NEWS ARCHIVE
Feb 2022
- Mladenov receives the 2022 Outstanding Engineering Educator Award from the San Diego County Engineering Council.
- Welcome new WIRLab volunteers, Bremer De la Cruz and Lena Bagnol, assisting with the Tijuana River monitoring study.
- Mladenov receives the 2022 Outstanding Engineering Educator Award from the San Diego County Engineering Council.
- Welcome new WIRLab volunteers, Bremer De la Cruz and Lena Bagnol, assisting with the Tijuana River monitoring study.
Jan 2022
- Undergraduate Elisa Rivera receives LSAMP funding to study anammox bacteria enrichment methods for nitrogen-removal from anaerobically-treated wastewater.
- Undergraduate Elisa Rivera receives LSAMP funding to study anammox bacteria enrichment methods for nitrogen-removal from anaerobically-treated wastewater.
Dec 2021
- WIRLab and SafeWaTER Lab graduate student, Alma Rocha, in the news for receiving the Sally Cassanova Scholarship. Read the story here!
- WIRLab and SafeWaTER Lab graduate student, Alma Rocha, in the news for receiving the Sally Cassanova Scholarship. Read the story here!
Nov 2021
- Welcome to our new WIRLab volunteers, Grace McKenzie, Tasia Meyer, and Kameron Lumanlan!
- Welcome to our new WIRLab volunteers, Grace McKenzie, Tasia Meyer, and Kameron Lumanlan!
Aug 2021
- Welcome to our new WIRLab graduate students, Kelly Hollman and Keyshawn Ford!
- Congratulations to Kelly Hollman for receiving the SDSU Master's Scholarship!
- Welcome to our new WIRLab graduate students, Kelly Hollman and Keyshawn Ford!
- Congratulations to Kelly Hollman for receiving the SDSU Master's Scholarship!
May 2021
- Congratulations to Lily Astete Vasquez for passing her Qualifying Exams for the Joint PhD Program in Mechanical Engineering (UCSD) and Civil/Environmental Engineering (SDSU)!
- Congratulations to Alma Rocha, who received the Sally Casanova Scholarship and the WEFTEC Conference Scholarship.
- We also welcome undergraduate students, Elisa Rivera and Elijah Sowumni, who are joining WIRLab this summer!
- Congratulations to Lily Astete Vasquez for passing her Qualifying Exams for the Joint PhD Program in Mechanical Engineering (UCSD) and Civil/Environmental Engineering (SDSU)!
- Congratulations to Alma Rocha, who received the Sally Casanova Scholarship and the WEFTEC Conference Scholarship.
- We also welcome undergraduate students, Elisa Rivera and Elijah Sowumni, who are joining WIRLab this summer!
April 2021
Congratulations WIRLab students!
- Federick Pinongcos was awarded a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship. Congratulations Fed! Fed also won best oral presentation at the 2021 Pacific Northwest Water Research Symposium.
- Lily Astete-Vasquez was awarded the Society of American Military Engineers Scholarship! Lily also represented SDSU at the CSU-wide Research Symposium.
- Alma Rocha placed in the top 5 at the American Water Works Association National Conference Student Poster Event.
Congratulations WIRLab students!
- Federick Pinongcos was awarded a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship. Congratulations Fed! Fed also won best oral presentation at the 2021 Pacific Northwest Water Research Symposium.
- Lily Astete-Vasquez was awarded the Society of American Military Engineers Scholarship! Lily also represented SDSU at the CSU-wide Research Symposium.
- Alma Rocha placed in the top 5 at the American Water Works Association National Conference Student Poster Event.
March 2021
Congratulations are in order!
- Lily Astete-Vasquez and Denise Garcia were both awarded the prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship!
- Lily Astete-Vasquez received the President's Award at the SDSU Student Research Symposium.
- Alma Rocha received the Provost's Award at the SDSU Student Research Symposium. Alma Rocha also received 1st place for her poster on SARS-CoV-2 in natural waters at the American Water Works Association CA-NV Conference.
