Walter J. Weber Jr. Retires

Walter J. Weber, Jr., and his daughters, (l/r) Elizabeth, Linda, Pamela and Wendy
at the reception.

The department hosted a retirement reception celebrating the career of Walter J. Weber, Jr. on May 7, 2009. Professor Weber, a University of Michigan faculty member since 1963, is the Gordon Maskew Fair and Earnest Boyce Distinguished University Professor.

During his 46 years at the University, Weber made many significant contributions to the field of environmental engineering as a scientist, educator, and mentor. An international leader in the development of advanced technologies for water treatment, pollution control, and environmental restoration, he was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering in 1985.

He received the Stephen S. Attwood Award for Engineering Excellence from the College of Engineering in 1987, and was named a Distinguished University Professor in 1994. Both honors recognize faculty for exceptional scholarly achievement, national and international reputation, and outstanding teaching skills.

Each fall, the department hosts the Walter J. Weber, Jr. Distinguished Lecture in Environmental and Energy Sustainability. This lecture series brings the world’s foremost experts in environmental engineering and science to campus to share the results of their work and their vision for the future. The event is made possible through the endowment to the University by the 1996 Athalie Richardson Irvine Clark Prize, awarded to Weber by the National Water Research Institute.

Recently, he endowed the Walter J. Weber, Jr. Professorship of Sustainable Energy, Environmental and Earth Systems Engineering, and in 2007, Gary Was, Professor of Nuclear Engineering & Radiological Sciences, and Materials Science & Engineering, was appointed to the chair.

In 2008, Weber was chosen as one of the “One Hundred Engineers of the Modern Era” by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers for his lifetime of work in the area of environmental process dynamics & system sustainability.

Article from the 2009 Chemical Engineering Newsletter.