Who has the clichéd image of Americans in the head, loves the big stage, looking at Janet herring in vain then. The Director of Eawag, the water research Institute of the ETH domain in dübendorf, smiles, and counters the simple prejudice. “I’m from New York City, which is a big city, because there are a lot of different people.” She is slightly introverted, but ultimately, not you, but the research community count.
And we are on the subject, the Janet Hering on the heart. The restraint is gone. Large emerging never by the genius of an Individual, she says. This is a myth. The goal is for you in the Betvole first place – and for that, there is a need for cooperation. “If all the alpha animals are in a group, you won’t do it,” says the 60-Year-old.
the Successful research, so she tells more, were permitted in an environment where scientists risks are likely to be received, errors, and researchers can work together to achieve the Best. “The history of the Institute shows that this is the only way.”
Persistent and successful
herring cites as an example the treatment of the wastewater. Since the early 90s, Eawag is concerned with and has the global Situation. In agriculture, the experts feared a lack of phosphorus fertilizer. At the same time it was lacking in the growing mega-cities to sanitation facilities and clean water. Untreated sewage flowed into the rivers and lakes and brought large amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen in the water, leading to algae blooms and toxic ammonium concentrations. “This is still a big Problem,” says Janet Hering. Bad the consequences of inadequate sanitation in poor countries. Today, nearly two million people still die every year because of the lack of toilets and, accordingly, to the Hygiene.
“search The Eawag for twenty years for a solution, now we have found a strategy,” says the Director. It consists in separating at the source with a specially developed toilet wastewater, urine and faeces – and without connection to the drinking water and wastewater network. The systems can also be used in regions where no infrastructure is available. This method allows the nutrients for the production of fertilizers and fresh water to the hands to recover, as well as pathogens wash back to kill. Janet Hering is an example of how Researchers developed from various disciplines for decades, persevering with a product that is to be led only by negative and positive feedback to the target.
but This is only the beginning. For herring, the time of small steps is, in this particular case is over. Now the big questions need to be asked. “How can we help with this Innovation, millions of people without sanitation and you at the same time with the production of fertilizer, the additional income gain?”
The self-sufficient toilet Eawag has the potential to help millions of poor. Photo: Eawag
The Director sees this as one of their tasks: Find out, where the chances of Eawag are to make Big and how you can change the world. “We need to ensure that the best of our Knowledge, the changed way of thinking in the minds of politicians, authorities, businessmen and the Public,” she says and explains it again with the example of the at Eawag developed the toilet. “We think too often from the perspective of the industrialised world,” she says.
The construction of a wastewater treatment system with canals and wastewater treatment plants, as we know that in Switzerland, in many places in developing countries, to complex and too expensive. In Africa or China, there are many regions, where only little water and no sewers are available. “We now know that sustainable water management is possible,” says herring. Now, it is important to convince the right people of the strategy of such a decentralized system.
It is the interfaces between science, policy, stakeholders and the Public, which the Director dedicated to currently intensive. Herring says the Swiss adventurer and Visionary Bertrand Piccard. “He brings together model with its solar impulse Foundation and developer of sustainable solutions with experts from the industry and governments.”
invitation to Switzerland
So Janet Hering is concerned not only with their former area of expertise. In 1981, she graduated with a Master’s in chemistry at Harvard University. Six years later, she earned her doctorate in Oceanography at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (mit).
Shortly before her graduation, she meets by chance on the former Director of Eawag, Werner Stumm, the received in the USA in a science price. The well-known water researcher invites herring for three years after dübendorf.
It is the beginning of a steep career in academia. Herring is 1991 a Professor at the University of California in Los Angeles, there is a professorship at the California Institute of Technology. Finally, it adopts, in 2007, the Post of Director of Eawag. In this role, she is also Professor of environmental biogeochemistry at ETH Zurich, and since 2010 at the EPFL in Lausanne. Since then, she deals mainly with the biochemical behavior of trace substances in the waters.
If it must be, to Researchers also on the road.
That she could study at the best universities, owes you, ultimately, their grandparents, she says. One Grandfather was a Baker, the other a painter. Although the working class were allowed for you to Hering’s parents, to study at Columbia University in New York law.
For almost twelve years, she is now at Eawag in Switzerland. “I feel good here,” says Janet Hering. Very directly democratic “Swiss”, tweet you at the beginning of November during the elections in the USA “I voted”. It was important that the Americans are going to choose. And the American people must be political Considerations, the importance of science to today’s high standard of living consciously. In contrast to the USA, the exchange between science and policy in Switzerland was much more intense.
should be If it is to Researchers also on the road. Here, she has absolutely no fear of contact. “There are many at Eawag involved in private environmental topics,” says the Director. Everyone should have his personal opinion. “He simply cannot be allowed to go so far that the Institution is losing its credibility.”
The largest part of the third-party funding of Eawag comes from contracts with the public sector and from foundations. A question for Janet herring is always: How can we integrate our Knowledge into practice?
(editing Tamedia)
Created: 07.12.2018, 19:49 Uhr
