George Tchobanoglous (born May 24, 1935) is an American

civil Civil may refer to: *Civility, orderly behavior and politeness *Civic virtue, the cultivation of habits important for the success of a society *Civil (journalism) ''The Colorado Sun'' is an online news outlet based in Denver, Colorado. It lau ...

and

environmental engineer Environmental engineers conduct hazardous-waste management studies to evaluate the significance of such hazards, advise on treatment and containment, and develop regulations to prevent mishaps. Environmental engineers also design municipal water ...

, writer and professor.

Biography

George Tchobanoglous was born in the United States to Greek immigrant parents.George Tchobanoglous (2003)
The Importance of Decentralized Wastewater Management in the Twenty-first Century
, 2003 Clarke Lecture, National Water Research Institute, page 12. He received a BS in

civil engineering Civil engineering is a regulation and licensure in engineering, professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads ...

from the University of the Pacific, an MS in

sanitary engineering Sanitary engineering or sanitation engineering, also known as public health engineering or wastewater engineering, is the application of engineering methods to improve sanitation of human communities, primarily by providing the removal and disp ...

from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

, and a PhD in

environmental engineering Environmental engineering is a professional engineering Academic discipline, discipline related to environmental science. It encompasses broad Science, scientific topics like chemistry, biology, ecology, geology, hydraulics, hydrology, microbiolo ...

from

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

. Rolf Eliassen was his PhD adviser at Stanford.Dr. George Tchobanoglous Is Awarded the 2003 Clarke Prize],
National Water Research Institute Briefings
'', volume 12, number 2, Summer 2003, page 8. He joined the faculty of the

University of California, Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Davis, California, United States. It is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University ...

, in 1970 and remained there for the rest of his professional career, teaching courses on water and

wastewater treatment Wastewater treatment is a process which removes and eliminates contaminants from wastewater. It thus converts it into an effluent that can be returned to the water cycle. Once back in the water cycle, the effluent creates an acceptable impact on ...

and solid waste management. He has said "the University has basically been my life." He is now a

professor emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retirement, retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". ...

in the university's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He is a former president of the

Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP) is made up of professors in academic programs throughout the world who provide education in the sciences and technologies of environmental protection. The headquarters are lo ...

. Tchobanoglous and his wife, Rosemary Ash Tchobanoglous, are the parents of three daughters.

Research

Tchobanoglous' principal research interests are in the general areas of

water reuse Water reclamation is the process of converting municipal wastewater or sewage and industrial wastewater into water that can be reused for a variety of purposes. It is also called wastewater reuse, water reuse or water recycling. There are many ty ...

, and solid waste management. In the 1970s he studied the use of

constructed wetland A constructed wetland is an artificial wetland to treat sewage, greywater, stormwater runoff or Industrial wastewater treatment, industrial wastewater. It may also be designed for land reclamation after mining, or as a Flood mitigation, mitigatio ...

s for wastewater treatment. One application of his findings was in his assistance to the city of

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

in establishing an

aquaculture Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g. Nelu ...

facility that remained in use for more than 20 years. For the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) he directed the development of a series of four regional guidance manuals on the restoration, rehabilitation, and creation of

salt marsh A salt marsh, saltmarsh or salting, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. I ...

es.Dr. George Tchobanoglous Is Awarded the 2003 Clarke Prize],
National Water Research Institute Briefings
'', volume 12, number 2, Summer 2003, page 1. Tchobanoglous' investigations of

filtration Filtration is a physical separation process that separates solid matter and fluid from a mixture using a ''filter medium'' that has a complex structure through which only the fluid can pass. Solid particles that cannot pass through the filte ...

technologies for wastewater treatment led to California state approval of five alternative technologies in addition to the two conventional technologies that had been approved as of the early 1970s.Dr. George Tchobanoglous Is Awarded the 2003 Clarke Prize],
National Water Research Institute Briefings
'', volume 12, number 2, Summer 2003, pages 1 and 8. His work in the use of UV water disinfection, ultraviolet radiation for wastewater disinfection began in the early 1990s, when he investigated the potential to use UV to disinfect wastewater in order to reclaim it for reuse. Guidelines for UV disinfection that he helped to draft in 1993 became "the standard" U.S. resource on this topic and helped foster the acceptance of UV disinfection as a technology for water reuse. In the 2000s, Tchobanoglous focused his attention on decentralized wastewater management, delivering numerous speeches on the challenge of providing effective systems to collect, treat, and reuse or disperse wastewater produced in locations where it is not practicable to provide

sanitary sewer A sanitary sewer is an underground pipe or tunnel system for transporting sewage from houses and commercial buildings (but not stormwater) to a sewage treatment plant or disposal. Sanitary sewers are a type of gravity sewer and are part of ...

s and centralized wastewater treatment.George Tchobanoglous (2003)
The Importance of Decentralized Wastewater Management in the Twenty-first Century
, 2003 Clarke Lecture, National Water Research Institute, pages 2–14.

