UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Yuefeng Xie, professor of environmental engineering at Penn State Harrisburg, has received the 2014 Faculty Outreach Award.
The award honors faculty who have positively and substantially affected individuals, organizations or communities through problem solving or development as a result of extending their scholarship.
In 1998, Xie co-founded the Small Public Water Systems Technology Assistance Center and Environmental Training Center at Penn State. Since then, the center has trained thousands of professionals from small, often financially challenged, water systems in Pennsylvania. Many of these water system operators did not have college degrees and needed the training to pass required certification exams. Others needed technical assistance so their water systems could comply with health regulations. By offering these programs at Penn State campuses, approximately 90 percent of Pennsylvania water operators can attend the programs by driving less than 30 miles.
In addition, Xie has co-organized workshops at American Water Works Association conferences and taught workshops in Singapore, Canada and China. He wrote the book “Disinfection Byproducts in Drinking Water: Formation, Analysis and Control” and co-edited “Disinfection Byproducts in Drinking Water: Occurrence, Formation, Health Effects and Control” to provide water professionals with progressive information. He is working on a new book targeted toward operators of small water systems and entry-level water professionals.
“It is unusual for such important and valuable outreach contributions to be made on such a broad scale, ranging from local to state to international,” a nominator said.
In 2012, Xie was named a fellow of the International Water Association. He has received the Pennsylvania American Water Works Association's Special Recognition and Professional Research Awards. In 2010, he was a Fulbright Scholar (Visiting Fulbright Research Chair) in Canada.
