Chemical engineering professors receive EPA's top honor

May 26, 2009

The United States Environmental Protection Agency presented a 2009 EPA Environmental Quality Award for Environmental Education to Drs. Mariano J. Savelski and C. Stewart Slater of the Chemical Engineering program at Rowan University.

Savelski and Slater assisted the pharmaceutical industry in EPA Region 2, which covers New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and seven federally recognized Indian Nations, in source reduction, pollution prevention and green engineering design through the use of an innovative engineering clinic outreach program. To date, they have conducted two major technical assistance efforts and disseminated work on the principles of green chemistry and engineering to the larger pharmaceutical industry, students in training and the international community through sponsoring and participating in seminars, conferences and workshops.

In conjunction with Earth Day, EPA Acting Regional Administrator George Pavlou presented Environmental Quality Awards to representatives from projects across Region 2 for their efforts to protect the environment on April 24 at a ceremony at EPA’s office in Manhattan.

“These exemplary environmental stewards have gone above and beyond for environmental change,” said Pavlou. “Let their extraordinary contributions remind us all that we can make our world a better place and (that) individuals really inspire others and make a lasting difference.”

EPA selects Environmental Quality Award winners from non-profit environmental and community groups, individual citizens, educators, business organizations and members of the news media, as well as from federal, state, local or tribal governments and agencies. The Agency receives nominations for the awards from both inside and outside EPA. For information about the Environmental Quality Awards in EPA Region 2, visit http://www.epa.gov/region02/eqa/.


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