Congratulations are in order!
- Lily Astete-Vasquez and Denise Garcia were both awarded the prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship!
- Lily Astete-Vasquez received the President's Award at the SDSU Student Research Symposium.
- Alma Rocha received the Provost's Award at the SDSU Student Research Symposium. Alma Rocha also received 1st place for her poster on SARS-CoV-2 in natural waters at the American Water Works Association CA-NV Conference.
January 2021
Kristen Snyder and other members of WIRLab and the Hoh Lab report on the release of the 488 persistent and potentially toxic water soluble compounds from the 2015 Refugio Oil Spill near Santa Barbara, which is more than 3 times as many as were released from a nearby natural oil seep. Our study has just been published open access in Marine Pollution Bulletin.
Kristen Snyder and other members of WIRLab and the Hoh Lab report on the release of the 488 persistent and potentially toxic water soluble compounds from the 2015 Refugio Oil Spill near Santa Barbara, which is more than 3 times as many as were released from a nearby natural oil seep. Our study has just been published open access in Marine Pollution Bulletin.
December 2020
Congratulations!!!
Federick Pinongcos received the Robert L. Wiegel Scholarship for Coastal Studies from the San Diego Foundation for his research on San Diego River pollution during storm events.
Congratulations!!!
Federick Pinongcos received the Robert L. Wiegel Scholarship for Coastal Studies from the San Diego Foundation for his research on San Diego River pollution during storm events.
November 2020
WIRLab Director Mladenov is part of a team selected to study microfibers and micro-tire wear particles, their chemical inputs and toxicity in coastal waters, for the COAST State Science Information Needs Program.
WIRLab Director Mladenov is part of a team selected to study microfibers and micro-tire wear particles, their chemical inputs and toxicity in coastal waters, for the COAST State Science Information Needs Program.
October 2020
Congratulations!!!
Kristen Snyder (MS 2019) was recognized at the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors Awards Banquet for receiving the MS Thesis Award, one of only two awards given in 2020 for an outstanding Environmental Engineering/Science thesis.
SDSU, ROCK THE VOTE!!!
Congratulations!!!
Kristen Snyder (MS 2019) was recognized at the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors Awards Banquet for receiving the MS Thesis Award, one of only two awards given in 2020 for an outstanding Environmental Engineering/Science thesis.
SDSU, ROCK THE VOTE!!!
September 2020
Congratulations to these WIRLab members!
- WIRLab and SDSU alum, Cari Campbell is recognized in the CA-NV AWWA Spotlight
- MS student Alma Rocha awarded the Leonard Endowment Scholarship.
- JDP student Rachel Astete Vasquez awarded the Global Policy & Strategy Science Policy Fellowship at UCSD
- MS students Alma Rocha and Fed Pinongcos received the McMahon Chi Epsilon Scholarship
Congratulations to these WIRLab members!
- WIRLab and SDSU alum, Cari Campbell is recognized in the CA-NV AWWA Spotlight
- MS student Alma Rocha awarded the Leonard Endowment Scholarship.
- JDP student Rachel Astete Vasquez awarded the Global Policy & Strategy Science Policy Fellowship at UCSD
- MS students Alma Rocha and Fed Pinongcos received the McMahon Chi Epsilon Scholarship
July 2020
- MS student Fed Pinongcos successfully defends his MS thesis on sources of microbial contamination in the San Diego - River during storm events. Congratulations Fed!
- MS student Alma Rocha awarded the 2020 SDSU Master's Research Scholarship!
- MS student Fed Pinongcos successfully defends his MS thesis on sources of microbial contamination in the San Diego - River during storm events. Congratulations Fed!
- MS student Alma Rocha awarded the 2020 SDSU Master's Research Scholarship!
June 10, 2020
#ShutDownAcademia #ShutDownSTEM #BlackInSTEM #BlackInTheIvory
-Take the day to research the systemic racism that continues to plague academia. We have to face anti-black racism and cannot continue business as usual.
-Some resources on anti-black racism here.
