My research focus is on the biogeochemistry of surface and ground water systems and how microbial processes influence the geochemistry and quality of these waters. Recent research topics include: (1) using geochemical, thermodynamics and microbial phylogenetics to determine how treated surface waters that have been injected into anaerobic and highly reduced aquifer systems drive the changes in geochemistry and water quality during storage, recovery and discharge into receiving streams and lakes, (2) assessing the influences that bacterial processes have on ocean acidification in the coastal ecosystems using high spatial resolution data and (3) using biogeochemical and microbial ecology techniques to determine how microbial processes in coral reef and coastal sediments and associated porewater systems influence ocean acidification-related geochemistry in the overlying water column, at the sediment/water interface and carbonate sediment diagenesis.

Dr. Lisle earned his Ph.D. at the University of South Florida in the College of Public Health. Following his post-doctoral fellowship at Montana State University, Dr. Lisle was employed by NASA’s Astrobiology Institute at Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX where his research focused on the microbial ecology in extreme environments, including Antarctica. Since 2002 Dr. Lisle has been employed by the USGS Center for Coastal and Watershed Research in St. Petersburg, FL, where he’s applied his experience to projects related biogeochemistry of surface and groundwater systems, ocean acidification and climate change. His expertise is in the use of non-culture based and molecular techniques and biogeochemistry to assess the survival and persistence of microorganisms in aquatic and sediment systems and the influence microorganisms have on the geochemistry within these systems. 

Charles P. Gerba is a professor of virology in the Dept of Environmental Science. He has authored over 500 journal articles, books and has been featured on numerous television programs and magazines. Dr. Gerba has an international reputation for his methodologies for pathogen detection in water and food, pathogen occurrence in households, and risk assessment.

Jörg E. Drewes is an environmental engineer by training with more than 25 years of experience. He is currently Chair Professor of Urban Water Systems Engineering at the Technical University of Munich, Germany. Before joining TUM in 2013, he served as Full Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines, USA (2001-2013) with visiting appointments in Australia and Saudi Arabia.

Jörg Drewes’ research and scholarly activities are closely related based on the common theme of energy efficient advanced water treatment systems and water recycling. In particular, he is interested in designing next generation biological treatment systems for chemical and microbial contaminants. Dr. Drewes has published more than 400 journal papers, book contributions, and conference proceedings (h-index of 45).

Jörg served on multiple science advisory panels and chaired blue ribbon panels on topics related to public health, engineering, drinking water supply, and reliability of water reuse projects in the U.S., Australia. Germany and the European Commission. He also serves on the Research Advisory Council of the Water Research Foundation (USA) and most recently chaired the Expert Panel on monitoring requirements for water recycling for the State of California. For six years, Professor Drewes served as the chair of the International Water Association (IWA) Water Reuse Specialist Group.

Heber has spent the past 20 years working in both the retail and wholesale segments of the home improvement industry.  Having successfully led both large and small businesses, he understands the complexity of business growth and development. From in-home sales to project management, General Management and Ownership, he has a proven track record of success in each capacity.  His passion and creativity lend a unique perspective and offer a powerful vision for success.  In 2021, he joined EnerBank as a Senior Trainer and Contractor Success Coach. This as a means of utilizing his experiences to help contractors break through barriers for greater growth and success.  He has since been given the added responsibility of leading the Bank's contractor training department as the Training Manager. 

Dr. Jesse Korus is an Associate Professor of Groundwater Geology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is affiliated with the Conservation and Survey Division (Nebraska Geological Survey) in the School of Natural Resources where he has research and Extension appointments. He aims to understand linkages between sedimentary processes and aquifer heterogeneity across scales. He has worked extensively on sedimentary deposits in Nebraska and surrounding regions, combining field data with applied geophysics to understand 3D distributions of geological and hydrogeological properties. In his Extension role, he translates research findings into educational materials for water resources managers and groundwater practitioners. He received BS and PhD degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and an MS degree from Virginia Tech. He is a licensed geologist with 20+ years of experience.

