Gail Brion
Gail Montgomery Brion is an inventor and a professor of civil engineering and the Director of the Environmental Research and Training Laboratories (ERTL) at the University of Kentucky.[1][2][3] An expert on waterborn illness,[4] she holds a co-appointment in the College of Public Health.[5] She works to introduce and maintain high quality water systems in rural regions.[6][7]
Career[edit]
Brion first followed her interests to Duncan, Lagnese, and Associates Incorporated, an industrial waste company, where she acted as the Sewer Studies Field Team Supervisor.[8] From 1979 to 1980, Brion worked as the Sewage Treatment Plant Operator for the Brush Run Municipal in Mckeesport, PA where she analyzed water and waste water.[9] The following year, she moved to another Municipal Sewage Treatment Plant in Rock Springs, Wyoming where she took over as the Chief Lab Analyst.[9][8] From 1981 to 1982 Brion worked as a Product Specialist for the Hach Company, assisting in chemical analysis and customer troubleshooting.[9] Starting in March 1982, she began as the Plant Chemist for the Fort St. Vrain Generating Station, analyzing the cooling, waste, and natural water systems.[9] 1984 marked the start of her 6-year employment for the United States Environmental Protection Agency, working under 3 different divisions over that time span. While in the Water Quality Division Brion worked as a Co-op Student Engineer. In the Air and Toxics Division she held the title of NESHAPS Asbestos Coordinator and finally in the Office of Air Quality Rulings and Standards as an Environmental Engineer.[8][9]
| External audio | |
|---|---|
 “Mtn. Talk Monday: Gail Brion Ph.D - Problems with Water Systems Infrastructure in Eastern Kentucky”, October 11, 2016, WMMT | |
| Gail Brion interviewed for UK at the Half, College of Engineering |
Brion worked for the Environmental Protection Agency[10] before she began teaching engineering at the University of Kentucky in 1995.[6]
She now connects research and work between the University of Kentucky's Environmental Engineering program and the College of Public Health to accomplish mutual goals that benefit public health through engineering.[11][12]
We can treat extraordinarily dirty water, ... But even if the water treatment plant does a good job of producing clean, quality water, it then goes into a distribution system that is full of holes.
— Gail Brion, 2018[7]
She is concerned that the lack of ongoing support for water infrastructure in marginalized areas is resulting in ongoing deterioration that will continue until "something large and catastrophic happens".[13][14]
Education[edit]
In 1978, Brion received her Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of California.[8] Continuing her educational journey, Brion then completed both her masters of science and PhD in Civil Engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1985 and 1995 respectively.[citation needed]
Advocacy[edit]
Brion's interest in waterborn illness began in childhood, inspired by personal experiences with water contamination.[4] Some of her friends became ill after wading in a city park creek. After investigating, she found an unregulated straight pipe dumping untreated hospital wastes into the water. She also saw a migrant family, whose children were too sick to work at a berry field, drinking untreated irrigation water because no other water sources were available. She commented, "a desire to make a difference was kindled."[6]
References[edit]
- ^ "Troubled Waters: A Coal County Loses Trust in Water and Government". Ohio Valley ReSource. 2017-01-27. Retrieved 2018-03-03.
- ^ "ERTL - Environmental Research Training Laboratories - Director's Welcome". ertl.uky.edu. Retrieved 2018-03-03.
- ^ "Contact Information". United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
- ^ a b "Mtn. Talk Monday: Gail Brion Ph.D - Problems with Water Systems Infrastructure in Eastern Kentucky". WMMT. October 11, 2016. Retrieved 2018-03-03.
- ^ "Gail Brion interviewed for UK at the Half". College of Engineering. 21 November 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
- ^ a b c Brion, Gail M. "Curriculum Vitae" (PDF). Retrieved March 3, 2018.[non-primary source needed]
- ^ a b Jarvie, Jenny (February 12, 2018). "The water runs milky and can feel like fire. In this impoverished county, Trump's $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan may not help". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
- ^ a b c d "Brion, Gail". University of Kentucky College of Engineering. Retrieved 2020-02-29.
- ^ a b c d e Brion, Gail. "Vitae Table of Contents" (PDF). Retrieved 2020-02-29.[non-primary source needed]
- ^ Board, Glynis (February 1, 2017). "Uncertainty Over EPA Grants That Sent $3.6B to Ohio Valley". ReSource. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
- ^ "Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute Annual Technical Report FY 2000" (PDF). U.S. Geological Survey. 2000. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
- ^ Bruggers, James. "Kentucky steps up response to toxic algae risks". KRWA.org. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
- ^ Peterson, Erica (2018-03-01). "Help On Tap For Troubled Water System In Coal Country". 89.3 WFPL News Louisville. Retrieved 2018-03-03.
- ^ Becker, Benny. "Kentucky Community Hopes Trump Infrastructure Plan Will Fix Water System". NPR.org. Retrieved 2018-03-03.
External links[edit]
- Brion, Gail M. "Curriculum Vitae" (PDF). University of Kentucky.
- Gail Brion, ResearchGate
- Brion, Gail M. "The AC/TC bacterial ratio: a tool for watershed quality management" (PDF).
- Living people
- American women scientists
- University of Kentucky faculty
- Engineers from Kentucky
- 21st-century American women engineers
- 21st-century American engineers
- 20th-century American women engineers
- 20th-century American engineers
- 21st-century American women academics
- 21st-century American academics
- 20th-century American women academics
- 20th-century American academics
- Scientists from Kentucky