Dr. Yang Deng conducting a field study at a Hurricane Fiona-affected water system in a Puerto Rico’s mountainous village.

In 2017, Hurricane Maria, a devastating Category 4 storm, triggered a severe water crisis in Puerto Rico, where Dr. Deng served as a faculty member for three years. The widespread loss of access to clean water drove him to develop innovative, low-cost household water treatment technologies for hurricane-affected populations. These simple yet effective treatments provide promising off-grid water supply solutions, even during prolonged outages caused by storm damage to water supply infrastructure and power systems. His research was later recognized with the Superior Achievement Award by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (AAEES) in 2019 for its impact on disaster resilience. Building on this work, Dr. Deng further refined the design principles for sustainable household water treatment systems, ensuring their effectiveness in both daily use and emergency situations. In recognition of these advancements, he was honored with the Project Innovation Award (Gold Winner) by the International Water Association (IWA) in 2022.

Through two National Science Foundation (NSF)-supported projects, Dr. Deng has expanded his research to investigate the resilience of water supply infrastructure in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Fiona (2022) and in Florida after the recent Hurricanes Helene and Milton (2024). In collaboration with Dr. Walter Silva at the University of Puerto Rico, his team has employed field-based approaches to collect critical, perishable data, particularly from isolated, small, and disaster-affected communities. Dr. Deng and his student, Lisitai Yang, also introduced an innovative approach to water supply, exploring the use of alternative sources such as stormwater harvesting to support small island residents with limited resources. Their concept was later validated through mathematical modeling, which estimated the feasibility of harvested stormwater in meeting local water demand, demonstrating its potential as a sustainable water solution.

Dr. Deng’s research is shaping the future of hurricane-resilient water supply systems. Through technological innovations, field studies, and strategic partnerships, his work helps communities not only recover but also adapt and thrive in an era of increasing disaster uncertainty.

This award recognizes an outstanding educator who has significantly contributed to the field of civil engineering in New Jersey. Dr. Deng has been honored for his constant dedication to fostering the next generation of leaders, innovators, and scholars poised to address the most critical challenges in environmental engineering.

Dr. Deng has been a valued member of Â鶹´«Ă˝ÔÚĎß since 2010. Prior to that, he was faculty at the University of Puerto Rico and Georgia Southern University.

Your were fabulous! Everyone left buzzing about glaciers and the cliffs and boulders in our beloved South Mountain Reservation. Thank you so much for taking the time to explain it all – twice! We deeply appreciate it.

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This prestigious award is presented to a WEF member who demonstrates a unique application of basic research or fundamental principles through the design or development of a wastewater collection or treatment system. The Camp Applied Research Award, originating in 1965, is named after Thomas R. Camp — an eminent American environmental engineer, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the founder of the renowned consulting firm CDM Smith.

Dr. Deng’s recognition stems from his creative contributions to physicochemical treatment technologies and inventive engineering design strategies. These contributions enable innovative engineering solutions in the areas spanning from drinking water treatment, wastewater reclamation, groundwater remediation, to stormwater management and harvesting. Besides this esteemed research award, Prof. Yang Deng’s outstanding contributions have garnered other global and national recognitions. He was honored with the Project Innovation Award (Gold Winner) by the International Water Association (IWA) in 2022 and the Superior Achievement Award by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (AAEES) in 2019.

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The fragments are the oldest authenticated marine sedaDNA discovered to date – and these have been preserved due to factors like very low temperatures and oxygen concentrations, and an absence of UV radiation…To analyze these fragments, we use a new technique called sedaDNA analysis, which can help us decipher what has lived in the ocean in the past and when, across multiple ice-age cycles. With this knowledge, we can better predict how marine life around Antarctica will respond to ongoing climate change.

This study is a wonderful example of the powerful new science that can be achieved when vastly different disciplines and techniques are integrated. Â鶹´«Ă˝ÔÚĎß has long been at the forefront of such interdisciplinary research, which is one of the guiding principles of our PhD program in Environmental Science and Management, now in its 20th year. I am proud to be part of this study, and proud of the Â鶹´«Ă˝ÔÚĎß personnel, both faculty students, who have represented our university in IODP projects.

Dr. Brachfeld, with laboratory assistance from Dr. Melissa Hansen, led the magnetic work. “Burning coal creates visually and magnetically distinctive iron-rich ferrospheres. They provide a fingerprint for detecting coal ash in the environment, and tracking mechanical and chemical evolution of the ash after burial in lake sediment.” The study demonstrates that coal ash particles are entering the environment, and not strictly through catastrophic events like the 2008 Kingston Fossil Plant coal ash spill. Atmospheric emissions of coal ash prior to the Clean Air Act may have settled onto nearby land and then washed into the lakes. Ash may be transported to lakes by overland runoff of precipitation, and ordinary effluent from the storage ponds may leak into the lakes. The study, conducted with colleagues at Duke University and Appalachian State University, has been covered by the , , Ěý˛ą˛Ô»ĺ .

The study is published in , and will be the subject of three presentations at the upcoming Fall 2022 Meeting of the Geological Society of America, .

Awarded biennially at the IWA World Water Congress, the Project Innovation Awards recognize and promote excellence and innovation in water management, research and technology. This 13th edition of the Ěýprogram features six categories with three finalists each. Each category recognizes a distinct aspect of water innovation, from breakthroughs in research to innovations in governance.

The 13th IWA Project Innovation Awards attracted a record 203 applications from 52 countries during an open nomination process throughout 2021 and 2022. This scale of interest in the awards program reveals the breadth of innovation and ambition throughout the IWA network, and should be a cause for great optimism across the sector. Entries were evenly spread across the six award categories, each of which reflects a distinct field of innovation in water management. Every project was independently evaluated by a panel of expert judges according to its innovative nature and key outcomes. Judges also took into account the circumstances in which each project was devised and its potential for broader impact. Following a rigorous and competitive evaluation process, the judging panel selected a top three for each category. Tonight, we are here to recognize the outstanding achievements of our finalists – and to celebrate trailblazing innovation as one of them is crowned winner of the Grand Innovation Award 2022.

Learn about all the winners in the

That sort of surface — rooftops, buildings, pavement — absorbs solar energy better than other surfaces… It helps heat it up during the day, but especially heats it up more during night, when it releases that heat back to the atmosphere. So our nighttime temperatures don’t get as cool, which means that it’s easier to heat up the next morning.

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