Northwestern Prof. Bruce Rittmann’s work with microorganisms has made a macro-impact on the environment.
His innovative research in environmental biotechnology has earned him membership in the National Academy of Engineering, the nation’s premier organization for engineers.
Rittmann’s election to the academy is “another feather in a cap full of feathers” for the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, said Prof. Hamlin Jennings, chairman of the department of civil and environmental engineering.
“This is as big as it gets in the field we’re in,” Jennings said. “He’s another asset I’m proud to mention when I say I represent one of the strongest engineering departments in the country.”
Rittmann, the John Evans Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, pioneered the development of biofilm fundamentals and contributed to their widespread use in cleaning contaminated waters, soils and ecosystems.
The newest member of the national academy doesn’t call himself an environmentalist, but he said a desire to “make the world safer and more sustainable” motivates his research.
“Basically I use microbes to clean up contaminants and recover valuable resources from the environment,” Rittmann said. “This converts what people used to think of as waste into something valuable for society.”
Rittmann said he is proud to join the ranks of eight McCormick faculty members who are active fellows and 10 NU emeritus fellows of the National Academy of Engineering.
The organization of almost 2,400 peer-elected members serves as an advisory board for the federal government and conducts independent studies of engineering and technology issues.
The academy honors individuals who have made “important contributions to engineering theory and practice, including significant contributions to the literature of engineering theory and practice,” according to its 1964 charter.
Rittmann has published more than 300 books, book chapters and journal papers and is listed as a highly cited author by the Institute for Scientific Information. He co-wrote the textbook “Environmental Biotechnology: Principles and Applications,” which was released in 2001 and translated into Chinese, Korean and Japanese.
Rittmann is editor in chief of the international scientific journal “Biodegradation.”
McCormick senior Jen Cowman has worked with Rittmann for the past six months in a new phase of the microfilm research and said she admires his dedication to the field.
“He’s brilliant,” Cowman said. “He specializes in cutting-edge technology that is applicable to industry and waste-water treatment. His imaginative approach to fixing environmental problems really makes him remarkable.”
Rittmann was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences in 1996 and was awarded the first A.R.I. Clarke Prize for Outstanding Achievements in Water Science and Technology from the National Water Research Institute in 1994.