Dr. Frank Tsai is a professor of water resources in the Department of Civil & Environmental  Engineering, Louisiana State University. He has been with LSU since 2003. He is a registered Professional Engineer (PE) and registered Professional Geoscientist (PG) in Louisiana. He is an adjunct professor of the LSU Center for Computation & Technology and a fellow of LSU Coastal Studies Institute. He has been the Director of Louisiana Water Resources Research Institute since 2015. He received his B.S. degree and M.S. degree from Taiwan in 1993 and 1995, respectively. He received his Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering/Water Resources from University of California, Los Angeles in 2002 and stayed at UCLA one more year as a postdoc fellow (2002-2003). He was associate editor for ASCE Journal of Hydrologic Engineering and Journal of Water Resources Planning Management and was on the Editorial Board for the journal Advances in Water Resources. He is current associate editor for journal Groundwater (NGWA). Dr. Tsai has broad research interests in hydrology, groundwater, hydrogeology, and water resources management.

Russ Granfors is the Corporate Health and Safety Administrator of Clear Creek Associates (a Geo-Logic Company). His academic background includes a BS degree in Environmental Science from Susquehanna University. He oversees the corporate Injury and Illness Prevention Program for Geo-Logic Associates. He administers the company training and reporting for MSHA and OSHA requirements, and he chairs the Health and Safety Committee that is comprised of Regional Health and Safety Office Managers. Mr. Granfors also manages field hydrologic work including well drilling and installation; remediation system operation & maintenance; as well as groundwater, soil, and air vapor sampling. His broad experience includes well vault repair/replacement, casing repair, wellhead surveys, video logging, air sparge systems, and soil vapor and groundwater extraction remediation systems. He has extensive experience with indoor air sampling, sub-slab vapor sampling and soil vapor sampling activities.

 

Ricardo Jaimes has 36 years of experience and a well-rounded career in hydrogeology, geology, and geotechnical engineering with extensive field work experience in each field. His specialized expertise includes quantitative hydrogeology and groundwater modeling, achieved through project work in the United States, as well as internationally including Canada and Mexico.

Jaimes’ experience as a hydrogeologist and geological engineer is broad-based. He has led all kind of hydrogeology tasks for numerous construction, mining, oil and gas, and remediation projects in the United States and Canada over the past 19 years.

For 12 years, Jaimes was the president of Ingenieria Geologica Computarizada, one of the most highly regarded consulting firms in Mexico in hydrogeology, geotechnical engineering, and computerized applied systems and GIS. He served on the board of directors of the Mexican Society of Soil Mechanics (2001 to 2002) and was a member of the Tailing Dams Committee (2000 to 2003). Jaimes was a hydrogeology supervisor exploring groundwater sources for Comision Federal de Electricidad (Electricity Federal Commission). He has participated successfully in research working for the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Geophysics Institute for five years.

Xochitl Montaño-Soriano has 15 years of experience in geological engineering in the hydrogeology area and 12 years as an entrepreneur in engineering consulting. As the cofounder and owner of her engineering firm, IGC S.A. de C.V. (from 1992-2004), she administered, led, and participated in projects that included groundwater supply studies; geological and geophysical, hydrogeological, and geotechnical studies; hydrochemical studies; and water well design and installation. Montaño-Soriano’s consulting firm also managed projects that included the design and development of GIS applications for water resources management in cities as complex as Mexico City.

Her consulting firm served customers such as government water agencies of small and big cities as well as national water agencies; the private sector; and private industry where projects were led in the areas of groundwater supply studies, groundwater pollution and remediation studies, and geotechnical and environmental projects in the United States, Spain, and Mexico. For the water agencies, the consulting firm managed projects that went from groundwater supply studies to design and optimization of the monitoring wells network, also establishing the aquifer management program for them.

