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Page, who graduated last fall and now works as a project engineer at Underwood Engineers in Portsmouth, competed against 15 other finalists from across the nation for the AWWA award, which is designed to encourage academic excellence by recognizing contributions to the field of public water supply.
Even more than the $1,000 that came with the award, Page values the preparation he received at UNH. "The environmental engineering program is exceptional at UNH," says Page, who "We had to work very hard. Requirements were tough and it paid off. I know a lot of firms who will hire UNH grads before they will hire from Ivy League schools in this particular field."
Page credits his advisor, Robin Collins, with encouraging him to submit his thesis. "Tom was a very special student," says the professor of civil engineering. "I wanted him to apply for this award because I thought the quality of his work was so good."
Collins has been an advisor for two other winning graduate students. Jim Fenstermacher received the AWWA award in 1990 and Cathy Spencer was recognized in 1993. All three of Collins' students have a specialty in environmental engineering with a focus on drinking water improvements. "We get very high-quality students at UNH," says Collins. "This is just the tip of the iceberg--three examples of outstanding students and the research opportunities available here."
While it is rare for research to have an immediate impact, Page's efforts did exactly that, according to Collins. Page's thesis helped the town of Milo, Maine, avoid the chemical clarification treatment that would have been needed to remove the color from their drinking water.
Instead, Page suggested a conventional slow sand filter--with a twist. First explored by earlier student Jim Fenstermacher, the filter eventually proposed by Page included a granular activated carbon (GAC) sublayer to help filter out the organic matter that lends a yellowish-brown tinge to the water. Slow sand filtration has been used for years, but the "carbon sandwich" approach is so new, Milo is one of the first towns in the country to employ this treatment method. The project has been funded in part by Thames Water Utilities of London, UK.
"We ran our pilot filters up there as they were building their new plant," explains Page. "By the time they were ready to make a decision about what kind of treatment to use, we were able to show them, based on the data, that this GAC sublayer would work." The alternative to this "carbon sandwich" approach is typically a very expensive chemical treatment process difficult for most small towns to afford or manage.
"They are very proud of their new facility," says Collins. And, thanks partly to UNH student Tom Page, for the first time in many years, the people of Milo, Maine, can raise their glasses to the light and see nothing but water--colorless and clear.
AWARD-WINNING GRADUATE: University of New Hampshire civil engineering graduate Tom Page, now a project engineer with Underwood Engineers, Inc. in Porstmouth, inspects the chlorine analyzer at the water treatment plant in Greenville, New Hampshire. Page recently gained national recognition for his graduate thesis, which contributed to dramatic improvements in the drinking water in Milo, Maine. (Courtesy photo)