DETROIT - Carol Miller, Ph.D., P.E., professor and chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Wayne State University\'s College of Engineering was recently appointed to the Great Lakes Science Advisory Board (SAB) by the International Joint Commission (IJC). Miller was appointed for a two-year term effective Dec. 31, 2010.

Carol Miller

SAB, established in 1978, assists the IJC as scientific advisor to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the waters of the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem. The SAB is developing recommendations on matters related to research and the development of scientific knowledge pertinent to the identification, evaluation and resolution of current and anticipated problems related to water quality in the Great Lakes. The board comprises eight members from the U.S. and eight from Canada.

Miller is an active water resources researcher focusing on both surface and subsurface water quality and quantity, and has more recently investigated the water/energy interface. She is especially active in urban environmental issues, and helped to launch the Urban Watershed Environmental Research Group (UWERG) which is geared to save, protect and improve what\'s left of the urban pockets of fresh water throughout the Great Lake region.

Miller and colleagues are developing a system control environment that will optimize the energy consumption of large water utilities such as the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department while improving the health of the Great Lakes. The software has the potential to reduce the energy required to run large water utilities by 15 percent while improving the health of the Great Lakes through reduced polluting emissions.

\"With WSU\'s presence near the banks of the Huron to Erie Corridor, it\'s especially important that we play a major role in the protection of the Great Lakes resource,\" Miller said. \"Being named to the Great Lakes Science Advisory Board is certainly an honor and a challenge I\'m looking forward to.\"

\"Dr. Miller\'s appointment to the Great Lakes Science Advisory Board by the International Joint Commission is another example of the incredible researchers at Wayne State University that are working to make great changes and improvements in the world which we live,\" said Hilary Ratner, vice president for Research at WSU. \"Dr. Miller is a perfect choice for the board, and she will do an excellent job representing not only Wayne State University, but everyone who is impacted by the Great Lakes water systems.\"

Wayne State University is one of the nation\'s pre-eminent public research universities in an urban setting. Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit, state of Michigan and throughout the world. For more information about research at Wayne State University, visit http://www.research.wayne.edu.