Professor Peter Strom, Department of Environmental Sciences and Institute of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences.
Peter Strom, professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences, was presented the New Jersey Water Environment Association (NJWEA) Wastewater Hall of Fame Award at the NJWEA Conference in May. The award recognizes members of the association who have demonstrated dedication and competitive achievement in the wastewater field.
Those inducted into the NJWEA Hall of Fame are remarkable, dedicated members that have made an extraordinary contribution to the wastewater profession. The criteria are stringent and candidates must have a minimum of 25 years of documented accomplishments in the wastewater field. Inductees also serve as ambassadors for the local, state and national associations and are expected to uphold the standards of excellence set forth by the New Jersey Water Environment Association.
Strom has been a member of Rutgers faculty since 1980. He has a bachelor’s degree in Physical Sciences from MIT (‘71), a master’s degree (‘75) and a doctoral degree (’78) in Environmental Science from Rutgers. He has been a researcher at the Sanitary Engineering Research Lab, University of California-Berkeley, and a Visiting Scholar at Michigan State University. He teaches advanced graduate and undergraduate courses in Biological Waste Treatment and Hazardous Waste as well as introductory courses in environmental science.
His research has focused on the microbial ecology of the biological treatment of wastes. This has included work on activated sludge and rotating biological contactors, nutrient removal, composting, bioremediation and contaminated air biofiltration. Some of these applications were for building a base on Mars. He also has worked on water pollution issues, especially relating to nutrients.
Strom is a member of the Water Environment Federation, American Society for Microbiology and the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors. He has co-authored a textbook, Environmental Biology for Engineers and Scientists (Wiley Interscience, 2006) and over 250 scientific papers and presentations. He is co-recipient of two patents and two national awards, the WEF Harrison Prescott Eddy Medal for research, and a National Recycling Congress Award for a leaf composting facility.
He also won the 1996 Team Award for Excellence in Research at Cook College, the 2001 NJWEA Operator Educator Award, the 2002 Cook College Teaching Excellence Award and the 2009 Dennis M. Fenton Distinguished Graduate Alumni Award from the Cook Community Alumni Association.
