Daniel Barton Oerther (born October 11, 1972) is an American social entrepreneur, diplomat, and Professor of Environmental Health Engineering. He is best known for the use of 16S ribosomal RNA-targeted techniques to study the ecology of bacteria in engineered and natural systems and for the use of community-based participatory research to create and evaluate programs and policies to improve access to clean water, nutritious food, and energy efficiency in developing communities.
Video Daniel Oerther
Life and education
Born in Columbus, OH, Oerther grew up in Louisville, KY, and graduated from Saint Xavier High School. In 1995, he earned a Baccalaureate of Arts in Biological Sciences and a Baccalaureate of Sciences in Environmental Engineering, both from Northwestern University. In 1998, he completed a Masters of Science in Environmental Engineering, and he completed his doctorate in Environmental Engineering in 2002, both from the University of Illinois. Since being awarded his doctorate, Oerther has studied Microbial Ecology at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Environmental Health at the University of Cincinnati, Public Health at The Johns Hopkins University, and Public Administration at Indiana University.
Maps Daniel Oerther
Employment at the University of Cincinnati
From 2000 through 2009, Oerther was a member of the faculty of the University of Cincinnati where he served as Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. At the University of Cincinnati, Oerther established the Ohio Center of Excellence in Advanced Energy: Sustaining the Urban Environment, and he created a campus-wide minor in sustainability. He also founded a student chapter of Engineers Without Borders. He was inducted as an inaugural member of the Academy of Fellows for Teaching and Learning. In 2007, Oerther received the President's Award for Excellence from Nancy L. Zimpher for promoting the six goals of UC|21 including: placing students at the center; excellence in research and teaching; promoting partnerships and establishing a sense of place; and developing the potential of our students, our local community, and the global community.
Oerther's service in the Cincinnati community included designing the Green Learning Station at the Civic Garden Center, establishing an urban community garden, and co-chairing a Food Access Task Force for Mayor Mark Mallory to identify strategies to combat urban food deserts and reduce the carbon footprint of food consumption.
To learn about sustainable development, Oerther collaborated with engineers to bring drinking water to a community in Kenya, health professionals and architects to design and construct a health clinic in Tanzania, and computer scientists to bring jobs in human computation to villagers in Kenya.
Employment at the Missouri University of Science and Technology
Since 2010, Oerther has been a member of the faculty of the Missouri University of Science and Technology where he held the John A. and Susan Mathes Endowed Chair of Environmental Engineering. At the Missouri University of Science and Technology, Oerther has promoted the Solar Village and appeared in a documentary that describes sustainability practices at the University. He established the Diplomacy Lab program on campus, and he promoted experiential learning leading student study-abroad to India and Brazil. He received the Faculty Service Learning Award for his work with the U.S. Department of State Diplomacy Lab program. In 2017, Oerther received the President's Award for Cross-Cultural Engagement from Mun Choi for promoting the federally mandated, land-grant mission of bringing the benefits of university research beyond the campus.
Oerther's service in the Rolla community included establishing a community garden, guest hosting for KMST (FM), an affiliate of National Public Radio, supporting the Phelp's County Community Partnership providing programs and services to children and families, and serving as an elected member of the Phelps County Extension Council.
To learn about environmental health, Oerther collaborated with a faith-based non profit to promote the distribution of point of use drinking water filters in Guatemala, and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jefferson City to bring mobile health clinics, supplies, and medical equipment to Ghana.
Employment at the United States Department of State
Since 2014, Oerther has been a Jefferson Science Fellow with the United States Department of State providing "accurate science for statecraft" in the Secretary's Office of Global Food Security where he supports the Feed the Future Initiative and the Global Food Security Act of 2016. His appointment is as a Foreign Affairs Officer and his responsibilities include providing expert advice on agricultural policy. In 2015, Oerther received a Meritorious Honor Award signed by U.S. Special Representative for Global Food Security, Dr. Nancy Stetson, for, "outstanding leadership and attention to detail in helping to launch a public-private initiative to promote food security and climate resilience via an innovative insurance product -- the Caribbean Oceans and Aquaculture Sustainability faciliTy (COAST),"
Oerther was a member of the credentialed United States delegation to the Second International Conference on Nutrition at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Rome, Italy, the launch of the Blue Growth Network in St. George's, Grenada, the second Our Ocean Conference in Valparaiso, Chile, and the 43rd plenary session of the Committee on World Food Security in Rome, Italy.
