WHITE PLAINS, NY, May 6, 2008 -- Dr. Nicole Blute, a senior project engineer in the Santa Monica, CA office of national environmental consulting firm Malcolm Pirnie Inc., has been selected to receive the firm's 2008 Paul L. Busch Prize. This award honors Dr. Blute for her outstanding technical achievements and leadership.
"Nicole led a $4M innovative technology assessment for the removal of the believed carcinogen hexavalent chromium from the City of Glendale, CA's groundwater," noted Pirnie Vice President and Chair of the Selection Committee Douglas Owen. "Her efforts have advanced the state of knowledge for hexavalent chromium removal and strengthened Glendale's commitment to the environment."
Dr. Blute has degrees in chemistry and environmental science from the University of Rochester, NY, and garnered her PhD in environmental engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She continues to educate herself in her field as a founding member of Pirnie's Advanced Oxidation/Taste and Odor Knowledge Team.
Involved in academic and professional associations, Dr. Blute has published 14 peer-reviewed articles in some of the most prestigious trade and scholarly journals, and she performs professional volunteer work as a member of AWWA's Inorganic Contaminant Committee.
Additionally, Dr. Blute is a member of the Society of Women Engineers Scholarship committee, she provides professional outreach to UCLA students, has raised more than $3,800 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and is a long-standing member of the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Established in 2000 to perpetuate the spirit and example of Pirnie's late President, CEO, and Chairman, Dr. Paul L. Busch, the Busch Prize each year recognizes a staff member, other than an Associate, Senior Associate or Officer, who best demonstrates the commitment and contribution that embodies many of Dr. Busch's leadership qualities. Dr. Blute, Owen noted, distinguished herself across all of the award criteria.
Malcolm Pirnie Inc., a century-old environmental consulting firm, provides government and industrial clients with comprehensive services in water and wastewater engineering, solid and hazardous waste management, environmental sciences and, through its Red Oak Consulting Division, management and IT consulting.
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