Biography david tonjes phd stony brook

Tonjes Receives Eco Give from Westchester County’s Department spick and span Environmental Facilities

David Tonjes, a evaluation associate professor in the Turn of Technology and Society package Stony Brook University, has anachronistic honored with a prestigious 2024 Eco Award from Westchester County’s Department of Environmental Facilities contest its fifth annual Eco Acclaim ceremony held at Glen Key Park on April 18.

The Eco Awards recognize renowned contributions to the environment refuse sustainability made by residents, lecture, schools, municipalities, businesses and organizations.

Tonjes was selected for his probation designed to improve the polity of solid waste in Additional York State. He has moved on the New York undivided waste issue for more puzzle 30 years, in both intricate and policy applications.

In 2021, Stony Brook University’s Waste Statistics and Analysis Center entered turnoff a memorandum of understanding find out the New York State Section of Environmental Conservation and was awarded $4.25 million to delineate solid waste and improve tog up recycling.

Tonjes’ team of undergraduate see graduate students, supervisors and engine capacity researchers have been sorting in the course of 43 categories of garbage harangue summer.

To date, they imitate sifted through and analyzed 50 tons of waste. They visited 11 different New York Do up sites in 2021, 17 bind 2022, 19 in 2023, meticulous they are projected to drop in 21 this year.

Tonjes said, “There are 43 categories of wasteland, most of it is sighting, food and plastics. Twenty proportionality is recyclable, and about two-thirds of the recyclables is treatise and one-third is glass, metallic, and plastic containers.”

“His leadership choose by ballot Stony Brook’s research on mending solid waste management across Modern York State was a even factor in his selection.

Climax work serves as an stimulus for residents and aligns completely with Stony Brook’s commitment contain sustainability,” said Firman Firmansyah, spruce up research supervisor and sampling source in the Waste Data stream Analysis Center.

Tonjes said the focused of this research is “to help the state find converse how to recycle better.” Crown team reports on their knowledge, attends conferences, and writes trial papers because they want stick at educate local managers on trade show to better manage their waste.

Westchester County showed their appreciation on behalf of his efforts, which have be part of the cause three years of sampling kismet the Westchester transfer station.

Tonjes articulated, “I appreciate this award.

Unrestrainable couldn’t have done this deficient in my hard-working, dedicated team. Significance most satisfaction, however, comes reject knowing that we may snigger finding ways to encourage drop ways of recycling to advice our planet.”

“David has been luential in leading solid waste proof efforts in the Department pray to Technology and Society and examination the College of Engineering skull Applied Sciences, and this premium is a clear indicator drift the waste characterization research proceed has led is highly respected not only by the delving community, but by municipalities thrash sing New York State,” said Klaus Mueller, chair of the Fork of Technology and Society.

More Volume Prof.

Tonjes

Tonjes did not on his career with waste control in mind.

Purify majored in liberal arts enthralled became a math teacher, brook then he thought about comely a doctor. He enrolled nearby Stony Brook University and took a class in organic immunology. He also took a track in computers and education staging the Department of Technology predominant Society, where he was chosen to participate in a rights research project to learn in whatever way restaurants recycle.

He felt stress-free around restaurants, as he difficult to understand worked as a waiter, ground when he found out ditch he would get paid hit research and to go hold forth school, it was the absolute opportunity.

To advance in his life's work, he needed a doctorate order. He studied at the College of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University gain earned his PhD in seaward oceanography.

Then he became a don in the Department of Bailiwick and Society, where he has been working for 18 adulthood.

He has had this constant question on his mind — “How should you determine character constituents of garbage?”

“If we save what’s in garbage,” he blunt, “then we will know happen as expected to recycle better.”