-Links to increasing transparency in recruiting, supporting racial justice, pledge to support SDSU's African American Community.
This is only a start.
#ShutDownAcademia #ShutDownSTEM #BlackInSTEM #BlackInTheIvory
-Take the day to research the systemic racism that continues to plague academia. We have to face anti-black racism and cannot continue business as usual.
-Some resources on anti-black racism here.
-Links to increasing transparency in recruiting, supporting racial justice, pledge to support SDSU's African American Community.
This is only a start.
May 2020
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Bioluminescence from the April/May 2020 red tide event at San Diego area beaches captured in this 3d fluorescence scan, which serves as a "fingerprint" that can track the algal (dinoflagellate) bloom.
-Water sample collected on April 30, 2020 near Encinitas, CA -Fluorescence at ultraviolet (325 nm) and visible (670-690 nm) wavelengths of the spectrum due to energy emitted from the algae and compounds they exude. Research inspired by undergraduate student Ciara Atencio |
April 2020
- SDSU publishes News Center article about WIRLab research on fluorescence-based sensors tracking sewage contamination in urban rivers.
- New San Diego River Contamination Study by WIRLab, SafeWaTER Lab, and other SDSU colleagues identifies untreated wastewater as a major source of microbial pollution in the San Diego River and its tributaries.
- SDSU publishes News Center article about WIRLab research on fluorescence-based sensors tracking sewage contamination in urban rivers.
- New San Diego River Contamination Study by WIRLab, SafeWaTER Lab, and other SDSU colleagues identifies untreated wastewater as a major source of microbial pollution in the San Diego River and its tributaries.
March 2020
- WIRLab in the news on Eureka Alert for recent article on fluorescence-based sensors tracking sewage contamination in urban rivers.
- JDP student Rachel Astete Vasquez awarded Society of American Military Engineers San Diego Post Scholarship to recognize her academic achievements. Congratulations Rachel!
- WIRLab in the news on Eureka Alert for recent article on fluorescence-based sensors tracking sewage contamination in urban rivers.
- JDP student Rachel Astete Vasquez awarded Society of American Military Engineers San Diego Post Scholarship to recognize her academic achievements. Congratulations Rachel!
February 2020
- Mendoza et al. paper on fluorescence tracking of sewage inputs to rivers accepted in Science of the Total Environment!
- Denise Garcia awarded Women In Engineering Award at the SDSU Student Research Symposium (SRS) for her poster presentation, "Performance Evaluation of a Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Plant in Tijuana, B.C."
- Garcia, Pinongcos, Rocha, Gil, and Aponte all presented their research at SRS. Great job everyone!
- Mendoza et al. paper on fluorescence tracking of sewage inputs to rivers accepted in Science of the Total Environment!
- Denise Garcia awarded Women In Engineering Award at the SDSU Student Research Symposium (SRS) for her poster presentation, "Performance Evaluation of a Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Plant in Tijuana, B.C."
- Garcia, Pinongcos, Rocha, Gil, and Aponte all presented their research at SRS. Great job everyone!
January 2020
- Sanchez et al. paper on fluorescent compounds retained by ultrafiltration membranes accepted by Journal of Membrane Science!
- Gearing up for storm sampling and intense experimental work with lab-scale membrane bioreactors in 2020!
WIRLab has been renovated... well, repainted at least! Check out our new look!
- Sanchez et al. paper on fluorescent compounds retained by ultrafiltration membranes accepted by Journal of Membrane Science!
- Gearing up for storm sampling and intense experimental work with lab-scale membrane bioreactors in 2020!
WIRLab has been renovated... well, repainted at least! Check out our new look!
November 2019
- Mladenov serves as Commentator at the Re-Border Binational Conference: El Agua Que Compartimos in San Diego, and Tijuana. Fed Pinongcos, Alma Rocha, and Lauren Steinberg present their research posters at the conference on day 2 in Tijuana!
