Bret Strogen
Environmental Engineering graduate from University of Delaware with MSc from UC Berkeley, currently pursuing PhD degree.
| Headline: | Engineer |
| Skills: | Engineering |
| Groups: | Imagine H2O - Please Register at link below, Imagine H2O 2011, [INACTIVE] Imagine H2O |
| Interested in: | Consulting opportunities, Finding team mates, Meeting new people, Providing services to startups, Trading services |
| Schools: | University of California System - Berkeley, University of Delaware |
WORK EXPERIENCE
| Employer: | Energy Biosciences Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA |
| Position: | Graduate Student Researcher |
| Time period: | January 2008 - Present |
| Description: | Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Biofuels Storage and Distribution Infrastructure, (PI: Arpad Horvath)
- Performed literature review to understand the existing infrastructure for petroleum, and challenges to incorporating biofuels into the oil storage and distribution systems. - Collected information from various reports to quantify the magnitude (tonnage and mileage) of freight and fuel transported to and within the United States, and the economic and environmental implications of shipping fuel by various modes, including: tanker, barge, pipeline, truck and rail. - Began developing a rudimentary spreadsheet model to estimate the life cycle energy intensity, greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions associated with the current and anticipated transportation modes used to ship fuel from the well (or the farm) to the retail station, using recent geographically based economic projections. |
| Employer: | Energy Free Home Foundation, Berkeley, CA 94720 |
| Position: | Advisory Council Member |
| Time period: | May 2008 - September 2008 |
| Description: | - Served as a building efficiency technical consultant to the EFHF, which will host a 2009-2010 competition awarding $20 million in prizes to teams that design and build “energy free” homes.
- Completed an extensive literature review to create an inventory of costs (transformed into net present value) and energy savings from energy efficiency technologies and designs, to help develop a model to quantify collective energy and financial savings of each feature. - Reviewed economic forecasts of solar (photovoltaic) power and other technologies, in order to make final recommendation to the Foundation that their goal of “zero net energy at zero extra cost” (above conventional home construction) is not expected to be feasible in 2010 at the chosen competition site in Illinois. |
| Employer: | Mission San Lucas, San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala |
| Position: | Engineer/Surveyor Volunteer |
| Time period: | November 2007 - December 2007 |
| Description: | - Responsible for leading initial efforts to update electronic maps that delineate various properties within the community, specifically those acquired or developed by the Parish.
- Accompanied local workers to survey and document the boundaries of new communities, plantations, and preserved forest (mudslide protection). - Assisted with light construction tasks, and trained local workers to use GPS unit and associated computer software programs, to ensure continuity in mapping projects after my departure. |
| Employer: | Morris K. Udall Foundation, USA Cross-Country Legacy Bus Tour |
| Position: | Alternative Energies Coordinator |
| Time period: | June 2007 - August 2007 |
| Description: | - Toured over thirty cities, universities, national parks and tribal communities, and volunteered with service projects focused on environmental and Native American issues.
- Organized tours and workshops related to biofuels, alternative energies and efficiency. - Collected and organized data from motor coach’s engine computer and GPS unit, to estimate fuel consumption and air pollutant emissions for the entire 9,000 mile trip using 20% biodiesel. |
| Employer: | Weston Solutions, Inc., West Chester, PA 19380 |
| Position: | Assistant Project Engineer II |
| Time period: | November 2004 - November 2007 |
| Description: | EHS Manager – R&D Laboratories Calgary, AB & Billerica, MA
- Responsible for updating, creating, and implementing policies, training, and website for communicating programs related to safety, contractor management, industrial hygiene, ergonomics, environment and emergency response at the client’s site, to ensure compliance with OH&S legislation, corporate policies and ISO 9001-2000. - Key Accomplishments: Reduced air emissions reporting requirement from annually to three years; convinced management to track EHS training records on corporate database (instead of continuing to isolate EHS from core business); convinced Legal Director to change shower policy to permit use by (bicycle commuting) contractors; convinced cafeteria manager to offer healthy lunch specials and vegetarian options. Demolition Environmental Oversight Philadelphia, PA - Represented client as the site environmental compliance expert during demolition of buildings. - Oversaw environmental monitoring and remediation activities, verified proper disposal of known hazardous materials, and convinced construction manager to create a mandatory pre-demolition clearance form to stop preventable incidents from recurring. Construction Field Engineer Herndon, VA & Alexandria, VA - Interpreted CAD drawings, used surveying laser, and supervised/joined operators and Spanish-speaking laborers with excavation, sloping, grading, backfilling, and installation of erosion and sedimentation controls; performed environmental and IH sampling. - Tracked activities of employees and subcontractors; completed daily field reports, change order forms, and timesheets for the team, and coordinated work plans at weekly contractor meetings. Sampling Team Leader New Orleans, LA - Served as team leader for water sampling, and later for identification and removal of hazardous waste; assisted equipment managers with calibrating and diagnosing sensor problems. Process Engineer West Chester, PA - Worked closely with senior engineers, operators and vendors to create conceptual designs or operations manuals for industrial wastewater, soil and groundwater treatment systems. |
| Employer: | Dept of Civil & Env. Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA |
| Position: | Graduate Student Researcher |
| Time period: | July 2003 - August 2004 |
| Description: | Anaerobic Digester Foaming Due to Surfactant Metabolites and Nocardioform Filaments, (PI: David Jenkins)
- Performed literature review to understand the typical concentrations and fate of surfactants, and associated foaming problems, in activated sludge and anaerobic digester reactors. - Operated, monitored health and foaming potential of sludge in six 2L mesophilic anaerobic digesters receiving nocardioforms and/or surfactants with (synthetic feed) activated sludge. |
| Employer: | Dept of Civil & Env. Engineering, University of Delaware , Newark, DE |
| Position: | Undergraduate Researcher |
| Time period: | January 2003 - May 2003 |
| Description: | Utilization of Electrode-Reducing Bacteria in Wastewater Treatment Application, (PI: Steven Dentel)
- Investigated how surface area and substrate concentration affect current production, when using graphite electrodes to connect anaerobic sludge sediment to an overlying aerated zone. - Characterized changes in sludge bacteria populations and redox potential resulting from the presence of graphite electrodes in the anaerobic sludge layer. |
| Employer: | CORRPRO Companies, Inc., Ocean City, NJ 08226 |
| Position: | Student Intern |
| Time period: | June 2002 - August 2002 |
| Description: | - Prepared steel test panels for surface roughening (via grit or water blasting) and application of experimental new coatings, and subjected panels to various marine corrosion tests.