Montaño-Soriano was in charge of the Waterloo Hydrogeologic Inc. exclusive distribution of software in Mexico and was the manager of their groundwater modeling courses in Mexico. She was translating from English into Spanish for WHI Inc. and Schlumberger Water Services Inc. specialized technical material (about their groundwater modeling software and user guides) from 2004 to 2008. In addition, she took postgraduate courses in SUNY ESF in water resources management and environmental science from 2005-2007.

Steve Frangione, Grundfos’ Controls and Digital Solutions product manager, specializes in water utility innovation through automation and remote monitoring. He has grown his background in control systems, product management, and customer relations though various positions at multiple pump manufacturers over the past six-and-a-half years and enjoys helping end-users solve their biggest challenges by integrating new technology.

Madison Kymes, RPG, is a hydrogeology team lead for the Office of Land and Water Resources with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. His work focuses on subsurface mapping, aquifer delineation, and groundwater monitoring. Kymes regularly collaborates with the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to investigate groundwater availability and groundwater modeling. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in geology from Louisiana State University.

Sharon Newman, Ph.D., is a physical scientist in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program (Drinking Water Infrastructure Development Division/Office of Groundwater and Drinking Water/Office of Water). She joined the agency in 2020 and is a member of the UIC Class VI team at EPA headquarters. In this role, Newman collaborates with her teammates, as well as staff in EPA’s regional offices to help ensure the consistent and effective permitting of geologic sequestration injection wells across the country while ensuring the protection of underground sources of drinking water. Her work also focuses on aquifer storage and recovery and aquifer recharge (Class V) wells. Newman holds a bachelor’s degree in Earth and environmental science from Wesleyan University (2008), a master’s degree in conservation biology from Columbia University (2010), and a Ph.D. in geobiology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2018).

Douglas Beak, Ph.D., is a research geochemist at the Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response (CESER) that is part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development (ORD). His current research efforts center around water quality issues (natural and anthropogenic) associated with the use of EAR and GI using various source waters for the augmentation of groundwater along with fate and transport of inorganics in the environment, and metal and metalloid speciation in sulfidic environments. Beak is a graduate of Ohio State University. He received his doctoral degree in 2005.

Justin Mattingly is with the Water Reuse Program in the Office of Water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency working on coordinating water reuse activity across EPA and the implementation of the National Water Reuse Action Plan. He has more than 10 years of experience working in the water sector on a variety of issues in water reuse including treatment and monitoring systems for potable reuse, risk assessment, and policy and regulatory development for different water reuse applications including aquifer recharge. Mattingly has a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Delaware and a master’s degree in environmental science from American University.

Jim Hutmacher, CWD/PI, sales engineer with Wyo-Ben Inc., was born and raised in the Chamberlain, South Dakota area and began his career in the water well industry at an early age. When he was growing up, he would spend all his spare time either at the rig or at the shop helping his father and uncle. He has always said that he could run a drilling rig before he could legally drive.

Hutmacher graduated from Chamberlain High School and attended the University of South Dakota. Eventually he was at home helping with the well drilling business. He became interested in learning more about water wells and began to attend the state association meetings, and then NGWA conventions.

A South Dakota-licensed well driller since the mid ’70s, Hutmacher took the NGWA voluntary certification test in 1986 for mud rotary, and the pump installer test in 1993, and is an NGWA Certified Well Driller/Pump Installer (CWD/PI). He has served on the South Dakota Water Management Board, which licenses well drillers and pump installers and issues water use permits, from 2003 to the present.

Hutmacher has been employed with Wyo-Ben Inc. since 2016 and is currently a sales engineer. His responsibilities include training for customers and distributors, in both classroom and on-site settings. He specializes in the fields of water well drilling, environmental, and HDD. His territory covers eight states in the upper Midwest. Hutmacher has instructed classes on drilling fluids in the eight states in the Midwest region and at NGWA’a Groundwater Week 2018.

