DETROIT, Mich. -- Governor John Engler has reappointed Ralph Kummler, interim dean of the Wayne State University College of Engineering, to the Michigan Environmental Science Board (MESB). This will be Kummler's third term since joining the board in 1995. MESB is charged with advising the Governor and state agencies on issues affecting the protection and management of Michigan's environment and resources.

Kummler's work on the Board most recently includes a study of the state's approach to evaluating indoor air quality near contaminated sites in Michigan. Other work includes the investigation of the level and type of cancer risk for fire fighters.

"It is an honor to serve the Governor on the MESB, which is asked to define the state of the science related to complex environmental issues in the State of Michigan," Kummler said. "Often, the legislative and regulatory arena requires information beyond the current state of knowledge in order to create the correct path to a cleaner environment. We often help the Governor to act in the most responsible way, given the absence of critical data."

Appointments to the MESB board members are based on scientific expertise. They are not political, according to Keith Harrison, MESB executive director. Board members are drawn from many different disciplines, including ecological science, economics, engineering, chemistry, geology, medicine and risk management.

Since 1986, Kummler has been director for the College's Hazardous Waste Management Programs. The programs have set the standards for graduate education programs for hazardous waste and management throughout the country. Much of Kummler's research has involved local environmental problems, including studies of the Rouge River and air quality in the metro Detroit area. In May, he concluded an evaluation for the International Joint Commission on the status of air toxins of air quality in the Detroit-Windsor air shed.

Kummler first joined the WSU chemical engineering faculty in 1969. He served as chair of chemical engineering from 1974 to 1993. And he was associate dean for research from 1977 to 2001. Last May he was appointed interim dean upon the departure of Dean Chin Kuo. Kummler received his bachelor's in chemical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1962 and Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Johns Hopkins University in 1966.