2021 Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP) Research and Education Conference

This award from the CBET Environmental Engineering program with co-funding from the CBET Environmental Sustainability and the EEC Broadening Participation in Engineering programs supports the 2021 Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP) Research and Education Conference. The theme of the conference is "Environmental Engineering and Science at the Confluence". Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 AEESP Research and Education Conference was restructured around two events: 1) a virtual conference to be held on July 13-14, 2021 and 2) an in-person conference to be held on June 28-30, 2022 in St. Louis. The AEESP 2021 virtual conference will feature various workshops and training events for environmental engineers/scientists at various stages of their careers including 1) an NSF CAREER proposal writing workshop for junior faculty, 2) a workshop on DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) to summarize and discuss the lessons learned from a series of webinars on "Converging COVID-19, environment, health, and equity" funded by the NSF CBET Environmental Engineering program, and 3) a technical workshop on aerosol science/engineering and public health with a focus on the COVID-19 pandemic. The AEESP 2022 in-person conference will also feature various workshops and training events organized around four areas of convergence: convergence of education and research, convergence of research in air, water, and soil, convergence of research and action, and convergence of research, practice, and entrepreneurship. Both the virtual and in-person AEESP conferences will provide numerous opportunities for the participants to exchange ideas and build new partnerships.

The 2021/2022 AEESP Research and Education Conferences will be hosted by a group of academic institutions including Washington University in St. Louis (Lead Institution), Missouri University of Science & Technology, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and the University of Missouri-Columbia. The biannual AEESP Research and Education Conference is the premier event for AEESP members to exchange information on novel research, educational activities, and develop professional competencies. Key goals of the 2021/2022 AEESP conferences are to empower current and future environmental engineering and science (EES) professors to pursue the relevant "NSF Big Ideas", catalyze convergence research and provide a forum for new perspectives and collaborations that will allow environmental engineers/scientists to apply their expertise and skills to address global and emerging societal Grand Challenges such as pandemic preparedness/prevention and climate change mitigation/adaptation. Both the 2021 virtual and 2022 in-person AEESP conferences seek to 1) broaden the participation of members of underrepresented groups in environmental engineering and science research and education; 2) empower the EES academic community to combat systemic racism; and 3) highlight research progress and identify new priority research directions. The 2021/2022 AEESP conferences will also provide speaking and networking opportunities for undergraduate/graduate students, and postdoctoral research fellows to inform the EES community of their research. Junior and prospective faculty members attending the conference will benefit from workshops devoted to NSF CAREER proposal writing, navigating the academic job search, and mentorship to broaden the participation of the EES community in NSF and federally-funded research.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.