Daniel Oerther

From 2000 through 2009, Oerther was a member of the faculty of the University of Cincinnati where he served as Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.[11] At Cincinnati, he established the Ohio Center of Excellence in Advanced Energy: Sustaining the Urban Environment, created a campus-wide minor in sustainability,[12] and founded a student chapter of Engineers Without Borders.[13] Oerther's recognition at Cincinnati included being named an inaugural Master Engineering Educator in the College of Engineering, being named an inaugural member of the University-wide Academy of Fellows for Teaching and Learning,[14] and being named a recipient of the President's Excellence Award from Nancy L. Zimpher in 2007.[15]

In 2010, Oerther joined the faculty of the Missouri University of Science and Technology as the John A. and Susan Mathes Endowed Chair of Environmental Engineering.[16] At Missouri, he promoted the Solar Village,[17] established the Diplomacy Lab program on campus,[18] and led student study-abroad to Kenya,[19] India,[20] and Brazil.[21] Oerther's recognition at Missouri includes being named the recipient of the Missouri University of Science and Technology's Faculty Service Learning Award, the University of Missouri System's C. Brice Ratchford Fellowship for advancing the institution's land grant mission,[22] and the University of Missouri System's President's Award for Cross-Cultural Engagement from Mun Choi in 2017.

Daniel Oerther part of the US Delegation to ICN2 Rome Italy in 2014

From 2014–2019, Oerther was a Foreign Affairs Officer at the United States Department of State in the Secretary's Office of Global Food Security where he provided expert advice on agricultural policy.[23] At State, he lead the creation of COAST - the Caribbean Oceans and Aquaculture Sustainability faciliTy.[24] Oerther represented the United States at the Second International Conference on Nutrition,[25] the launch of the Blue Growth Network in St. George's, Grenada, the second Our Ocean Conference in Valparaiso, Chile,[26] and the 43rd plenary session of the Committee on World Food Security in Rome, Italy. For his efforts to create COAST, in 2015 he was recognized with a Meritorious Honor Award by Ambassador Nancy Stetson.[27] Oerther's additional recognitions from the State Department include the 2005 Fulbright-Nehru Scholar to the Indian Institute of Science, India,[28] the 2012 Fulbright-ALCOA Distinguished Chair to the Federal University of Western Para, Brazil,[29] the 2014 Jefferson Science Fellowship,[30] the 2017 "New Frontiers of Global Public Health" Alumni Thematic International Exchange Seminar (Alumni TIES),[31] and the 2019 Fulbright Scholar to King's College London, UK.[32]

Daniel Oerther addressing the 2016 AAEES Spring Meeting

In 2013, Oerther joined the Board of Trustees of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists as Treasurer.[33] He was elected Vice President in 2019, and will lead the Academy as President-elect (2021), President (2022), and Past-president through 2023. His recognition from the Academy includes the 2009 University Research Honor Award for, "Improved water quality in northwest Tanzania," the 2014 Excellence in Environmental Engineering and Science Education Award,[34] the 2016 Superior Achievement Award for, "Improved water quality in Ixcan, Guatemala,"[35] the 2018 Stanley E. Kappe Award,[36] and the 2020 Environmental Sustainability Honor Award for, "COAST: Caribbean Ocean and Aquaculture Sustainability faciliTy." Throughout 2020, Oerther served as the Academy's Kappe Distinguished Lecturer delivering two different lectures to universities around the world.[37] The first lecture presented his work with nurses using community based participatory research to eliminate childhood stunting in Guatemala through the GRoWES project, and the second lecture presented his work with the World Bank using science diplomacy to promote climate resilience and food security in the Caribbean through the COAST parametric insurance product.