- Elizabeth Winterton, Jeremy Monroe, Mia Gil, and Alex Kinney present their research at the Southern California Conferences on Undergraduate Research (SCCUR 2019) at Cal State San Marcos
- Mladenov serves as Commentator at the Re-Border Binational Conference: El Agua Que Compartimos in San Diego, and Tijuana. Fed Pinongcos, Alma Rocha, and Lauren Steinberg present their research posters at the conference on day 2 in Tijuana!
- Elizabeth Winterton, Jeremy Monroe, Mia Gil, and Alex Kinney present their research at the Southern California Conferences on Undergraduate Research (SCCUR 2019) at Cal State San Marcos
October 2019
Applications now being accepted for US-Brazil Water and Sustainability Summer Research Program. Conduct undergraduate and graduate research in Brazil in summer 2020 on water and sanitation systems. Application deadline Dec 2, 2019.
Fed Pinongcos awarded the AEP Scholarship. Congratulations Fed!
Dr. Kinoshita's and Dr. Mladenov's Alvarado Creek research featured on sdsu.edu homepage
Volunteers Wanted! Field and lab research on post-fire water quality of urban streams. Contact margot.SDSU @ gmail.com for more information.
Applications now being accepted for US-Brazil Water and Sustainability Summer Research Program. Conduct undergraduate and graduate research in Brazil in summer 2020 on water and sanitation systems. Application deadline Dec 2, 2019.
Fed Pinongcos awarded the AEP Scholarship. Congratulations Fed!
Dr. Kinoshita's and Dr. Mladenov's Alvarado Creek research featured on sdsu.edu homepage
Volunteers Wanted! Field and lab research on post-fire water quality of urban streams. Contact margot.SDSU @ gmail.com for more information.
September 2019
- WIRLab is recruiting MS students for new research projects
- Fed Pinongcos awarded the Carrol Forrest Memorial Watershed Management Scholarship. Congratulations Fed!
- Clack et al. paper on bacteria transferred to duckweed in wastewater polishing ponds is published in Bioresource Technology Reports
- Steinberg presents poster on CECs in US and South Africa wastewater at the WateReuse Conference, San Diego
August 2019
- Mladenov presents to the CHEM Business division on decentralized water reuse at ACS San Diego
- Steinberg presents about non-targeted analysis collaboration and Pinongcos presents poster on anthropogenic contaminants in the San Diego River at ACS, San Diego
June/July 2019
Congratulations WIRLab Grad Students!
Congratulations WIRLab Grad Students!
- Fed Pinongcos receives ASCE Pipeline Environmental Scholarship!
- JDP student Rachel Astete Vasquez receives SDSU University Graduate Fellowship!
- JDP student Rachel Astete Vasquez receives American Water Works Association Woodard & Curran Scholarship!
- JDP student Rachel Astete Vasquez receives Society of American Military Engineers Jackie Price Dunn scholarship!
May 2019
Congratulations WIRLab Graduates!
Congratulations WIRLab Graduates!
- Anita Sanchez, BS in ENVE: going on to PhD Program at Cornell!
- Lorelay Mendoza, BS in ENVE: going on to PhD Program at Stanford!
- Kristen Snyder, MS in ENVE: starting new position at Langan Engineering & Environmental Services!
April 2019
- The Global Water and Sustainability Symposium hosted by WIRLab and SafeWater Lab brought world renowned speakers to SDSU
- SDSU Blue Gold hosts Water Days
March 2019
- Mayor Serge Dedina presented to our ENVE 320 class and the SDSU campus community on Sea Level Rise Impacts in Imperial Beach
- Lorelay Mendoza awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowship! Congratulations Lorelay!
- Congratulations to Lauren Steinberg for winning the Provost's Award for her poster on Chemicals of Emerging Concern in Wastewater!
- Fed Pinongcos gave an oral presentation on Anthropogenic Pollution of the San Diego River during Storm Events.
- Denise Garcia presented on Properties of Organic Matter in an Urban Creek after Fire.
- Anita Sanchez presented on Fluorescent Compounds Retained by Ultrafiltration Membranes.
