Domenico Grasso

Dr. Domenico Grasso (b. 1955 Worcester, Massachusetts) is Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate College at the University of Vermont (UVM). Prior to holding this position, he was the Dean of the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences at UVM. He did his secondary school education at St. John's High School (Massachusetts) and holds a B.Sc. from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, an M.S. from Purdue University and a Ph.D. from The University of Michigan. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the states of Connecticut and Texas, and a Diplomate of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers.

He is currently Editor-in-Chief of the journal Environmental Engineering Science and has served as Vice-Chair of the United States Environmental Protection Agency Science Advisory Board (SAB), President of the Association of Environmental Engineering & Science Professors (AEESP) and Associate Editor of Reviews in Environmental Science and Biotechnology. He was appointed by Vermont Governor James Douglas to Chair the Vermont Environment and Engineering Advisory Council. He has authored or co-authored more than 100 technical papers and reports, including four chapters and three books, including Holistic Engineering Education - Beyond Technology (Springer, 2009). Federal, state and industrial organizations have supported his research work. He has served on advisory boards at Johns Hopkins, Notre Dame, Colgate, WPI, Olin College, and the National Academy of Engineering.

Prior Appointments

Dr. Grasso acknowledging a gift of $10M from Jacques Nasser (furthest to right), President and CEO of Ford Motor Company. Among those looking on are Ruth Simmons, President of Smith College (now President of Brown University) and Shelly Lazarus, President and CEO of Ogilvy and Mather.

Prior to joining UVM, Dr. Grasso was Professor and Head of the Department in Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of Connecticut. He subsequently declined an offer to chair the Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering at Columbia University to accept the position of Rosemary Bradford Hewlett Professor and Founding Director of the Picker Engineering Program at Smith College [1], the first engineering program at a women's college in the United States. He has been a Visiting Scholar at UC-Berkeley, a NATO Fellow, and an Invited Technical Expert to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization in Vienna Austria.

Professor Grasso served on a World Bank–funded international team of scholars that established the first environmental engineering program in Argentina. The Water Environment Federation named him a "Pioneer in Disinfection." He chaired a U.S. Congressional briefing entitled "Genomes & Nanotechnology: The Future of Environmental Research" and was invited to address the Congress of the Republic of Peru. Grasso was also co-founder along with Dr. Sally Ride, the first American woman astronaut, of TOYChallenge — a national toy design challenge for 5th to 8th graders to excite them about science, engineering and the design process in a fun, creative and collaborative manner, relevant to everyday life.

An Advocate for the Environment

Dr Grasso meeting in Taipei with Dr. Shu-hung Shen, Minister of Environment, Tawain, ROC.

Dr. Grasso has delivered a number of lectures across Taiwan as their national distinguished environmental lecturer. An environmental engineer who studies the ultimate fate of contaminants in the environment and develops new techniques to reduce the risks associated with these contaminants to human health or natural resources, Dr. Grasso's research focuses on molecular-scale processes that underlie nature and the behavior of contaminants in environmental systems. He views engineering as a bridge between science and humanity, making it particularly well suited for incorporation into liberal arts universities. His classes, although technically rigorous, also explore the societal and philosophical issues facing engineers and scientists. He has authored a number of essays that have helped better define engineering for the 21st century. The most influential of these is "Holistic Engineering" [2].

Military Service

While at WPI, Grasso received an Army ROTC scholarship. After receiving his Master's degree from Purdue, he served four years on active duty as an engineer with USAEHA-RDS at Ft. McPherson, Georgia, and six years in the Army reserve in Special Operations Command, first with the 415th CA Battalion in Michigan and subsequently as Commander of the Headquarters and Headquarters Company of 353rd Civil Affairs Command in New York. In 1989, he resigned his commission at the rank of Major. His awards included an Army Commendation Medal and Parachutist Badge.

On a Personal Note

Domenico Grasso is married to Susan Hull Grasso, also an engineer. Together they have four children, Benjamin, Jacob, Elspeth, and Caitlín.

References

[1] "The engineer behind Smith's new program." Christian Science Monitor.

[2] "Turn science into child's play." MSNBC News (Feb. 5, 2004; 10:30 p.m. ET).

[3] "Holistic Engineering." The Chronicle of Higher Education.

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Name	Grasso, Domenico
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Date of birth	1955
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