Contact Info:
E-mail: djl@mail.utexas.edu
Phone: 512-471-6682
Website: www.okstate.com
Biography
I grew up in West Texas and went to high school in Shawnee, Oklahoma. I’m currently working on my PhD in Civil Engineering (Environmental and Water Resources group). I did my M.S. under Dr. Speitel at UT in 2003 and finished my B.S. in Civil Engineering at Oklahoma State University in 2001 (go cowboys!) I have experience in both industrial and municipal consulting work for two years between my M.S. and PhD work. My hobbies include travel, backpacking, golf, and other sports. I have traveled to over 25 foreign countries.
Research
For my dissertation work, I am studying active capping of contaminated sediments in the Anacostia River in Washington DC. Active capping means covering sediments with a material that is designed to both contain and treat the contaminants in situ. We are studying three materials for active capping; these include apatite, coke breeze, and AquaBlok. Apatite is a naturally occurring mineral that sequesters metals by a surface precipitation reaction. Coke breeze is a by-product of the coal refining process that binds to organics. AquaBlok is a composite-aggregate material that swells and forms and low permeability barrier between sediments and the overlying water.