February 2019
- N. Mladenov invited speaker on San Diego River water quality, living-learning laboratories, and future decentralized water reuse at an Evening Celebrating Philanthropy at SDSU
January 2019
- N. Mladenov, students, and the Blue Gold Team visit Ecoparque, a decentralized wastewater treatment plant and park in Tijuana, Mexico.
- Blue Gold visits colleagues at SDSU's Imperial Valley Campus in Brawley and Calexico.
December 2018
- Kristen Snyder and Fed Pinongcos present their research at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) conference in Washington DC.
November 2018
- Congratulations to Kristen Snyder who successfully defended her thesis on the persistence of dissolved compounds from oil spills and oil seeps!!
- D. Garcia, S. Chao, and C. Graves present posters on urban creek water quality and decentralized MBRs for water reuse at SCCUR, the Southern California Conferences on Undergraduate Research in Pasadena, CA.
- L. Mendoza and WIRLab receive Student Success Fee funds for SDSU to host a Global Water Sustainability Symposium in April 2019.
- Wasswa et al. paper on "Assessing the potential of fluorescence spectroscopy to monitor contaminants in source waters and water reuse systems" just accepted in Environmental Science: Water Research and Technology.
October 2018
- Kulkarni et al. paper on "Effects of acidification on the optical properties of dissolved organic matter from high and low arsenic groundwater and surface water" accepted for publication in STOTEN .
September 2018
Congratulations!!
Congratulations!!
- Denise Garcia selected for the prestigious National Institute of Health-funded IMSD Program to conduct undergraduate research leading up to a PhD program .
August 2018
- Lauren, Fed, Denise, Stephanie, Justin, Kristen, and Cheyenne lead outreach activities for a 60-girl visit by San Diego Girl Scout Troupes and SDSU's Junior MESA Program .
July 2018
- Lorelay and Anita are in the news for their summer ReNUWIt research at Berkeley.
- Dr. Mladenov interviewed about WIRLab research by the San Diego Union Tribune.
- Check out this Forbes article about university professors.
June 2018
Congratulations!!!
Congratulations!!!
- Federick Pinongcos and Kristen Snyder selected for Carol Forrest, P.E. Memorial Watershed Management Scholarship!
- Lorelay Mendoza selected for Sally Casanova Scholarship!
May 2018
- Congratulations WIRLab graduates! Laura P. and Lauren S.
- Lauren Steinberg selected for summer research in South Africa.
April 2018
- WIRLab is in the news.
March 2018
- Sanchez, Panduro, and Mendoza all present at SDSU's Student Research Symposium. Mendoza awarded Dean's Award for her presentation on fluorescence monitoring of sewage spills.
- Sanchez and Mendoza selected as summer scholars in the ReNUWIt Program at UC Berkeley.
- Wasswa et al. paper on temperature correction of in-situ fluorescence sensors accepted in Environmental Engineering Science.
January 2018
American Chemical Society abstracts for 2018 Annual Conference accepted:
American Chemical Society abstracts for 2018 Annual Conference accepted:
- B. Casad., N. Mladenov, M. Palomo "Undergraduate international research at the food-energy-water nexus: influence on research skills, research confidence, and cultural enrichment."
- L. Mendoza et al. poster, "Fluorescence based monitoring of sewage inputs to urban rivers."
- A. Sanchez et al. poster, "Organic matter permeability in relation to ultrafiltration membrane fouling."
- IRES and SDSU student poster, " Diurnal variability in organic matter constituents in an anaerobic baffled reactor treating domestic wastewater for agricultural water reuse applications."
November 2017
- World Toilet Day is on Nov. 19
- Mladenov et al. paper on Using submersible fluorescence sensors to track decentralized wastewater treatment system performance is in press in Water Science & Technology.
October 2017
- 2017 NSF IRES Sustainable Sanitation cohort (Clack, Mackey, Orandle, and Steinberg) produce VIDEO on summer research experience.
September 2017
- Kulkarni et al. paper on electron shuttling by humic substances from high arsenic groundwater accepted in STOTEN.
