An Afternoon with Professor Hermanowicz: Exploring Sustainability and Water Filtration

A n A fternoon with P rofessor H ermanowicz : E xploring S ustainability and W ater F iltration By: Harshika Chowdhary, Luis Castro, Phillipa McGuinness, Juwon Kim, Saavan Patel, Kevin Nuckolls, and Manraj Gill. B S J BSJ had the distinct pleasure and honor of interviewing Dr. Slav Hermanowicz. Dr. Slav Hermanowicz is an Environmental Engineering professor at the University of California Berkeley. His research focuses on the process of water quality treatment so that wastewater can be reused. Another aspect of Dr. Hermanowicz’s research is centered on improving the quality of stored water. In this interview, Dr. Hermanowicz talks about the process of wastewater filtration and how filtration techniques have changed over time. He also discusses the implications of environmental engineering and what constitutes sustainability. BSJ thanks Dr. Hermanowicz for his time. Berkeley Scientific Journal: How did you get involved in your field of research? Professor Hermanowicz: To give you a background, I was born and brought up in Poland. I also went to college there. The focus of environmental engineering was a little bit different than what it is today. At that time, environmental engineering was focused on public health, on providing safe water, sanitation, and cleaning the aquatic environment. The focus was on people, but the focus has evolved today to encompass the broader picture. I wanted to be an engineer because engineers are “doers”. Environmental engineering is unique such that it cuts through many different sciences. Unlike civil engineers, I had to take microbiology, structure, and chemistry classes. Today, we encourage our students to study sociology or psychology because they will interact with communities and people. I like to compare civil engineering and environmental engineering with the following example. You are using an iPhone to record me. If this iPhone does not work properly, it is not such a big deal; you can buy a new phone. On the other hand, if we build a treatment facility or a bridge, the scale is larger and affects more people. There is perhaps a different perspective when considering the field of environmental engineering. The consequences of environmental engineering are not necessarily bigger, but they are consequences that last longer. These consequences are felt by very broad groups of society. What really drew me into the field of environmental engineering was that it is useful to large groups of people and allows the engineer to regard problems in many different scales. This turns out to be true. In my research, students are looking at the nanoscale of catalysts with modified properties to the scale of a whole building and then perhaps even larger scales, like the Colorado River. There is a huge range of topics and opportunities in this field. BSJ: How exactly do you measure and define sustainability in the water reuse cycle? Professor Hermanowicz: First of all, no one knows the answer to that question. Sustainability is a term that is defined differently by every person. When pressed, people fall back to the definition of the Bruntland Report, which is now 30 years old. People quote a passage about meeting the needs of the current generation and allowing future generation to have a range of choices. This is more a process or a path, rather than a destination. We’re trying to implement and find solutions in a way that will 42 • B erkeley S cientific J ournal • W aste • S pring 2015 • V olume 19 • I ssue 2