Water, at the Intersection of Technology & Humanity

Water, at the Intersection of Technology & Humanity

ARCADIS-US/Malcolm Pirnie’s Katie Porter to Address Drinking Water Sustainability at Annual UCI Urban Water Research Center’s ‘Women in Water’ Event

Irvine, California – On May 9, 2012, the Beckman Center will host the UCI’s Urban Water Research Center’s, Annual Dorothy M. Green Memorial Lecture Series “Women in Water”. The Beckman Center is adjacent to the University of California Irvine Campus. Registration begins at 5:30 p.m., followed by keynote speaker Ms. Katie Porter at 6:00 p.m.. Her presentation will conclude with a reception in the lobby open to all attendees.

Ms. Porter is currently a Principal Environmental Engineer at Malcolm Pirnie, the Water Division of ARCADIS.  She specializes in drinking water treatment and water quality issues.  Prior to this, she spent 10 years working for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, where she was responsible for implementation of regulations and initiatives under the Safe Drinking Water Act. 

“As technology advances, the toolbox of solutions grows, but the ability to anticipate emerging threats deepens,” says Porter. “Public perception and willingness to pay can have a huge bearing on potential solutions and capital projects.” Ms. Porter will address these and other pertinent and pressing water issues. Ms. Porter holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and an M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Tufts University.

“At the Urban Water Research Center, we focus on the sustainability of our groundwater and potable water supply,” says Dr. William Cooper, Director of the Urban Water Research Center, and Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UCI.  “A key to our mission is providing important, topical and interesting information to the general public as well as decision makers within the water community. Ms. Porter’s presentation should not be missed!”

The Dorothy M. Green Memorial Lecture series “Women in Water” began in 2008, and has featured such prominent  women working the in the field of water sustainability as Patricia Mulroy, General Manger of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, Celeste Cantú, General Manager of the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority in 2010 and Debra Man, Metropolitan Water District’s Assistant General Manager and Chief Operating Officer in 2011.

To reserve a seat or inquire about the presentation, contact CV Strategies Operations Manager Tara Bravo at 760.776.1776, or at tara@cvstrat.com.

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The mission of the Urban Water Research Center is to promote excellence in urban water research, education and outreach at the University of California, Irvine.  The UWRC facilitates research in basic and applied sciences, engineering, and social sciences to create new knowledge, inform policymakers, and educate the public in order to foster urban water sustainability in Orange County, California, the United States, and beyond.  For more information, visit www.uwrc.uci.edu/.