Alan J. Rabideau, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, currently chair of the University at Buffalo Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, has been named a fellow by the ASCE Board of Direction.
UB’s ASCE student chapter recently scored multiple victories in regional and national competitions and was recognized as a Distinguished Chapter.
Rabideau, over his 30-year academic career, has made extensive contributions in the areas of education, research, and public service. As an educator, he has taught numerous classes in environmental and water resources engineering, many of which he developed as new courses. He developed curricula for new environmental engineering degrees at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels, including the first B.S. in environmental engineering in the SUNY system, and a unique multidisciplinary doctoral program in Ecosystem Restoration.
As a researcher, Rabideau has contributed extensively to the field of subsurface remediation, both theoretical work on contaminant sorption and applied work on the design of pump-and-treat systems, air sparging, phytoremediation, and reactive barriers. His work has been supported by $14 million in competitive grants from federal agencies, municipal governments, and private companies. His design-oriented publications have appeared in top journals, and public domain software products developed by his students are in widespread use. In 2012, he contributed to the National Research Council study on Alternatives to Manage the Nation's Complex Contaminated Groundwater Sites. From 2006 to 2013, he provided technical assistance for the development of a comprehensive groundwater model used to analyze site closure alternatives for the Hanford nuclear facility.
Rabideau has been an ASCE member since 1986, received the ASCE Rudolf Hering Award in 2001, and has served as associate editor for ASCE’s Journal of Environmental Engineering.
His most impactful research project provided the theoretical, laboratory, and computational work to support the design and construction of an innovative reactive barrier to treat contaminated groundwater at the West Valley nuclear facility in Western New York, a project that was designated the 2011 Project of the Year by the National Groundwater Association. This low-energy system continues to function effectively after 10 years of operation. Rabideau has provided technical assistance to many government agencies and citizen groups on matters related to environmental management, most recently working closely with the City of Buffalo (New York) to reduce and manage combined sewer overflows.
After acquiring a master’s degree in philosophy (2015), Rabideau continued to develop new coursework in the areas of environmental ethics and sustainability. He has received education awards at the regional and state levels, and five of his doctoral students have developed careers in academia, including the first Native American woman to receive a UB doctorate in engineering.
