OU Environmental Engineering Students Recognized at ASRS Meeting

Two current members of the Center for Restoration of Ecosystems and Watersheds (CREW) have received top honors from the American Society of Reclamation Sciences (ASRS), an international society focusing on land reclamation and the protection and enhancement of soil and water resources.

OU doctoral student Nick Shepherd received first place in the ASRS Best Student Oral Presentation. A CREW member, Shepherd conducts research on watershed biogeochemistry and ecological engineering. His studies revolve around mine drainage at the Tar Creek Superfund Site ranging from the physical and chemical characterization of mine drainage to the biological impacts on receiving aquatic ecosystems.

OU doctoral student M’Kenzie Dorman was awarded second place in the ASRS Best Student Oral Presentation. Her research focuses on the passive treatment of acid mine drainage to create more sustainable treatment processes that limit the footprint and resources required to properly treat mine drainage. Her interests in the environmental field are concentrated on meeting the safety, cost and efficacy standards of both industries and people.

More than 200 attended the organization’s 39th annual meeting held June 12-16 in Duluth, Minnesota. Robert Nairn, David L. Boren Professor and Viersen Presidential Professor in the School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences, serves as CREW director. Ten of the 200 attendees were current or former students mentored by Nairn.

ASRS had not met since 2019 and additional awards related to CREW members were also announced in Duluth. They are:

• 2020 BS-level Memorial Scholarship: Kristen Soucheck (OU BS EnvE 2021)
• 2020 MS-level Memorial Scholarship: M’Kenzie Dorman (OU MS EnvE 2019)
• 2020 Distinction in Reclamation Award: BioMost Inc. for the Southeast Commerce Passive Treatment System
• 2021 BS-level Memorial Scholarship: Hannah Curtis (OU BS EnvE 2021)
• 2021 PhD-level Memorial Scholarship: Brandon Holzbauer-Schweitzer (OU PhD ES 2021)
• 2021 Reclamation Researcher of the Year Award: Bill Strosnider (OU PhD EnvE 2010)

“I am incredibly proud of all my students and especially gratified that the hard work of Nick and M’Kenzie were recognized by a professional organization like ASRS,” Nairn said.

OU's Kianoosh Hatami Elected American Society of Civil Engineers Fellow

Kianoosh Hatami, a professor in the School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science in the Gallogly College of Engineering, has been elected to fellow status by the American Society of Civil Engineers, an honor held by only 3% of ASCE members.

Hatami, a President’s Associates Presidential Professor, joined the University of Oklahoma in 2004. A well-known scholar in geosynthetics and soil reinforcement, he has five U.S. and international patents and more than 135 peer-reviewed technical publications. He has received numerous academic achievement awards from OU.

In addition to being an ASCE Fellow, Hatami has been recognized by organizations that include McMaster University and the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, Southern Plains Transportation Center, Oklahoma Transportation Center and Oklahoma Department of Transportation. He has received industry support from many global manufacturers in geosynthetics and soil reinforcement.

Hatami holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, a master’s degree in hydraulic structures and a doctorate in structural engineering. Before joining OU, he was an associate research director at the Royal Military College and Queen's University, both in Canada.