Daniel Oerther and Missouri Senator Roy Blunt (R) in 2014

In 2007, Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory (D) appointed Oerther to the Climate Protection Steering Committee, which created the first Green Cincinnati Plan.[38][39][40] Mallory also appointed Oerther to co-chair the Cincinnati Food Access Task Force, which created the first comprehensive plan to eliminate food deserts in Cincinnati.[41][42] In 2014, Oerther was appointed to the Green Practices Commission of the City of University City, Missouri.[43] Oerther was elected to the Phelps County, Missouri Extension Council, and served from 2017 to 2019. [44] Missouri Governor Eric Greitens (R) recommended Oerther for appointment to the Missouri Board of Nursing in 2018.[45] In 2020, Oerther was appointed to the Missouri Hazardous Waste Commission by Governor Mike Parson (R).[46]

Oerther is a lifetime honorary member of Sigma Theta Tau International (2011).[47] In the United Kingdom, he is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (2017), the Royal Society for Public Health (2017),[48] the Society of Environmental Engineers (2018),[49] the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (2018),[50] and the Society of Operations Engineers (2020).[51] In the United States, he is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (2016),[52] the Academy of Nursing Education of the National League for Nursing (2018),[53] and the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (2020).[54]

Oerther is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Environmental Engineering, published by the American Society of Civil Engineers,[55] and a member of the International Advisory Board of Perspectives in Public Health, published by the Royal Society for Public Health. Previously he was an Associate Editor of the journal, Water Environment Research, published by the Water Environment Federation.

Oerther is a member of Board of Directors and Treasurer of the Sigma Theta Tau International Building Corporation (2013-2021),[56] a member of the Board of Trustees and Deputy Chair of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (2020-2022), and a member of the Board of Directors of Engineers Without Borders – USA (2021-2024).[57] Previously he was a member of the Board of Directors and the Chief Information Officer of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (2007-2010).[58]

Oerther is a Visiting Professor at the Institute of Science and Technology for Advanced Studies and Research, Gujarat, India; an Adjunct Professor in the School of Life Sciences, Manipal University in Karnataka, India; a Faculty Consultant at Future University in Egypt.[59] He was previously an Adjunct Professor at UFOPA and a visiting scholar at King's College London.

Oerther co-led studies to address food deserts in urban Cincinnati,[62] and rural Missouri.[63] And he has worked to eliminate childhood stunting in Brazil, Guatemala, and South Africa through the Global Research on WaSH - water, sanitation, and hygiene - to Eliminate childhood Stunting (GRoWES) project.[64]

Oerther helped to design, finance, construct, and equip community health clinics in Tanzania[65] and Ghana.[66]

Oerther helped bring clean drinking water and community latrines to villages in Kenya,[67] Tanzania, and India.

Oerther co-founded PulaCloud, LLC to bring entry-level jobs in human computation supporting the knowledge-economy to Kenya and to rural Missouri.[68]

Oerther and his family demonstrated small-home living in Missouri.[69][70]

Oerther helped to design and launch an innovative parametric insurance product, which aims to formalize the artisanal fishing sector throughout the Caribbean as a way of improving governance and sustainable management of catch fisheries.[71][72]

Oerther is part of a diverse team of faculty pioneering discovery in the field of environmental biotechnology – where 16S ribosomal RNA-targeted techniques and microbial genomics are used to advance the fundamental understanding of ecology in engineered and natural systems used by environmental engineers and scientists to treat water, soils, and gases.[74] His contributions have included:

• development of methods to identify the origin of microbiological contamination from fecal wastes discharged to watersheds.[75]
• recommendations to improve the reliable performance of suspended growth, aerobic, municipal sewage treatment systems perturbed by discharges of industrial pollutants;[76]
• recommendations to reduce the early stages of membrane biofouling in aerobic, submerged membrane bioreactors;[77]

Oerther leads integrated teams of engineers, nurses, and other health care professionals to work alongside developing communities around the world as part of community-based participatory research (CBPR).[78] His contributions have included:

• fundamental studies on the environmental determinants of childhood stunting including the interaction of microbial contamination of drinking water and aflatoxin contamination of maize.[79]
• the adaptation of structural equation modeling to evaluate causes of diarrhea illness in rural Guatemala,[80] rural Brazil,[81] and South Africa;[82]

Oerther studies how to bring course content and pedagogical approaches from diverse fields to improve student learning in environmental engineering and science.[83] His contributions have included:

• the creation and dissemination of a novel course teaching molecular biology skills to engineers through hands-on laboratory activities without prerequisite knowledge of biology;[84]
• recommendations for adapting mastery learning from nursing for use in the field of environmental engineering;[85]
• development of novel courses teaching: science diplomacy;[86] environmental health; and environmental modeling.