Michigan Tech Professor Elected to National Academy of Engineering
HOUGHTON--Dr. John C. Crittenden,
a presidential professor of civil and environmental engineering at Michigan
Technological University, has been elected to the National Academy of
Engineering.
Academy membership honors Americans
who have made "important contributions to engineering theory and
practice" and those who have demonstrated "unusual accomplishment
in the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology."
Crittenden was recognized for
his groundbreaking work in air- and water-treatment technologies, particularly
the development of processes for removing toxic organic compounds. Election
to the academy is one of the highest professional distinctions that can
be accorded to an engineer.
"I'm happy that people
have found our work to be useful, especially in developing technologies
and expertise that provide safe drinking water," Crittenden said.
He and his fellow researchers in Michigan Tech's Environmental Engineering
Center have developed and patented a variety of technologies that remove
dangerous compounds such as benzene from drinking water supplies. Crittenden
and his colleagues have worked with a number of municipalities on issues
of drinking water quality across the U.S., in areas representing more
than half of the U.S. population.
"It is gratifying and
humbling to realize that our work has improved the health and well being
of our nation in such a significant manner," Crittenden said. In
addition, he and his colleagues have been involved in the design of the
water-treatment system for the space station.
"We're really happy to
learn that John has been elected to the academy," said Dr. Robert
Warrington, Michigan Tech's dean of engineering. "It's an honor that
he richly deserves. Dr. Crittenden is among the finest environmental engineers
in the nation, and his work and the work of his colleagues has made a
difference in the lives of millions of Americans. He has dedicated his
life to bettering human health through science and engineering, and we're
thrilled that he's received this recognition."
Crittenden is director of the
EPA-sponsored National Center for Clean Industrial and Treatment Technologies
(CenCITT) and associate editor of the journal "Environmental Science
and Technology." Over the last 20 years, he has directed more than
36 research projects with a total budget of over $26 million and has authored
or coauthored approximately 100 articles and other publications.
A total of 74 U.S. engineers
and seven foreign associates were elected this year into the National
Academy of Engineering. This brings the total U.S. membership to 1,857
active members and 250 members emeriti, and the number of foreign associates
to 158.
Crittenden joined the Michigan
Tech Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in 1979. He earned
a BSE in Chemical Engineering and MSE and PhD degrees in Civil Engineering:
Environmental Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
2/15/02--MTN008
REPORTERS: For more
information on Dr. Crittenden, visit http://www.civil.mtu.edu/people/fac/jcc.html
For more information
on the National Academy of Engineering, visit http://www.nae.edu/2/15/02--MTN008p