Stuart Lyle serves as geothermal sales director and provides technical support for ISCO’s customer base in the United States and Canada. A 17-year veteran of the geothermal industry, he has served in both operations and sales roles. Before joining ISCO Industries, Lyle served as a project manager for a nationwide geothermal installation company.

Prior to entering the civilian workforce, he had a prestigious military career in the 3rd Marine Division where he earned a meritorious promotion to the rank of Sergeant and the Navy and Marines Corps Achievement medal for outstanding performance while serving abroad. After completion of his tour in Afghanistan, Lyle continued his military service in the Georgia Army National Guard while simultaneously earning a B.S. degree in physiology and a B.A. degree in criminal justice from the University of Georgia in 2006.

Terry Christine, partner in Jackson Geothermal, has been in the drilling industry for several decades. In 1978, Jackson and Sons Drilling and Pump Co. was founded by Dan and Nora Jackson as a family-owned and -operated water well business. In 1998, their oldest son Jim purchased the company and started Jackson Geothermal. He grew Jackson Geothermal to being the largest family-owned and -operated geothermal and drilling company in the country having 15 drill rigs running all the time and 60-pllus employees. In the early 2000s, Jackson Geothermal covered the entire United States, drilling both commercial and residential geothermal. Having started in the drilling industry in 1992, Christine became an employee at Jackson Geothermal in 2000. In 2015, Christine and Jackson became partners and are still running Jackson Geothermal together to this day.

David R. Wunsch, Ph.D., PG, is the director and state geologist of the Delaware Geological Survey. Previously, he served as the director of science and technology at NGWA, was the state geologist of New Hampshire, and had statutory appointments to the New Hampshire Joint Board of Geology and Water Well Board. His scientific interests and areas of expertise are groundwater monitoring and exploration, aqueous geochemistry, mine hydrology, and engineering geology.

Wunsch has served on the NGWA Scientists and Engineers Section Board of Directors, was president of the Association of American State Geologists, and is currently past-president of the American Geoscience Institute. He has also served on federal advisory committees, study committees of the National Academy of Science, and has testified before Congress regarding national water and energy issues. He has represented AASG on the Federal Advisory Committee on Water Information and was a founding member of its Subcommittee on Ground Water, which developed a framework for monitoring the nation’s groundwater resources. By merit of his current position, Wunsch represents the state of Delaware on the Delaware River Master Advisory Committee, whose members negotiate out-of-basin transfers and water management within the Delaware River Basin.

A Fellow of the Geological Society of America, Wunsch was also presented the Outstanding Kentucky Geologist Award by the Kentucky Chapter of the American Institute of Professional Geologists in 1999 and, in 2014, was the recipient of the American Geosciences Institute’s Outstanding Contribution to the Understanding of Geoscience award.

Wunsch received his B.A. in geology, with a minor in chemistry, from SUNY Oneonta, an M.S. in geology from the University of Akron, and a Ph.D. in geology with an emphasis in hydrogeology from the University of Kentucky.

John LaFave has been part of the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology research staff since 1993; he currently serves as program manager for the Montana Ground Water Assessment Program. His research is focused on enhancing groundwater monitoring of Montana’s principal aquifers and assessing regional groundwater quality. LaFave also serves as an associate director of the Montana Water Center, is a western-state representative to the National Ground-Water Monitoring Network Board, and is an affiliate faculty member of the Montana Tech Department of Geological Engineering.

He received his B.S. degree in geology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an M.A. degree in geology with an emphasis in hydrogeology from the University of Texas at Austin.

Tim Cowman is the state geologist at the South Dakota Geological Survey, which is part of the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources. As state geologist, he directs the operation of the State Geological Survey, which includes geology and groundwater resource assessments, aquifer delineation, and geologic mapping. Cowman’s work as a geologist and hydrologist includes surface water/groundwater interactions, Missouri River geomorphology, and a statewide flood information system. He has a master’s degree in natural sciences and geochemistry and a bachelor’s degree in Earth sciences and chemistry from the University of South Dakota.