1. IT Sligo Research Capability in Water &Wastewater Dr Billy Fitzgerald Head of Department of Environmental Science

2. Brief Background 40 years experience in the area of Environmental Science/Management and Environmental Engineering Significant success with Open & Distance Learning (ODL) and on-line courses Courses available from Levels 6 - 10

3. Principal Investigators in this Strategic Research Centre are Interdisciplinary CERIS is internationally engaged in water and wastewater research through collaboration with industries, agencies and other academic institutions €1.54 M in research funding

4. Thematic Areas Agroecology Ecosystem Management and Restoration Ecosystem Services Invasive Species Molecular Ecology Applied Ecology Water and Wastewater Management Energy Management Bioremediation of soils Nutrient Management Sustainability systems Resource Management

5. R&D Collaborations to date EPA Inland Fisheries Ireland Teagasc Bord na Mona Northern Ireland Water Local Authorities Numerous Industrial Sectors –Water & Wastewater Treatment Companies –Invasive Species Control –Chemical & Pharmaceutical –Energy Production –Biomass Production

6. Examples of R&D Projects Optimisation of Management of Wastewater Treatment Plants Wastewater Treatability Studies (Pilot Plants) Phosphorus Recovery from On-Site WWTPs Environmental Public Health: Monitoring of Cryptosporidium, Giardia, harmful algal blooms (HABS) Toxic Cyanobacteria: Health, Ecological dynamics & Water Quality Catchment management planning-minimising risk of nutrient export to water resources (specialist expertise in agricultural systems)

7. Examples of R&D Projects Aquatic Invasive Species: Risk analysis, monitoring, control and management Ecological assessments of surface waters (WFD) Ecosystem management and restoration Restoration of degraded peatland and wetland ecosystems - improving water regulatory and C sequestration services

9. - Biological indicators for lake trophic status assessment - Community succession, lake connectivity and mesoscale dispersion dynamics - Analysis of hepatotoxin and neurotoxin producing species in Irish water bodies - Molecular community fingerprinting and toxic chemotype succession T OXIC C YANOBACTERIA : H EALTH, E COLOGICAL DYNAMICS & W ATER Q UALITY

10. Invasive Species Research Sara Meehan: Zebra mussel control Rory Sheehan: Asian clam survey

11. Catchment management planning- minimising risk of nutrient export to water resources (specialist expertise in agricultural systems) Restoration of degraded peatland and wetland ecosystems - improving water regulatory and C sequestration services

12. Photocatalysis for disinfection: How does it work? Pillai et al, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental 125, 2013, 331– 349

13. US-Ireland R&D Partnership (Supported by NSF (USA), SFI and InvestNI; Funding US$1.1 million) China London Degradation mechanism of Cyanotoxins Using Novel Visible Light-Activated Titania (TiO 2 ) Photocatalysts http://toxics.usgs.gov/highlights/algal _toxins/ Graham, 2010, Environmental Science and Technology, 44 (19):7361–7368 Binder Lake, Iowa, USA Total [microcystin]=40 µg/L

14. Collaborators