Energy, Environment and Resources Center

Jack Barkenbus, Executive Director

Center For Clean Products and Clean Technologies

Gary A. Davis, Director

Office of Communications and Publications

David Brill, Director

Center for Geography and Environmental Education

Rosalyn McKeown-Ice, Director

Oak Ridge Technology Research and Development Program

Sheila Webster, Director

Systems Development Institute

Donald Alvic, Director

Pro-Dialogue

Mary R. English and David L. Feldman, Directors

Water Resources Research Center

Tim Gangaware, Associate Director

For more information call Gail Farris at 865-974-4251 or write to EERC, 311 Conference Center Building, Knoxville, TN 37996-4134.

Visit our Web site at: http://eerc.ra.utk.edu/

Collaborations. Senior Research Scientist Jack Ranney served as project administrator for a recent study sponsored by EERC affiliate the Waste Management Research and Education Institute. Department of Urban and Regional Planning collaborators on the project included John Peine, adjunct professor; and graduate students William Coleman, Leon Christion Jr., and Rachel Beaty. The team studied land- and water-management practices on private lands adjacent to Great Smoky Mountains National Park and analyzed policies governing land use. Their final report will provide resource managers and stakeholder groups information on water quality and land-use change and how existing policies can be modified to improve sustainability.

Graduate students representing many disciplines contribute time, talent, and energy to EERC research projects. Among students participating in EERC projects this semester are Lisa Gary (Communications), who writes and edits for EERC publications; Xin Wu (Statistics), who sets up and runs statistical analyses on waste reduction; and Crina Zaharia (Business), who provides computer support. While EERC gains a youthful perspective and valuable assistance, students gain hands-on experience and earn money to help finance their education. Future editions of Highlights will profile other students involved in EERC research.

Projects. Research Associate David Durfee of EERC's Systems Development Institute served as project manager for a study that involved Maytag's new front-loading washing machine. Durfee's team assessed data from Boston-area residents who tested the new Neptune washer. Durfee says the five-month, 50-family study confirmed a 44-percent water savings and a 50-percent energy savings. Mark Ginsberg, deputy assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Energy announced the team's findings at a special concert by Kenny Chesney, Sara Evans, and Jennifer Day at Boston's Symphony Hall.

International News. Rosalyn McKeown, director of EERC's Center for Geography and Environmental Education, recently addressed the International Seminar on 21st-Century Citizen Environmental Education and Environmental Science Development at Northeast Normal University in Changchun, China. McKeown was invited to speak on environmental literacy and was sponsored by the Center for Environmental Education and Communications, a division of the State Environmental Protection Administration of the People's Republic of China. The conference drew more than 100 participants from universities, K-12 schools, nonprofit organizations, and regional environmental protection agencies.

Appointments. Rosalyn McKeown has been invited to serve on the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Advisory Committee for Environmental Research and Education. This committee oversees management, balance, and performance of NSF's environmental research and education activities.