2024 Lyman A. Ripperton Environmental Educator Award
Lyman A. Ripperton (1921–1978) spent his career as a practitioner in education and research for air pollution control. He left the Los Angeles County Air Pollution Control District in 1958 to assume a teaching and research position in the Department of Environmental Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. There, he initiated an air pollution education program that developed into one of the foremost of its kind in the United States. The Lyman A. Ripperton Environmental Educator Award is presented to an individual who has inspired students to achieve excellence in their professional and social endeavors. It recognizes the ability that only a few educators possess: to teach with rigor, humor, humility, and pride. Recipients of this award are educators we would have chosen as our teachers if we had a choice. They are known by the accomplishments of their students.
A&WMA presents the 2024 Lyman A. Ripperton Environmental Educator Award to Zaher Hashisho.
Dr. Zaher Hashisho is a Professor, Associate Dean of Graduate Students, and Director of the Undergraduate Environmental Engineering Program at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Alberta. Over the past two decades, Dr. Hashisho has made significant contributions to research, teaching, and administration in the field of environmental engineering.
Dr. Hashisho obtained a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering and an MSc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2007. Prior to that, he obtained an MSc in Environmental Technology and a BSc in Physics from the American University of Beirut. This multidisciplinary educational background has equipped him with a diverse skill set and a holistic understanding of environmental engineering principles. In 2007, he joined the University of Alberta as an Assistant Professor and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2013 and to full Professor in 2017. In 2019, he was awarded the McCalla Professorship for significant contributions to teaching, research, and educational leadership.
Dr. Hashisho’s teaching dossier underscores his dedication to teaching excellence. He has received several awards for his outstanding contributions to environmental engineering education at the University of Alberta including the McCalla Professorship and the Teaching Excellence Appreciation Award.
Dr. Hashisho is committed to enhancing the learning environment at the University of Alberta through innovative online teaching tools and experiential learning. He has received three grants to prepare interactive open education resources to predict fate of air pollutants and assess the performance of air pollution control devices. He also received four internal grants to acquire air sampling and monitoring instruments for use in experiential learning in undergraduate courses.
Dr. Hashisho’s research focuses on applying adsorption processes in air pollution control and characterizing greenhouse gas emissions from non-point sources. He strives to work on research ideas with direct societal and industrial impact, with many of his research findings being embraced by governments and industry end-users. His research has been presented in over 100 peer-reviewed journal papers, 5 patents, 1 license agreement, 99 conference proceedings (including 41 at A&WMA conferences), and 25 invited seminars/presentations.
Since 2007, Dr. Hashisho has mentored 53 graduate students and 20 post-doctoral researchers and research assistants. He strives to create a nurturing environment for his students, works with them to progress towards their career goals, and provides them with opportunities to develop academically and professionally. Several members of his research group have chaired A&WMA student chapter at the University of Alberta, under his guidance as faculty advisor. Many of his students have excelled in their academic and research performance as demonstrated by the thesis and paper awards they earned and the merit-based scholarships they received. Dr. Hashisho takes great pride in the achievements of his students, many of whom have pursued academic positions and/or leadership roles within their professions.
Dr. Hashisho demonstrated leadership through his service to A&WMA and other organizations. He has been a member of A&WMA since 2003, and active in serving A&WMA since 2007 in different capacities, including judging student competitions, chairing sessions, chairing the university college education committee, organizing conferences and events, advising the local student chapter (since 2011), and as associate editor of the Journal of the A&WMA. Dr. Hashisho has also been serving as editor for the Journal of Hazardous Materials and associate editor for ASCE Journal of Environmental Engineering.
As the Associate Dean of Graduate Students, Dr. Hashisho oversees the quality and delivery of eight graduate programs for over 500 graduate students. His leadership extends to shaping environmental engineering education within his department. As the Director of the Undergraduate Environmental Engineering option, Dr. Hashisho is taking the lead on revamping and modernizing the environmental engineering curriculum.
A&WMA presents the 2024 Lyman A. Ripperton Environmental Educator Award to Zaher Hashisho.
Dr. Zaher Hashisho is a Professor, Associate Dean of Graduate Students, and Director of the Undergraduate Environmental Engineering Program at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Alberta. Over the past two decades, Dr. Hashisho has made significant contributions to research, teaching, and administration in the field of environmental engineering.
Dr. Hashisho obtained a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering and an MSc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2007. Prior to that, he obtained an MSc in Environmental Technology and a BSc in Physics from the American University of Beirut. This multidisciplinary educational background has equipped him with a diverse skill set and a holistic understanding of environmental engineering principles. In 2007, he joined the University of Alberta as an Assistant Professor and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2013 and to full Professor in 2017. In 2019, he was awarded the McCalla Professorship for significant contributions to teaching, research, and educational leadership.
Dr. Hashisho’s teaching dossier underscores his dedication to teaching excellence. He has received several awards for his outstanding contributions to environmental engineering education at the University of Alberta including the McCalla Professorship and the Teaching Excellence Appreciation Award.
Dr. Hashisho is committed to enhancing the learning environment at the University of Alberta through innovative online teaching tools and experiential learning. He has received three grants to prepare interactive open education resources to predict fate of air pollutants and assess the performance of air pollution control devices. He also received four internal grants to acquire air sampling and monitoring instruments for use in experiential learning in undergraduate courses.
Dr. Hashisho’s research focuses on applying adsorption processes in air pollution control and characterizing greenhouse gas emissions from non-point sources. He strives to work on research ideas with direct societal and industrial impact, with many of his research findings being embraced by governments and industry end-users. His research has been presented in over 100 peer-reviewed journal papers, 5 patents, 1 license agreement, 99 conference proceedings (including 41 at A&WMA conferences), and 25 invited seminars/presentations.
Since 2007, Dr. Hashisho has mentored 53 graduate students and 20 post-doctoral researchers and research assistants. He strives to create a nurturing environment for his students, works with them to progress towards their career goals, and provides them with opportunities to develop academically and professionally. Several members of his research group have chaired A&WMA student chapter at the University of Alberta, under his guidance as faculty advisor. Many of his students have excelled in their academic and research performance as demonstrated by the thesis and paper awards they earned and the merit-based scholarships they received. Dr. Hashisho takes great pride in the achievements of his students, many of whom have pursued academic positions and/or leadership roles within their professions.
Dr. Hashisho demonstrated leadership through his service to A&WMA and other organizations. He has been a member of A&WMA since 2003, and active in serving A&WMA since 2007 in different capacities, including judging student competitions, chairing sessions, chairing the university college education committee, organizing conferences and events, advising the local student chapter (since 2011), and as associate editor of the Journal of the A&WMA. Dr. Hashisho has also been serving as editor for the Journal of Hazardous Materials and associate editor for ASCE Journal of Environmental Engineering.
As the Associate Dean of Graduate Students, Dr. Hashisho oversees the quality and delivery of eight graduate programs for over 500 graduate students. His leadership extends to shaping environmental engineering education within his department. As the Director of the Undergraduate Environmental Engineering option, Dr. Hashisho is taking the lead on revamping and modernizing the environmental engineering curriculum.
Zaher Hashisho
