John Atkinson

A: My group focuses on improving the ways we control air and water pollutants, specifically by adsorption. We take a materials science and engineering approach, physically and chemically tailoring adsorbents such that performance improves, costs decrease and/or environmental protection increases.We prepare new materials, develop appropriate characterization procedures and then apply these materials in industrially relevant applications.

Consistent with these efforts, I am also the director of a National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates site called “Environmental Engineering Solutions for Pollution Prevention,” which includes a significant sustainability education and research component. Thanks to UB Sustainability for their annual UB Green Tour for program participants. Learn more at buffalo.edu/reu.

In the wider Buffalo community, I am the education chair for the Air & Waste Management Association’s Niagara Frontier Section as well as the faculty advisor for the group’s UB student chapter.

I also collaborate on the Green Window City project, which is an Earth Day art walk that tasks local artists with preparing storefront window displays exclusively out of waste encouraging the WNY community to “Rethink Junk!”.

A: In addition to collaboration with my graduate students, I am fortunate to have the opportunity to teach CSEE’s Sustainability course (CIE 447). My goal with this course is to get students thinking sustainably. No engineering student, let alone an environmental engineering student, should graduate without understanding important sustainability concepts: ethics, life cycle analyses, energy sources and impacts and climate change. This is not academic content that can be learned or memorized, it is a lifestyle mindset that should be practiced and valued. I encourage all interested students, even if not environmental engineers, to contact me (AtkJDW@buffalo.edu) about taking the class.

As a component of CIE 447, I created the #447challenge. The voluntary assignment asks students to document their instructor-curated sustainability efforts using Twitter. Weekly challenges — e.g., #nomeatweek, #wasteLESSweek, #shortshowers and #emissionLESS — highlight the effort that is required to live a sustainable lifestyle. Some challenges are hard; some are easy. That is the point! Students Tweet photos or messages describing their participation for the class, campus, city and global sustainability community to see. Enrolled students and myself operate as sustainability role models and educators. Follow me @AirQME to learn more about the project and feel free to join in!

A: Driving less! I live downtown and am living proof that it is possible — and even, dare I say, pleasant — to take the train or bus all the way to North Campus. I ride my scooter almost a mile to the train, take a short nap during the ride and then hop on the Stampede bus to North campus. When I do drive, I use an electric vehicle and take advantage of UB’s free electric vehicle chargers.

A: Even with three distinct campuses separated by almost 10 miles and a downtown Buffalo that people want to live in, I don’t see UB encouraging students, staff and faculty to use public transportation. There is an easy solution to UB North’s parking problems: don’t drive! I don't think the easy solution is building a seven story parking garage monstrosity.

This should be supported by the University. Exponentially increase the cost of parking passes for faculty and staff, collaborate with NFTA to provide free discounted train passes, add more Stampede busses especially during winter and summer break, etc. My dream would be for the Metro Rail to reach North Campus. Hopefully I’ll see it someday.