WFU awards and recognitions briefs

The WFU Awards and Recognitions briefs celebrate milestones of faculty, staff and students at Wake Forest.

WFU’s Meiburg appointed chairman of state’s Environmental Management Commission
Stan Meiburg, director of Wake Forest’s graduate programs in sustainability, has assumed chairmanship of North Carolina’s Environmental Management Commission (EMC). The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality announced Meiburg’s appointment this week. His term will continue until June 30, 2021.

Meiburg recently served as chair of the EMC’s Air Quality Committee. The commission is responsible for adopting rules for the protection, preservation and enhancement of the state’s air and water resources. In 39 years with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Meiburg served as acting deputy administrator, deputy regional administrator of Region 4 (Atlanta) and Region 6 (Dallas), acting regional administrator in Regions 4 and 6, national EPA liaison to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and Region 6 director of Air, Pesticides and Toxics Division. He also led work on the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments through EPA’s Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards.

Unbroken Circle shows raise more than $28,000
More than $28,000 was raised by the campus concerts presented Feb. 8 and 9 by the old-time string band The Unbroken Circle. Donations offered during the shows support the programs and initiatives of The Shalom Project. The Unbroken Circle is a Wake Forest-based multi-generational band. It has raised money for the project through performances in past years. For more information, contact The Shalom Project.

WFU Engineering professor wins grant for ‘Lost Waterways’ event
This fall, a grant project called “Lost Waterways of Winston-Salem” will pull together students from the region’s universities to learn about local water issues through film.

The grant was awarded to Wake Forest University engineering assistant professor and hydrologist Lauren Lowman by the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science Inc. (CUAHSI), which is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

For Lowman, it’s a great way to fulfill the mission of the university’s new engineering program – bridging engineering with the liberal arts by engaging different members of the community.

“To be engaged in issues such as water quality, you need to understand the local culture and context of water usage,” she said. “And that means talking to all the people who share the resources you use.”

Students from Wake Forest, Salem College, Winston-Salem State University, University of North Carolina School of the Arts and Forsyth Technical Community College will be invited to screen the 2012 documentary “Lost Rivers,” which inspired the local “Lost Waterways” event, at a/perture cinema in September. A panel discussion with local experts representing different areas including film, art, history, water science and engineering, and urban water and land development will follow. Participants will join a call to action group that provides an opportunity for community engagement and keeps the conversation going after the event.