Sabatini Spends World Water Day at the United Nations

Dr. David A. Sabatini spent March 22, World Water Day, at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.  As part of a conference hosted by Italian and U.S. collaborators, Dr. Sabatini presented a seminar on sustainable water solutions in developing countries. The Infopoverty World Conference links development and technological innovation, while addressing each of the Millennium Development Goals in this context. Dr. Sabatini highlighted the WaTER Center's research areas which simultaneously address appropriate technology, entrepreneurship potential, cultural specificity, and behavioral change.

Earlier in the month, Dr. Sabatini flew to Chicago to accept a Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Illinois. He was honored for his contributions in the field of hazardous waste remediation using surfactants as well as the development of appropriate and sustainable technologies for water addressing water quality issues in remote villages. Drawing on experiences from both research areas, David serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Contaminant Hydrology and on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Water, Sanitaiton and Hygiene for Development.

In his acceptance speech, he reminded the audience of another great Illinois citizen, Abraham Lincoln, who was an "engineer at heart" - taught himself surveying, was the only president with a patent, utilized technology in winning the war effort, and established the land grant universities and the National Academy of Sciences.




While in Chicago, David and his wife, Frances, toured the historic Water Tower, an attractive architectural structure that housed an important hydraulic pressure standpipe. The Tower was one of the few North Side survivors of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.


We are proud of our WaTER Center Director - his vision, his leadership, and his accomplishments!