The Walter J. Weber, Jr. Distinguished Lecture
The Walter J. Weber, Jr. Distinguished Lecture in Environmental and Energy Sustainability brings one of the world’s foremost experts in environmental engineering and science to campus each year to share the results of their work and their vision for the future.
This seminar is made possible through the endowment to the University by the 1996 Athalie Richardson Irvine Clark Prize awarded to Professor Walter J. Weber, Jr. by the National Water Research Institute for Outstanding Accomplishments in Water Science and Technology.
During his 46-year career at the University of Michigan, Dr. Weber made numerous significant contributions to the field of environmental engineering as a scientist, educator, and mentor. In 2008, he was chosen as one of the “One Hundred Engineers of the Modern Era” by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers in honor of his many career accomplishments.
Past Recipients
| 2024 Rachel Segalman University of California, Santa Barbara |
| 2023 Benny Freeman University of Texas at Austin |
| 2022 Menachem Elimelech Yale University |
| 2020 Geraldine Richmond University of Oregon |
| 2019 Abhaya K. Datye University of New Mexico |
| 2016 Marc Edwards Virginia Tech |
| 2014 Julie Zimmerman Yale University |
| 2013 David T. Allen University of Texas at Austin |
| 2012 Ignacio E. Grossmann Carnegie Mellon University |
| 2011 Paul Anastas U.S. Environmental Protection Agency |
| 2009 Eric Beckman University of Pittsburgh |
| 2008 William F. Banholzer The Dow Chemical Company |
| 2007 John C. Crittenden Arizona State University |
| 2006 Joseph DeSimone University of North Carolina |
| 2005 Charles O’Melia Johns Hopkins University |
| 2004 Michael C. Kavanaugh Malcome Pirnie, Inc. |
| 2003 Jerald C. Schnoor University of Iowa |
| 2002 Joan B. Rose Michigan State University |
| 2001 Garrison Sposito University of California Berkeley |
| 2000 James J. Morgan California Institute of Technology |
| 1999 Perry L. McCarthy Stanford University |