachate

  Stephanie

  Bolyard

  National Science Foundation

  Florida Department of Environmental Protection

  Brown and Caldwell

  University of Central Florida

  Environmental Research and Education Foundation

  Data entry of quarterly groundwater quality reports for all Domestic and Industrial Wastewater facilities into WAFR database\n\nProvides help to the staff for technical review matters and generated required documents using WAFR and WACS Databases

  Word

  Excel

  and Power Point.\n\nWastewater Compliance Assurance inspector for Domestic and Industrial Facilities. Completed facility compliance inspections

  reports

  and technical reviews.

  Engineering Specialist

  Orlando

  Florida Area

  Florida Department of Environmental Protection

  University of Central Florida

  Pump and Treat Aerobic Flushing Bioreactor Landfill Project\nConventional landfilling will leave the majority of waste constituents for later release; bioreactor landfilling will leave significantly less

  but recalcitrant organics and ammonia remain problematic. The proposed Pump and Treat Aerobic Flushing Bioreactor Landfill (PTAFBL) will reduce the potential for pollutant leaching

  dramatically shortening the post-closure care period and reducing the potential for long-term adverse environmental impact. The goal of this proposed research is to define the technological requirements of a PTAFBL as a means of sustainable landfilling of municipal solid waste through laboratory-scale simulation of the process. Results will permit quantification of the economics

  pollution reduction potential

  and energy consumption of the process in comparison with traditional and bioreactor landfills.\n\nFate of Nanomaterials in Municipal Solid Waste Landfills\nResponsibilities include evaluating the fate of engineered nanoparticles in municipal solid waste landfills and proposal writing. Specific research focus is on the implications of nanomaterials on aerobic and anaerobic landfills processes

  speciation of nanomaterials under landfills conditions

  and effects of emerging contaminants on leachate treatment.

  Graduate Research Assistant

  Solid and Hazardous Waste Management (ENV 4341) a senior level course

  focusing on engineering design

  planning

  and analysis of problems associated with storage

  collection

  processing

  and disposal of solid and hazardous wastes.

  University of Central Florida

  University of Central Florida

  Orlando

  Florida Area

  Solid and Hazardous Waste Management (ENV 4341) a senior level course

  focusing on engineering design

  planning

  and analysis of problems associated with storage

  collection

  processing

  and disposal of solid and hazardous wastes.

  Graduate Teaching Associate (Instructor of Record)

  Responsibilities include assisting and preparing solid waste management evaluation and plans

  residential recycling feasibility studies

  stormwater pollution prevention plans

  landfill closure stabilization evaluations

  waste characterization studies

  permit applications for solid waste management facilities

  and environmental compliance projects for a large commercial retailer. Basic knowledge of Geographic Information System.

  Engineering Intern

  Orlando

  Florida Area

  Brown and Caldwell

  Raleigh

  NC

  Primary responsibilities include managing the processes for research preproposal/proposal and scholarship application submissions. This position also assists with the negotiation and contracting of funded research grants. Continued management of funded research grants includes validation of progress

  financial status

  and proctoring review of final research reports. Other responsibilities include planning of research council meetings and project review visits. This position is also responsible for pursuing and preparing technically oriented grant applications for receiving funding from other funding institutions (e.g. US EPA

  US DOE

  State agencies

  etc.). \nAdditional responsibilities for this position relate to supporting EREF’s communication mission by preparing summaries for various technical or trade journals. Example summaries could incorporate EREF research and scholarship research efforts

  including aggregation of efforts and results from multiple projects

  or relate to literature reviews of technical topics and summaries of key research findings from grantees. \n

  Research and Scholarships Program Manager

  Environmental Research and Education Foundation

  Solid and Hazardous Waste Management (ENV 4341) a senior level course

  focusing on engineering design

  planning

  and analysis of problems associated with storage

  collection

  processing

  and disposal of solid and hazardous wastes.

  University of Central Florida

  National Science Foundation

  Shanghai

  China

  I conducted research at Tongji University in Shanghai

  China. In addition to conducting research

  I was also an ambassador representing the United States (US) in the areas of science and technology. As an ambassador I participated on panels that were geared towards women in science with a focus on work life balance and had the opportunity to mentor students in my host researcher’s lab.

  NSF EAPSI Fellow

  Student Services Committee Member

  Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors

  American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists

  Member

  UCF Civil

  Environmental

  and Construction Engineering Industrial Advisory Board

  Sustainable Landfilling Task Group

  International Waste Working Group

  University of Central Florida

  2013 National Science Foundation East Asia and Pacific Summer Institute (EAPSI) Fellow

  National Science Foundation

  First Place for Best Student Oral Presentation

  Global Waste Management Symposium

  ATHENA International Emerging Women Leader Fellowship for Fall 2013.

  ATHENA International

  2012 Environmental Research and Education Foundation Doctoral Scholarship Award Recipient

  Environmental Research and Education Foundation

  2012-2013 Wes Eckenfelder Scholarship Recipient

  Brown and Caldwell

  2012-2013 Air and Waste Management Association Master’s Thesis Award Second Place

  Air and Waste Management Association

  2012 Young Professional of the Year

  Florida Air and Waste Management Association

  2012-2013 Richard Stessel Memorial Scholarship for Excellence in Solid and Hazardous Waste Research Recipient

  Air and Waste Management Association

  2014-2015 College of Engineering and Computer Science Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Teaching

  UCF College of Engineering and Computer Science

  Top 30 Alumni Under 30 (Inaugural Class)

  University of Central Florida