Published: Jan. 29, 2020

Karl Linden chats with two grad students in his lab. Karl Linden of environmental engineering has been selected to receive the Borchardt-Glysson Water Treatment Innovation Prize.

Linden is the Mortenson Professor in Sustainable Development at the University of Colorado Boulder. His research investigates novel water and wastewater treatment systems, including advanced and innovative UV systems; the efficacy of UV and ozone disinfection for inactivation of pathogens; the use of UV and advanced oxidation processes for the degradation of organic and other emerging contaminants in water and wastewater; and sustainable implementation of water and sanitation technologies in developing countries.

He is director of the College of Engineering and Applied Science’s Water-Energy Nexus Interdisciplinary Research Theme, has authored over 180 peer-reviewed publications, and serves as president of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP).

The Borchardt-Glysson Water Treatment Innovation Prize recognizes a professional whose accomplishments in the water or wastewater treatment fields have been particularly influential. Linden will accept the prize at the 25th triennial Borchardt Conference on Feb. 25-26, where he will also give a lecture on “Mixing electricity and water: The evolving role of light in water treatment.”

The Borchardt-Glysson Water Treatment Innovation Prize selection committee used five criteria to evaluate the candidates, including their overall record of accomplishments, their role in developing innovative technologies, their potential for continued contributions to the field, the quality of nomination and supporting documents, and the added leadership and prestige to the Borchardt Conference.

This prize consists of a $10,000 cash award and reimbursement for travel to attend the Borchardt Conference. It was recently established through a gift to the College of Engineering of the University of Michigan, with the donors choosing to recognize late professors Jack A. Borchardt and Eugene A. Glysson.

The University of Michigan Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; the Michigan Section of the American Water Works Association; the Michigan Water Environment Association; and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy also co-sponsor the Borchardt Conference.