Daniel Oerther

Oerther served as Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Cincinnati[10] He created a campus-wide minor in sustainability[11] and founded a student chapter of Engineers Without Borders.[12] Nancy L. Zimpher recognized Oerther with the President's Excellence Award in 2007.[13]

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. He promoted the Solar Village,[14] and established the Diplomacy Lab program on campus.[15] Mun Choi recognized Oerther with the President's Award for Cross-Cultural Engagement in 2017 and the University of Missouri System's C. Brice Ratchford Fellowship in 2019 for advancing the institution's land grant mission[16]

Daniel Oerther at the United States Department of State in 2015

From 2014 to 2019, Oerther was a Foreign Affairs Officer at the United States Department of State in the Secretary's Office of Global Food Security.[17] He represented the United States at the Second International Conference on Nutrition,[18] the launch of the Blue Growth Network in St. George's, Grenada, the second Our Ocean Conference in Valparaiso, Chile,[19] and the 43rd plenary session of the Committee on World Food Security in Rome, Italy. Ambassador Nancy Stetson recognized Oerther with a Meritorious Honor Award for his efforts to create COAST.[20] Oerther's additional recognitions from the State Department include the 2005 Fulbright-Nehru Scholar to the Indian Institute of Science, India, the 2012 Fulbright-ALCOA Distinguished Chair to the Federal University of Western Para, Brazil,[21] and the 2019 Fulbright Scholar to King's College London, UK.[22]

Daniel Oerther addressing the 2016 AAEES Spring Meeting

In 2013, Oerther was elected Treasurer of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists.[23] He served as President in 2022,[24] and he currently serves as Executive Director.[25] His awards from the Academy include the 2016 Superior Achievement Award for, "Improved water quality in Ixcan, Guatemala." Throughout 2020, Oerther served as the Academy's Kappe Distinguished Lecturer.[26]

In 2020, Oerther joined the Board of Trustees of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH).[27][28] In August 2022, the CIEH announced Oerther's appointment to Chair the Board of Trustees beginning in January 2023.[29][30] Two months later, in March 2023, 84.5% of members supported a motion of no confidence in Oerther and the Board of Trustees.[31] Oerther did not resign but was removed as Chair[32] and the CIEH announced a second Special Meeting to be held on 27 April 2023.[33] This time 88.3% of CIEH members supported a further motion of no confidence in Oerther and the remaining trustees.[34]

In 2020, Oerther was appointed to the Board of Directors of Engineers Without Borders – USA.[35] In 2022, he was elected Treasurer.

In 2020, Oerther was appointed to the Missouri Hazardous Waste Management Commission by Governor Mike Parson (R).[36] In 2022, he was elected Chair of the Commission.

In the United States, Oerther is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (2016), the Academy of Nursing Education of the National League for Nursing (2018),[37] and the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (2020).[38]

In the United Kingdom, Oerther is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (2017), the Royal Society for Public Health (2017),[39] the Society of Environmental Engineers (2018),[40] the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (2018),[41] and the Society of Operations Engineers (2020).

Oerther is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Environmental Engineering, published by the American Society of Civil Engineers.[42] Previously he was an Associate Editor of the journal, Water Environment Research, published by the Water Environment Federation, and a member of the International Advisory Board of the journal, Perspectives in Public Health, published by the Royal Society for Public Health.

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. He was previously an adjunct professor at UFOPA and a visiting scholar at King's College London.

Oerther was a member of the Board of Directors and the Chief Information Officer of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (2007-2010).[43]

From 2013 to 2021, Oerther was a member of the Board of Directors of the Sigma Theta Tau International Building Corporation.[44] He served as Treasurer from 2019 to 2021.

Oerther is part of a team of faculty working in the field of environmental biotechnology – where 16S ribosomal RNA-targeted techniques and microbial genomics are used to advance the understanding of ecology in engineered and natural systems used by environmental engineers and scientists to treat water, soils, and gases.[53] His contributions have included:

• development of methods to identify the origin of microbiological contamination from fecal wastes discharged to watersheds.[54]
• recommendations to improve the performance of suspended growth, aerobic, municipal sewage treatment systems perturbed by discharges of industrial pollutants;[55]
• recommendations to reduce the early stages of membrane biofouling in aerobic, submerged membrane bioreactors;[56]

Oerther works with 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).[57] 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.[58]
• the adaptation of structural equation modeling to evaluate causes of diarrhea illness in rural Guatemala,[59] rural Brazil,[60] and South Africa;[61]
• Demonstration of the use of sovereign parametric insurance to support food and nutrition security for artisanal and small-scale fisherfolk;[52]

• the creation and dissemination of a novel course teaching molecular biology skills to engineers through hands-on laboratory activities without prerequisite knowledge of biology;[62]
• recommendations for adapting mastery learning from nursing for use in the field of environmental engineering;[63]
• development of courses teaching: science diplomacy;[64] environmental health; and environmental modeling.