Dr. Cliff I. Davidson is the Thomas and Colleen Wilmot Professor in theDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Syracuse University. He serves as the Director of the Center for Sustainable Engineering at the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems. He spent 33 years at Carnegie Mellon University conducting environmental research prior to his move to Syracuse in 2010.
Degree(s):
- B.S. Electrical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University 1972
- M.S. Environmental Engineering Science, California Institute of Technology, 1973
- Ph.D. Environmental Engineering Science, California Institute of Technology, 1977
Lab/Center Affiliation(s):
- Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems
- Director, Center for Sustainable Engineering
Research interests:
- Environmental transport and fate of pollutants
- Sources of airborne particles in urban and remote areas
- Measurement and modeling of atmospheric dry and wet deposition of pollutants
- Emission inventories for airborne lead
- Emission inventories for airborne ammonia
- Human perceptions of energy use from day-to-day activities
- Assessment of performance of green infrastructure for stormwater management
- Sustainable development in urban areas
- Use of field measurements to promote STEM education
Current Research:
Davidson is currently studying the rapid changes in development of green infrastructure (GI) for stormwater management taking place in US urban areas. Examples of GI include green roofs, green walls, constructed wetlands, street trees, rain gardens, expansion of urban green space, and permeable pavement. One project involves the role of political, economic, and social factors that have enabled GI to be adopted at increasing rates in recent years. This project is examining the reasons why several US metro regions including Syracuse have accepted green infrastructure wholeheartedly, while other urban areas have decided against the use of GI, opting for conventional gray infrastructure such as holding tanks, larger pipes, and expanded treatment plants. A second project is examining the performance of GI projects in Syracuse, currently focusing on the Convention Center Green Roof. This project involves measuring the incoming precipitation, water storage in the growth medium and plants on the roof, rates of evaporation and evapotranspiration from the roof, and water flows in the drain pipes running from the roof into the combined sewer system. A third project is examining chemical contaminants in stormwater runoff, identifying the sources of those contaminants, and studying their eventual fate.
Courses Taught:
- Sustainability in civil & environmental systems
- Managing Sustainability: Purpose, Principles, and Practices
- Introduction to sustainable engineering
- Professional development workshops for faculty around the country on developing sustainability content for engineering courses
Honors:
- Fellow, Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors, elected 2015
- Fellow, American Association for Aerosol Research, elected 2008
- United Methodist University Scholar-Teacher Award, Syracuse University 2014
- William H. and Frances M. Ryan Award for Meritorious Teaching, Carnegie Mellon University, 2009.
- 2009 Outstanding Paper Award, Literati Network Awards for Excellence, Emerald Group Publishing, for a paper in the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education that appeared in 2008.
- Phillip Dowd Fellowship, College of Engineering, CMU, 2007.
- Outstanding Educator Award, Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors, 2007.
- Charles Beyer Distinguished Lecturer, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Houston, 2006.
- American Association for Aerosol Research, Service Award for serving as Co-Chair of the International Conference “Particulate Matter: Atmospheric Sciences, Exposure, and the Fourth Colloquium on PM and Human Health,” Pittsburgh, PA, April 1-4, 2003.
- Jubilee Chair Professorship, Chalmers University, Gothenburg, Sweden, 1997-98.
- Parsons ES/AEEP Award for serving as thesis advisor to the recipient of the 23rd Annual Doctoral Thesis Award, Parsons Engineering Science and Association of Environmental Engineering Professors, 1996.
- Benjamin Richard Teare Award for Excellence in Engineering Education, Carnegie Mellon University, 1992.
- Outstanding Professor of the Year Award, American Society of Civil Engineers, Pittsburgh Section, 1989.
- Ralph R. Teetor Award given to young engineering educators with less than five years experience, Society of Automotive Engineers, 1982.
- George Tallman Ladd Award for Outstanding Research, Carnegie Mellon University, 1980.
- First Annual Lincoln T. Work Award, Fine Particle Society, August 1976.
- Chosen by Carnegie Mellon University as the CMU nominee for “Outstanding Electrical Engineering Student in the U.S., 1972″, Sponsored by Eta Kappa Nu.
Select Publications:
Miller, Jeffrey F., Cliff I. Davidson, Deborah A. Lange, and Meredith L. Meyer Grelli, “Brownfields and Environmental Justice: Income, Education, and Race,” Environmental Justice, Vol. 4, pages 121-124, 2011. doi:10.1089/env.2010.0002.
Attari, Shahzeen Z., Michael L. DeKay, Cliff I. Davidson, and Wändi Bruine de Bruin, “Reply to Frederick et al.: Anchoring Effects on Energy Perceptions,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 108, page E24, 2011.
Tunno, Brett, Kyra Naumoff, Fernando Holguin, Nanjun Chu, Jay Kadane, Bambang Parmanto, Gede Pramana, Jennifer Zora, Cliff Davidson, Paul Lioy, and Jane E. Clougherty, “Understanding Intra-neighborhood Patterns in PM2.5 and PM10 using Mobile Monitoring in Braddock, PA,” Environmental Health, Vol. 11, Number 76, 2012, doi:10.1186/1476-069X-11-76.
Flynn, Carli D. and Cliff I. Davidson, Adapting the social-ecological system framework for urban stormwater management: The case of green infrastructure adoption, submitted for journal publication, July 27, 2015.
Davidson, Cliff I., Braden R. Allenby, Liv M. Haselbach, Miriam Heller, and William E. Kelly, Educational materials on sustainable engineering: Do we need a repository?, Elementa, in press, 2015.