News Briefs
TOM KAWARA
Alexander J. B.”Sascha” Zehnder, director of the Swiss Federal Institute for Environmental Science and Technology (EAWAG) and ES&T’s senior associate editor, has been appointed to one of the most influential positions in the Swiss university system. On July 1, he will
A new job for environmental scientist Alexander Zehnder will require both his managerial and scientific skills.
become director of the ETH domain, which covers Switzerland’s two Federal Institutes of Technology (ETH) in Zurich and Lausanne and four federal research institutes, including EAWAG. With a budget of more than U.S.$2 billion, the ETH domain is the most powerful body for engineering and natural sciences in Switzerland. It is subordinate to and financed by the Swiss government, and its board, over which Zehnder will preside, links academia with politicians. The ETH board is responsible for strategic planning, allocation of funds, appointment of professors, and fostering the international reputation of the ETH domain. “I see my new job as a political mandate to help
Switzerland’s educational and research systems take their place among the most innovative, effective, competitive, and efficient systems in the world,” says Zehnder. Although Zehnder’s major scientific contributions have been in environmental microbiology, he has also been active in the areas of water quality and global water use and in formulating scientific and economic concepts for sustainable development. He has held academic positions at Stanford University and the Agricultural University of Wageningen in The Netherlands. In 1992, Zehnder assumed the directorship of EAWAG, which is located in Dübendorf, succeeding the late Werner Stumm. Zehnder also holds the position of professor of environmental biotechnology at ETH Zurich. As EAWAG director, Zehnder has expanded the institute into the social and interdisciplinary sciences while also maintaining its exceptionally high standard in disciplinary science, says environmental chemist René Schwarzenbach, who belongs to EAWAG’s directorate. “I also give credit to Sascha [Zehnder] for positioning the institute internationally in the field of water research and for making it an even more productive place in terms of publications, academic careers, and outreach worldwide,” adds EAWAG vice-director Ueli Bundi. “We will miss Alex Zehnder very much”, says Jerald Schnoor, ES&T editor-in-chief. “With [then editorin-chief] Bill Glaze, Alex founded [in 2000] and led our European ES&T office that has been responsible for expanded coverage of environmental research and policy papers in Europe.” Schnoor also credits Zehnder with pushing the journal into new areas, such as ecotoxicology and sustainability. Associate Editor and EAWAG analytical chemist Walter Giger will now oversee the European ES&T office; a search is being conducted for the next EAWAG director. —ANKE SCHAEFER
Port of diesel pollution Diesel emissions at marine ports are a significant yet unregulated source of pollution in the United States, according to a recent report by the nonprofits Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Coalition for Clean Air. Ports currently account for 34% of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and 44% of particulate matter (PM), and pollution from marine vessel emissions is only expected to rise. Many epidemiological studies link diesel exhaust to an increased risk of cancer, and diesel exhaust components such as NOx and PM are known to aggravate asthma and bronchitis. The report examines the 10 largest seaports for their impact on air and water quality, land use, and nearby communities and grades them accordingly. Harboring Pollution: The Dirty Truth About U.S. Ports is at www.nrdc.org/air/pollution/ports/ contents.asp.
Transportation order gone awry A 2002 presidential order ostensibly intended to promote environmental stewardship while expediting transportation project development will actually result in construction that threatens the environment and public health, according to a report by the nonprofit groups the Natural Resources Defense Council and Environmental Defense. The report analyzes 13 airport and highway construction projects and concludes that more than half—including two that have already been completed—could increase air and water pollution or trigger more sprawling land development. Do Faster Federal Transportation Projects Reviews Deliver Better Stewardship? is available at www.environmental defense.org/documents/3644_ ExecOrderReport2004.pdf.
JUNE 1, 2004 / ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY ■ 195A
NOAA
Zehnder to become director of ETH domain
