Jennifer Becker

Contact

jgbecker@mtu.edu
906-487-2942
Dow 864

Associate Professor, Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering
Affiliated Associate Professor, Biological Sciences

PhD, Northwestern University
MS, University of Illinois - Urbana
BS, Michigan Technological University

Biography

Dr. Jennifer Becker joined the Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering faculty as an Associate Professor in January, 2010. Her area of research and teaching interests focus on biological treatment processes in environmental engineering. Specifically, her research interests include: the biodegradation, microbial ecology, and bioremediation of chlorinated organic groundwater contaminants; bioenergy production using microbial processes; and the recovery and reuse of agricultural, municipal, and industrial waste products. Dr. Becker teaches classes in the area of environmental engineering including water and wastewater treatment (ENVE4508) and biological treatment processes (ENVE5502).   Dr. Becker has a Ph.D. in environmental engineering from Northwestern University and environmental engineering degrees from Michigan Tech and the University of Illinois at Urbana. She was previously an Associate Professor at the University of Maryland and is the recipient of several national awards including: the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE); National Science Foundation CAREER Award; Water Environment Federation (WEF) Robert A. Canham Award; and the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP)/Montgomery Watson Harza Master's Thesis Award (both as an advisor and as a student). She is also a member of Michigan Tech's Presidential Council of Alumnae. Dr. Becker has been the Principal Investigator on nearly $1 Million of sponsored research, and her peer-reviewed papers have been published in Environmental Science & Technology, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Biotechnology and Bioengineering, and other scientific and engineering journals. Dr. Becker is a member of the American Society for Engineering Education, American Society for Microbiology, Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors, and WEF. Currently she serves as President of AEESP.

Links of Interest

Faculty Webpage

Teaching Interests

Water and wastewater treatment
Biological treatment processes

Research Interests

Bioremediation of Contaminated Groundwater Environments
Microbial Ecology and Kinetics of Chlorinated Aliphatic Solvent Biodegradation
Conversion of Organic Solid Wastes and Cellulosic Feedstocks to Electricity via Microbial Fuel Cells

Recent Publications

2020. Klemm, S. M., Seagren, E. A., Becker, J. G., Mayer, A. S. Submitted Mass flux analysis of abiotic PCE DNAPL pool dissolution in a heterogeneous flow environment. Groundwater Monitoring & Remediation.
2019. Becker, J. G., Seagren, E. A. Published High-Tech Analysis of Low-Tech Methods for Sustainable Class A Biosolids Production: Phase 2, Long-Term Storage and Air Drying Pilot-Scale Studies at Portage Lake Water and Sewer Authority. Alexandria, VA: Water Research Foundation.
2019. Becker, J. G. Published The microbial ecology and bioremediation of chlorinated ethene-contaminated environments. In Deborah Jean O’Bannon (Ed.), Women in Water Quality, Investigations by Prominent Female Engineers. Springer International Publishing. https://www.springer.com/us/book/9783030178185. 10.1007/978-3-030-17819-2. (Book, Chapter in Scholarly Book-New)

Recent Funding

Becker, Jennifer G (Principal), "Subcontract to the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department's WASTEWATER SURVEILLANCE GRANT AGREEMENT with the Michigan Department of Environment Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE)," Sponsored by Western Upper Peninsula Health Department. Project Dates: October 1, 2020 - December 30, 2020. Date Submitted: October 26, 2020.
2017. Hand, D. W. (Co-Principal), Leinonen, J. E. (Co-Principal), Merz, T. E. (Co-Principal), Hodek, R. J. (Co-Principal), Nelson, P. A. (Co-Principal), Velat, J. L. (Co-Principal), Colling, T. K. (Principal), Becker, J. G. (Co-Principal), Seagren, E. A. (Co-Principal), Handler, R. M. (Co-Principal), Environmental Finance Center for the Great Lakes Region (EPA Region 5), Sponsored by: US Environmental Protection Agency, Requested: $90,000, Awarded: $90,000 (April 1, 2016 - March 31, 2022). (Awarded).
2017. Hand, D. W. (Co-Principal), Leinonen, J. E. (Co-Principal), Merz, T. E. (Co-Principal), Hodek, R. J. (Co-Principal), Nelson, P. A. (Co-Principal), Velat, J. L. (Co-Principal), Colling, T. K. (Principal), Becker, J. G. (Co-Principal), Seagren, E. A. (Co-Principal), Handler, R. M. (Co-Principal), EPA Environmental Finance Center for the Great Lakes Region (EPA Region 5), Sponsored by: US Environmental Protection Agency, Requested: $4,727,879, Awarded: $212,000, Matching (April 1, 2016 - March 31, 2022). (Awarded).

Presentations

2019. Seagren, E. A. (Presenter & Author), Keyzers, T. G. (Co-Author), Eyre, K. (Co-Author), Harron, J. P. (Co-Author), Becker, J. G. (Co-Author), Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering Seminar, "Inactivation of Pathogen and Indicator Organisms During Long-Term Storage and Air Drying of Biosolids," University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE. (September 27, 2019), (Oral).
2019. Eyre, K. (Presenter & Author), Keyzers, T. G. (Co-Author), Becker, J. G. (Co-Author), Seagren, E. A. (Co-Author), Meingast, C. L. (Co-Author), WEF Residuals and Biosolids 2018 Conference, "Pilot scale evaluation of a two stage, low-cost low-tech Class A biosolids treatment process," Water Environment Federation, Phoenix, AZ. (May 18, 2019), (Oral).

2019. Becker, J. G., Keyzers, T. G. (Co-Author), Harron, J. P. (Co-Author), Eyre, K. (Co-Author), Seagren, E. A. (Co-Author), 2019 AEESP Research and Education Conference, "Inactivation of enteric pathogens under ambient conditions," Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP), Phoenix, AZ. (May 16, 2019), (Oral).
2019. Eyre, K. (Co-Author), Keyzers, T. (Co-Author), Harron, J. P. (Co-Author), Becker, J. G. (Co-Presenter), Seagren, E. A. (Presenter & Author), 2019 AEESP Research and Education Conference, "Detection of male specific and somatic coliphages in biosolids: Method implementation and verification," Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP), Phoenix, AZ. (May 15, 2019), (Poster).