- Oldani et al. paper on dry deposition in the Rocky Mountains accepted in JGR-Atmospheres.
- Mladenov, Hoh, and Dodder awarded NSF grant on non-targeted analysis of CECs in anaerobic and aerobic membrane systems.
August 2017
- Anita Sanchez receives prestigious MARC scholarship to support her undergraduate research.
- Congratulations Daniel Parsons on successfully defending your MS thesis!
- Wasswa and Mladenov present research on contaminant monitoring in water reuse systems at IWA International Conference on Water Reclamation and Reuse in Long Beach, CA.
- Jose Paredez' paper, "A soil column study to evaluate treatment of trace elements from saline industrial wastewater" published in WS&T!
July 2017. Lorelay Mendoza presents research on bacteria in Alvarado Creek to San Diego River Conservancy.
June 2017.
- Undergraduates on the IRES Sustainable Sanitation Project, Lauren Steinberg, Zoë Orandle, Kevin Clack, and Alexia Mackey (CPP) embark upon new water reuse and resource recovery projects at UKZN, Durban, South Africa.
- Lorelay Mendoza receives prestigious MARC scholarship to support her undergraduate research on fluorescence-based sensors for river water quality.
May 2017. Lorelay Mendoza selected as an Honorable Mention in this year’s Best Student Presentation competition at the 2017 Southern California Academy of Sciences Annual Meeting for her poster, “Microbial Contributions to Organic Matter Optical Properties in Alvarado Creek During a Storm Event.”
March 2017. Undergrads Chelsi Pascua, Anita Sanchez, Lorelay Mendoza, and Teddy Mendoza and grad students Kristen Snyder, Joseph Wasswa, and Daniel Parsons present their research at the SDSU Student Research Symposium. Lorelay wins Provost's Award for best poster for her research on microorganism tracking in stormwater!!!
January 2017. Mladenov et al. paper "Evaluating organic carbon removal in a decentralized, anaerobic treatment system for water reuse in South Africa" selected for the 11th IWA International Conference on Water Reclamation and Reuse.
December 2016. Xie et al. paper "Water soluble organic aerosols in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, USA: composition, sources and optical properties" published in Scientific Reports.
October 2016. Oyawoya et al. paper "Using duckweed for nutrient recovery and as a polishing step for DEWATS effluents" accepted for Dresden Nexus Conference.
June 2016. Kulkarni et al. paper published on arsenic mobilization in Holocene and Pleistocene aquifers of West Bengal.
May 2016. Joseph Wasswa selected as the recipient of one of the ASCE YMF 2016 Student Scholarships for work on membranes for water reuse!! ($1000)
April 2016. Madeleine McConnell awarded SDSU's summer undergraduate research fellowship to conduct research on oil degradation.
April 2016. Estefania Palacios, Jesse Scolavino, and Daniel Parsons (SDSU) and Jaclyn O'Hara and Rianne Okamoto (CPP) selected for the NSF IRES 2016 research experience on Sustainable Sanitation in Durban, South Africa.
March 2016. Wasswa, Gregory, Nour, Bigelow and Campbell present research at SDSU Student Research Symposium. Gregory wins Women in Engineering Award for her presentation entitled, "Quantifying Plastic Debris Entering Wastewater Treatment Centers".
November 2015. Water Quality Research Lab students, Bigelow and Campbell, present research on fluorescent DOM leaching from microplastics at AWWA regional conference in Las Vegas.
August 2015. NSF IRES Sustainable Sanitation students just back from their 5+ week research experience in Durban. Check out this video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s-gzabrGcM and read more about the project here...
July 2015. ES&T paper "Dissolved Organic Matter Quality in a Shallow Aquifer of Bangladesh: Implications for Arsenic Mobility" published online July 2015!
Spring 2015. PhD student Harshad Kulkarni receives RISE Internship Program scholarship from the Indo-US S&T Forum (IUSSTF) to conduct research on arsenic mobilization in West Bengal, India.