Students

Tchobanoglous has advised many of the students that have become thought leaders on their own, including: Harold Leverenz, (PhD 2008) - currently a researcher at UC Davis
David Austin, (MS 1996) - currently with Jacobs Engineering Group
Dave Maciolek, (MS 1995) - currently with Aqua Nova Engineering

Publications

Tchobanoglous is the author or coauthor of over 650 publications, including 27

textbook A textbook is a book containing a comprehensive compilation of content in a branch of study with the intention of explaining it. Textbooks are produced to meet the needs of educators, usually at educational institutions, but also of learners ( ...

s, and 8 engineering

reference book A reference work is a document, such as a Academic publishing#Scholarly paper, paper, book or periodical literature, periodical (or their electronic publishing, electronic equivalents), to which one can refer for information. The information ...

s. His textbooks are in use in more than 225 U.S. educational institutions. He also provided editorial consulting for the book series ''Water Resources and Environmental Engineering'', from

McGraw-Hill McGraw Hill is an American education science company that provides educational content, software, and services for students and educators across various levels—from K-12 to higher education and professional settings. They produce textbooks, ...

and provides national and international consulting for governments and private companies.

Presentations

He has given more than 675 technical presentations, with more than 450 as an invited or keynote speaker, in the United States and abroad, including Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and South America. During the last 10 years most of the presentations have been invited lectures or Keynote Addresses.

Awards

Tchobanoglous received the

Athalie Richardson Irvine Clarke Prize The Athalie Richardson Irvine Clarke Prize, or “Clarke Prize”, is awarded annually by the National Water Research Institute (NWRI) of Fountain Valley, California. It consists of a medallion and $50,000 award for demonstrated excellence in the ...

from

National Water Research Institute The National Water Research Institute (NWRI), a 501(c)(3) California nonprofit organization, was founded in 1991. NWRI Collaborates with water utilities, regulators, and researchers in innovative ways to help develop new healthy, and sustainable s ...

in 2003. In 2004, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Award for Research and Education in Integrated Waste Management from the

Waste-to-energy Waste-to-energy (WtE) or energy-from-waste (EfW) refers to a series of processes designed to convert waste materials into usable forms of energy, typically electricity or heat. As a form of energy recovery, WtE plays a crucial role in both wa ...

Research and Technology Council and was inducted into the

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American Nonprofit organization, nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. It is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), along with the National Academ ...

. In 2005, he was awarded an

honorary An honorary position is one given as an honor, with no duties attached, and without payment. Other uses include: * Honorary Academy Award, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, United States * Honorary Aryan, a status in Nazi Germany ...

doctorate by the

Colorado School of Mines The Colorado School of Mines (Mines) is a public research university in Golden, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1874, the school offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, science, and mathematics, with a focus on ener ...

. In 2006, he was the Distinguished Lecturer for the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering,

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

, Austin, Texas. In 2007, he received the Frederick George Pohland Medal awarded by

American Academy of Environmental Engineers The American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (AAEES) is a society of professional engineers and scientists who have demonstrated special expertise in environmental engineering or science beyond that normally required for professi ...

and the

. In 2017, he received Honorary Doctor of Engineering Degrees from the Technical University of Crete, Greece and Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. In 2019, he was elected Corresponding Member of the Academy of Athens.

George and Rosemary Tchobanoglous Fellowship

In 1999, the University of California, Davis, established an endowed fellowship for graduate students in environmental engineering, named for George and Rosemary Tchobanoglous. The fellowship is awarded to students working toward master's degrees without an expectation of candidacy for a doctorate. Tchobanoglous has supported the fellowship through donations. The focus on master's degree students is based on Tchobanoglous' concern that these students often lack access to the financial resources that are available to PhD students who can obtain funding by writing their own research proposals.

Selected books

; Sole author * ''Wastewater management''. Gale Research Co., 1976 * ''Solid wastes''. McGraw-Hill, 1977 * ''Solutions manual to accompany Metcalf & Eddy, Inc.'' McGraw-Hill, 1979 * ''Wastewater engineering, treatment, disposal, reuse Solutions manual to accompany Metcalf & Eddy, Inc.'' McGraw-Hill, 1979 * ''Wastewater engineering, treatment, disposal, reuse.'' McGraw-Hill, 1979 * ''Water quality.'' Addison-Wesley, 1985 * ''Wastewater Engineering.'' Mcgraw-Hill College, November 1990 * ''Integrated solid waste management.'' McGraw-Hill, 1993 ; With others * ''Wastewater Engineering Treatment Disposal Reuse'' by George Tchobanoglous and Metcalf & Eddy. McGraw-Hill Companies, 1991 * ''Wastewater Engineering'' by George Tchobanoglous and H. David Stensel. McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math, 2002 * ''Handbook of Solid Waste Management'' by George Tchobanoglous and

Frank Kreith Frank Kreith (15 December 1922 – 8 January 2018)Obituaries
American Society of Mechanical Engin ...

. McGraw-Hill Professional, 2002 * ''Water Reuse'' by George Tchobanoglous, Metcalf & Eddy, Inc. an AECOM Company, Takashi Asano, Franklin L. Burton, Harold L. Leverenz and Ryujiro Tsuchihashi. McGraw-Hill Professional, 2007

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tchobanoglous, George American civil engineers Engineering academics American environmental scientists Stanford University alumni University of California, Berkeley alumni University of California, Davis faculty University of the Pacific (United States) alumni 1935 births Living people American writers of Greek descent Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering American male writers