Engineering Professor Presents at 80th New York Water Meeting

Dr. Robert Sharp, professor of civil and environmental engineering, was the co-author of two research papers presented at the 80th New York Water Environmental Annual Meeting.

"Biodegradability of Dissolved Organic Nitrogen in the Stamford WPCA Effluent” was co-authored by Jose Porro, graduate research assistant, and Jeanette Brown, adjunct professor of civil and environmental engineering. The second paper “Impact of Chloramine Disinfection on the Leaching and Corrosion of Lead and Copper” was presented by graduate research assistant Brent Gaylord '08 as part of the University Forum. It detailed research funded by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection and Hazen and Sawyer engineers. Gaylord won first prize in the student paper competition.

Dr. Sharp also delivered the lecture Meeting the Nation's Civil and Environmental Engineering Needs in the 21st Century. The lecture detailed the United States' impending shortage of civil and environmental engineering professionals, which has drawn the attention of the National Science Foundation, Bureau of Labor and Statistics and National Academies of Science and Engineering.

Dr. Sharp is the Donald J. O'Connor Endowed Faculty Fellow of Environmental Engineering at Manhattan College, where he teaches and directs externally funded research is advanced water and wastewater treatment, re-growth and bioremediation. In addition, he is a process specialist for the consulting firm Schoor Depalma Engineers.

Dr. Sharp has a B.S and M.S. in civil engineering from the University of New Mexico and a Ph.D. from Montana State University. He is a P.E. in New York State, and is an active member of the Met Chapter of NYWEA. In addition, he runs an active bio-process research lab at Manhattan College, where both graduate and undergraduate research assistants carry out fundamental and applied research in the areas of microbial ecology, pathogen disinfection and re-growth, plasmid stability, treatment of toxics, bioremediation and subsurface reactive transport. His research results are detailed in over 24 peer reviewed journal articles and has over 40 papers at national and international environmental conferences.