Additional appointments
Oerther is a Professional Engineer with a license to practice in the States of Missouri and Ohio as well as the District of Columbia (DC). He is Board Certified by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (AAEES) and he is registered as a Chartered Engineer with the Engineering Council of the United Kingdom. Oerther is recognized as a Certified Environmental Health Specialist by the Missouri Board of Certification for Environmental Health Professionals and he is a Diplomate of the American Academy of Sanitarians. Oerther is a Certified Environmental Professional (via eminence) of the Academy of Board Certified Environmental Professionals, and he is a Chartered Environmentalist of the United Kingdom.
From 2004-2008 and again from 2017-2021, Oerther was an Associate Editor of the journal, Water Environment Research, published by the Water Environment Federation, and from 2006-2009 and again from 2017-2022, he was an Associate Editor of the Journal of Environmental Engineering published by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Oerther was elected to the Board of Directors of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP) from 2007-2010, and he was elected Treasurer of the Board of Trustees of the AAEES from 2013-2019. He was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Sigma Theta Tau International Building Corporation from 2013-2021. From 2017-2019, Oerther was the Program Chair for Engineering and Public Policy for the American Society for Engineering Education.
Oerther is a Visiting Professor at the Institute of Science and Technology for Advanced Studies and Research, Gujarat, India; an Adjunct Professor in the School of Life Sciences, Manipal University, Karnataka, India; and a Faculty Consultant at Future University in Egypt.
Awards
Oerther was named one of 75 members of the inaugural, "Creative Class," by Cincinnati Magazine in 2003, and he received the inaugural Next Generation Leader Award in architecture, engineering, and construction from Legacy and the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce in 2010. Oerther was part of the team that won the 2011 National Prize for Creative Integration of Practice and Education in the Academy from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards for the design and construction of the Roche Health Center in rural, Northwest Tanzania, as well as the team that won the 2013 Climate Leadership Award sponsored by Second Nature recognizing the Solar Village in Rolla, MO. In 2017, Oerther was named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Oerther's research, "Challenging the Structure-Function Relationship of Nitrifiers and Nitrification in Activated Sludge Using Molecular Biology and Modeling Tools," was recognized with a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation in 2003. His work overseas was supported with a Fulbright Scholar Award to India in 2005, the inaugural Fulbright-ALCOA Distinguished Chair to Brazil in 2012, and placement on the Fulbright Specialist Program roster from 2016-2021.
For excellence in the practice of environmental engineering, Oerther received the University Research Honor Award from the AAEES in 2009 for, "Improved Water Quality in Northwest Tanzania," and the Superior Award from the AAEES in 2016 for, "Improved Water Quality in Ixcan, Guatemala". For teaching excellence, Oerther received the Award for Outstanding Contribution to Environmental Engineering and Science Education from AEESP in 2004, and he received the Excellence in Environmental Engineering and Science Education Award jointly from AEESP and AAEES in 2014.
In 2015, Oerther received the Steven K. Dentel/AEESP Award for Global Outreach for his, "life-long professional and personal commitment ... to bettering the lives of humans throughout the world." In 2017, he received the Frederick George Pohland Medal for, "sustained and outstanding efforts to bridge environmental engineering research, education, and practice," awarded by the Environmental Engineering and Science Foundation. In 2018, Oerther received the Stanley E. Kappe Award for, "extraordinary and outstanding service advancing public awareness to the betterment of the total environment," from AAEES, and the Dr. John L. Leal Award for, "for distinguished service to the water profession in commemoration of the sound medical/public health expertise and the courageous leadership advancing public health that characterized the life of Dr. John L. Leal," from the American Water Works Association.
In recognition of his collaborations with nurses and other health professionals, The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International inducted Oerther as a lifetime honorary nurse in 2011, and he was named a lifetime honorary Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in 2016. In 2017, Oerther was named a Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health, and in 2018 he was elected as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health and a Fellow of the Academy of Nursing Education of the National League for Nursing.
References
External links
- Google Scholar
Source of article : Wikipedia
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