WASHINGTON, June 25, 2008 - An authority on the quality of drinking water today describes new challenges for consumers and municipal water supply systems, including unexpected consequences of efforts to conserve water in the first of a special series of podcasts from the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world's largest scientific society.

Marc Edwards, Ph.D., notes that reduced-flush toilets, low-flow showerheads and other well-intentioned water conservation efforts are allowing water to remain in household pipes longer. As water stagnates in pipes, it may develop undesirable characteristics and have unwanted effects on household plumbing, Edwards indicates.

read more...

BLACKSBURG, Va., May 8, 2008 –– Tom Rust, who earned his undergraduate degree in civil engineering from Virginia Tech in 1965, is a 2008 inductee into Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering’s Academy of Engineering Excellence. Rust of Herndon, Va., joins a select group of 80 engineering alumni in the Virginia Tech academy.

Tom Rust spent the first two years after high school working as a drafter with Fairfax County. But he wanted to be the first person in his family to earn a college degree. He entered Virginia Tech as a member of the Corps of Cadets, and today he is Chairman of the Board of his company, a veteran political figure, and an accomplished engineer with two master’s degrees.

read more...