Lancaster Co. engineer Dingman is distinguished speaker Thursday at COE Seminar Series
In honor of the Women’s History Month (March), we are thrilled to be hosting the Lancaster County Engineer Pamela L. Dingman as the Distinguished Speaker in this month’s College of Engineering Seminar Series. Pamela Dingman was one of the state’s first female owners of an engineering firm, Engineering Design Consultants. She was named Lancaster County Engineer in December of 2013. Join us for both a presentation and/or meeting with Pamela Dingman this Thursday!
Zoom Presentation:
Thursday, March 18 @ 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Student/Faculty/Staff Meeting:
Thursday, March 18 @ 1:15pm – 2:00pm
Please visit this website to register for the presentation and/or the meeting: https://engineering.unl.edu/register-seminar-series/. A zoom link will be sent to you after your registration. You are welcome to forward information on her presentation to others in the UNL community. Further details about her presentation will be forthcoming.
ABOUT PAMELA DINGMAN
Pamela Dingman was one of the state’s first female owners of an engineering firm, Engineering Design Consultants. She was named Lancaster County Engineer in December 2013.
She is highly experienced in project management and design of civil engineering projects. She has designed detention and water quality facilities since the early 1990s. This experience includes numerous water quality and detention ponds in addition to several channel stabilization projects. She also has extensive experience with subdivision and site design projects, including the design and preparation of plans, specifications, cost estimates and construction advertising, plus construction administration.
Dingman’s professional affiliations include Society of Women Engineers, National Society of Professional Engineers, American Business Women’s Association, Lincoln Independent Business Owners and Rotary
International.
Friday March 19th - Environmental and Water Resources Engineering Graduate Seminar
Dr. Desmond F. Lawler
Nasser I. Al-Rashid Chair Emeritus in Civil Engineering
University Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus, University of Texas
"Natural Organic Matter and Disinfection By-Products in Drinking Water: A New Treatment Approach"
The formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs) has been a primary concern in drinking water treatment since its first discovery nearly 50 years ago. DBPs are formed by the reactions of natural organic matter (NOM) in the water source with the chosen disinfectant, which most often is chlorine; a huge number of DBPs have been identified, but only a few classes of DBPs (trihalomethanes, THMs, and haloacetic acids, HAA5) have been regulated by the EPA. Many of these halogenated organic compounds are, or are suspected to be, carcinogenic. The three approaches to the concentration of DBPs at people’s taps include (1) reducing the amount of NOM available for reaction (primarily accomplished by “enhanced” coagulation or “enhanced” softening(2) changing the disinfectant (e.g., chloramine rather than chlorine) or the mode of disinfection (e.g., UV light), and (3) removing DBPs after formation (by, for example, air stripping). All three of these approaches have limitations; which is a key reason why the issues have remained at the forefront of concern for so long. We have developed a potential major breakthrough to reduce DBPs in drinking water—a hybrid system using electrodialysis (ED) and a pressure membrane (nanofiltration, NF, or reverse osmosis, RO) in a unique series/parallel arrangement. ED is used to temporarily remove inorganic ions from the water but is not effective in removing NOM; the ED diluate is then treated by NF or RO to remove the NOM. Finally, the NF/RO permeate is mixed with (all or part of) the ED concentrate to result in a water with nearly the same inorganic ion concentration of the raw water but drastically reduced NOM. This system is admittedly more complex than the current technologies used to limit DBPs but can drastically improve the reduction of DBPs in many drinking waters. The complexity also means that this system provides designers and operators several more control points (“knobs”) to reduce DBP concentrations in the final water. The same system has other potential uses that we are also exploring, such as reducing boron from ocean waters or from “produced waters” from oil and gas extraction, which would allow agricultural uses of those waters.
Murtaza Nalwala, a recent Civil and Environmental Engineering graduate, received a prize from The American Concrete Institute (ACI) Student Chapter at Texas A&M on his abstract " Investigation in Mechanical Properties of Synthetic Short-Cut Fiber Reinforced Mortars" Continue reading…
Mid-America Transportation Center 2021 Summer Internship Program
Program Description:
The MATC Internship Program partners with private companies, local government, and academia to provide undergraduate students with paid summer internship opportunities in the field of engineering. During this 12-week program, students gain hands-on experience in their area of interest under the mentorship of a professional from organizations such as the Nebraska Department of Transportation, Iteris, Inc., Olsson, City of Lincoln Public Works and Utilities Department, City of Omaha, Felsburg Holt & Ullevig, and JEO Consulting.
Students work 40 hrs/wk while experiencing the day-to-day tasks and responsibilities of their desired career. The program culminates in a written paper and presentation detailing the student’s internship experience.
Preferred Applicants:
• Junior or Senior standing (~50 credit hours as of May 2021)
• 3.0 GPA or higher strongly recommended
• Currently enrolled in a University of Nebraska or MATC affiliated institution
APPLICATION DEADLINE: FRIDAY, APRIL 9, 2021
Diversity in Structural Engineering Scholarship Open for Applications
The NCSEA Diversity in Structural Engineering Scholarship, established by the NCSEA Foundation, will award funding to students who have been traditionally underrepresented in structural engineering, including but not limited to BIPOC - Black/African American, Native/Indigenous American, and other People of Color (such as Latinx).
Who is eligible?
• Any currently enrolled junior college student, undergraduate or graduate-level student who:
• will be registered in the fall term of 2021,
• is a United States citizen, and
• has a passion for structural engineering.
• Students who will employ the scholarship to continue their formal education at a recognized educational institution.
We encourage you to share this with students who qualify.
DEADLINE: April 30, 2021
