Rita Klees

  • Scholar-in-Residence
  • Professor of Engineering Practice
  • Associate Director of Outreach, Mortenson Center in Global Engineering

Department: Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering

Education: B.A. College of St. Catherine (1972), M.A. University of Chicago (1975), Ph.D. and M.S. University of Colorado (1986, 1989)
Teaching: CVEN 5919 Global Development for Engineering; CVEN 5969 Water, Sanitation and Hygiene; CVEN 5939 Global Development Practicum
Research: Environmental Health, Wastewater Treatment, Sanitation, Water supply and Sanitation in low- and middle- income countries, International Development

Office: SEEC N285D         

Honors and Distinctions:

  • University of Colorado Boulder – Boulder Faculty Assembly Award for Excellence in Teaching and Pedagogy Nominee 2021, 2022
  • American Association for the Advancement of Science: Overseas Fellowship, 1993
  • American Association for the Advancement of Science: Science, Engineering & Diplomacy Fellowship, 1990-1992
  • Water Pollution Control Federation (WPCF) First Place, International Graduate Student Paper Award, 1989
  • WPCF, Rocky Mountain Region, First Place, Graduate Student Paper Award, 1989WPCF, Second Place, International Graduate Student Paper Award, 1986

Recent Publications:
** denotes work done in collaboration with graduate students
* denotes work done in collaboration with undergraduate students

  • Thomas, E.; Salvinelli, C.; Harper, J.; MacDonald, L.; Klees, R.; Platais, G.; Javernick-Will, A.; Linden, K. A Body of Knowledge and Pedagogy for Global Engineering. IJSLE 2021, 16 (1), 37–57. https://doi.org/10.24908/ijsle.v16i1.14483.
  • MacDonald, L.; Thomas, E.; Javernick-Will, A.; Austin-Breneman, J.; Aranda, I.; Salvinelli, C.; Klees, R.; Walters, J.; Parmentier, M. J.; Schaad, D.; Shahi, A.; Bedell, E.; Platais, G.; Brown, J.; Gershenson, J.; Watkins, D.; Obonyo, E.; Oyanedel-Craver, V.; Olson, M.; Lau, R.; Rao, G.; Arzon, A.; Krishnaswamy, K.; Pickering, A. J.; Mabey, C.; Johnson, A.; Gehr, R.; Linden, K. Aligning Learning Objectives and Approaches in Global Engineering Graduate Programs: Review and Recommendations by an Interdisciplinary Working Group. Development Engineering 2022, 7, 100095. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.deveng.2022.100095.
  • Baracho, R.O., and Klees, R. “Municipal Sanitation Plans in Brazil: Analysis of Plans and Recommendations to Improve Planning Sanitation in Brazil.” 2017 XVI World Water Congress, Cancun, Mexico, May 2017.
  • Linden, K., Javernick-Will, A., Amadei, B., Klees, R. and Sandekian, R. "Engineering in Developing Communities: Curriculum Development around Graduate Certificate and Professional MS Programs." 2016 Engineering Education for Sustainable Development Conference, Bruges, Belgium, September 2016.