- Performed QA/QC of coating thickness and integrity before, during and after corrosion tests. |
| Employer: | ERM Polska, Warsaw, Poland |
| Position: | Student Intern |
| Time period: | January 2002 - February 2002 |
| Description: | - Assisted in writing, editing, and preparing maps and diagrams for environmental audit reports (written in English) for several industrial clients. |
| Employer: | Dept of Civil & Env. Engineering, University of Delaware , Newark, DE |
| Position: | Undergraduate Researcher |
| Time period: | October 2000 - May 2001 |
| Description: | Fate of Flocculant Organic Polymer in Wastewater Sludge under Basic Conditions, (PI: Steven Dentel)
- Designed experiments to determine the fate of an organic polymer, commonly used to flocculate wastewater solids, after sludge solids are treated with lime and applied to land - Devised a scheme to optimally dose polymer for synthetic sludge suspensions, based on capillary suction time test, viscosity and sludge jar test. - Analyzed polymer-dosed suspensions at various pH values using 250 MHz NMR spectrometer to check for hypothesized toxic byproducts of polymer degradation/hydrolysis. |
EDUCATION
| University: | University of California System - Berkeley |
| Time period: | 2012 |
| Degree: | Environmental Engineering, PhD |
| University: | University of California System - Berkeley |
| Time period: | 2004 |
| Degree: | Environmental Engineering, MSc |
| University: | University of Delaware |
| Time period: | 2003 |
| Degree: | Environmental Engineering, BSc |
PUBLICATIONS
| Papers: | Dentel, S., B. Strogen, and P. Chiu. 2004. “Direct Generation of Electricity from Sludges and Other Liquid Wastes.” Water Science & Technology, Vol. 50, No. 9, pp 161–168.
Dentel, S., B. Strogen, and P. Chiu. 2004. “Direct Generation of Electricity from Biosolids Using Microbial Fuel Cells.” Biosolids Technical Bulletin. Dentel, S., B. Strogen, S. Gillow, and D. Herson. 2004. “Direct Generation of Electricity from Sludges and Other Liquid Wastes." Resources from Sludge: Forging New Frontiers, International Water Association, Singapore. |
INFORMATION
| Memberships: | Berkeley Energy Resources Collaborative Jan 2008 - Present
Logistics Co-Coordinator, Annual Energy Symposium Planning Team October 2008 - Present Symposium Panel Development Committee - Incentivizing Efficiency October 2008 - Present International House at UC Berkeley Jan 2008 - Present Vice Chair, Resident Council (Committees: Dining, Facilities) Sept 2008 - Present Community Outreach Guest Lecturer, Program Office Speakers Bureau Feb 2008 - Present Earned Certificate in Global Leadership Spring 2008 Air & Waste Management Association 2001 - Present Member, Editorial Advisory Committee April 2008 - Present Board Member, Delaware Valley Chapter April 2005 - April 2007 President, University of Delaware Student Chapter Sept 2001 - May 2003 American Chemical Society 2004 - Present Member, Environ. Chemistry Division - Strategic Planning Committee Jan 2007 - April 2007 |
| Awards: | Current Certifications: LEED AP (2007), EIT (DE, 2002), Approved and plan to take PE Exam in 2009
1st Aid, CPR, BBP, OSHA 40-HR HAZWOPER Fellowships Sources: UC Berkeley Dept. of Civil & Env. Engineering 2003 - 2004 Honors Society of Phi Kappa Phi, Delaware Chapter 2003 - 2004 National Science Foundation, Honorable Mention 2003 – 2004 Scholarship Sources: Morris K. Udall Foundation 2001- 2002 Air & Waste Management Assoc., Del. Valley Chapter 2001 - 2003 Air & Waste Management Assoc., Mid-Atlantic Section 2000 - 2001 UD Scholar I Award 1999 - 2003 UD Honors Program 2001 - 2003 |
