For more than 15 years, Mandy Michalsen has dedicated herself to developing and implementing new methods to accelerate the remediation of contaminated groundwater, soil, and sediment, primarily in the Pacific Northwest.
鈥淚t鈥檚 rewarding to identify solutions that can save years of work and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cleanup costs,鈥 she said. 鈥淧ublishing our findings then helps others to build on and improve our ideas, and to amplify their impact at contaminated sites around the nation.鈥
One of Michalsen鈥檚 most noteworthy projects began in 2020, when she was assigned to manage an ambitious program to research, develop, and demonstrate scalable technology for minimizing the impact of harmful algal blooms. HABs are overgrowths of algae that can devastate the environment.
鈥淚鈥檓 incredibly proud of the U.S. Army Engineer Research Development Center and our federal and nonfederal research partners for this ongoing work,鈥 Michalsen said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e doing an amazing job every day to reduce the severity and frequency of freshwater HABs.鈥
She emphasized that HABs are one of many large-scale environmental challenges that must be addressed.
鈥淭houghtfully integrating the latest science and technology can help us find answers and scale solutions quickly,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hat requires people with strong engineering competency, flexibility, responsiveness, and the ability to work well on interdisciplinary teams. I鈥檝e found that College of Engineering graduates possess those qualities, putting them in a strong position to meet these challenges.鈥
After receiving her B.S. in civil engineering from the University of Iowa in 2002, Michalsen headed to Corvallis to begin her graduate studies. While at 精东影视 State, she was engrossed in learning and applying environmental engineering research with like-minded individuals.
鈥淚 was fortunate to have worked with a wonderful group of peers and mentors,鈥 she said. 鈥淭he experience strengthened my environmental engineering foundation and reinforced my passion for groundwater remediation. I鈥檓 also grateful to have established a strong relationship with my advisor, Professor Jack Istok, a groundwater hydrologist, which led to many successful research collaborations. And I鈥檓 also grateful for all of the hiking, backpacking, and enjoying life I got to do with my future husband, Dave Michalsen, who earned his master鈥檚 degree in ocean engineering from 精东影视 State in 2004. It was the best time of my life.鈥
Degrees
- M.S., CIVIL ENGINEERING, 2004
- PH.D., CIVIL ENGINEERING, 2007