Welcome to the Rowles Research Group! We are in the Department of Civil Engineering and Construction at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, GA. Our overarching mission is to bridge the gap between technological innovation and social equity, fostering a holistic approach to environmental engineering that addresses the critical challenges faced by communities around the world. Our research is situated at the interface of technology development and sustainable design. We engage in collaborative initiatives, utilizing novel engineering solutions to generate enduring and environmentally conscious outcomes.
Research Themes
News
Aug 2023: Matías Osuna Estrada, Osely Perea Moreno, and Keiner S. Sánchez Hurtado are visiting researchers from Universidad EIA and Universidad Tecnológica del Chocó working with Profs Stetson Rowles and Francisco Cubas as part of a one-month exchange sponsored by 100k Strong in the Americas.
June 2023: Bright Elijah, Cassidy Hartog, Stetson Rowles, and Nizam Uddin presented their research at the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP) Research and Education Conference. Bright was awarded the Student Poster Award. Congratulations!
May 2023: Bright Elijah (MS), Josiah Hacker (BS), and Hannah Walden (BS) graduated at the Spring Commencement Ceremony. Congratulations!
May 2023: The Rowles Research Group celebrated the end of the semester with a pizza party.
April 2023: Nizam Uddin, Emma Murray, Cassidy Hartog, Josiah Hacker, Hannah Walden, Astana Woody, and Fatima Iqbal presented their research at the Georgia Southern University Research Symposium 2023 and the Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing Student Research Symposium.
March 2023: Josiah Hacker presented his research at the Southern Regional Honors Council in Charlotte, North Carolina.
March 2023: Astana Woody and Bright Elijah presented their research at the Georgia Water Resources Conference in Athens, GA.
March 2023: Bright Elijah sucessfully defended his MS Thesis. The title of his thesis is "Accessing the relative sustainability of point-of-use water disinfection technologies through cost and environmental impact". Congratulations Bright on being the first MS student from the group!
Feb 2023: Dr. Stetson Rowles attend a ceremony hosted by The US Embassy in Bogota, Colombia to kickoff a project in collaboration with Profs. Farith Diaz, Nazly Rubio, and Francisco Cubas. This project facilitates a research exchange on water sensors for students from Universidad EIA, Chocó, and Georgia Southern University. This project is funded by 100k Strong in the Americas. Learn more about this project here.
Jan 2023: Fatima Iqbal and Nizam Uddin have joined the group to pursue their MS degrees with a focus in Environmental Engineering.
Jan 2023: A research team led by Dr. Stetson Rowles has been awarded an industry-funded project to help the company navigate compliance requirements and achieve sustainability goals. The team also includes Dr. Francisco Cubas (Associate Professor in Civil Engineering and Construction) and Dr. George Fu (Professor in Civil Engineering and Construction). This project will help to develop a digital twin for effluent treatment facilities.
Dec 2022: Ethan Rhine graduated with his BS in Civil Engineering.
Dec 2022: The group celebrated the end of the semester with a pizza dinner.
Sept 2022: Bright Elijah presented his research at the University of Oklahoma International WaTER Conference.
Aug 2022: A research team led by Dr. Stetson Rowles has been awarded $200,000 from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help tackle the climate crisis through food diversion. This initiative aims to divert food waste from landfills by expanding anaerobic digester capacity nationwide. The interdisciplinary team includes Dr. Francisco Cubas (Associate Professor in Civil Engineering and Construction) and Dr. Asli Aslan (Associate Professor in Environmental Health Sciences and Director of the Institute for Water and Health). The team will conduct a feasibility study to advance the understanding of how existing anaerobic digestion capacity at pulp and paper mills can be sustainably leveraged for the treatment of food waste from university campuses. This research will integrate experimentation, quantitative sustainable design, and community-engaged research. This framework will be used to demonstrate how food waste can be diverted from landfills, while potentially providing paper mills with the opportunity to enrich their sludge for better digestion and increased biogas production.
May 2022: The group celebrated the end of the semester with laser tag and go cart racing.
April 2022: Josiah Hacker, Tasnuva Farnaz, and Bright Elijah presented their research at the Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing Student Research Symposium.
Aug 2021: Bright started pursuing his MS with a focus in Environmental Engineering.