2007 Virginia OFA Recipient

Dr. Marc Andrew Edwards is the Charles Lunsford Professor of Civil Engineering at Virginia Tech where he has worked since 1997.

The White House honored Dr. Edwards in 1996 with a National Science Foundation Presidential Faculty Fellowship, a program designed to recognize and support the scholarly endeavors of young tenure-track faculty . In 1994, 1995, and 2005, he received the Outstanding Paper Award in the Journal of American Water Works Association (AWWA). Dr. Edwards also won the H.P. Eddy Medal for best research publication by the Water Pollution Control Federation (currently Water Environment Federation) in 1990. His M.S. Thesis and Ph.D. Dissertation won national awards from the American Water Works Association, the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors and the Water Environment Federation. In 2003 he was awarded the Walter Huber Research Prize from the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Since 1995, undergraduate and graduate students advised by Dr. Edwards have won 17 nationally recognized awards for their research work on corrosion and water treatment. Dr. Edwards has published more than 88 peer-reviewed journal articles, made more than 100 national and international conference presentations, and delivered four keynote addresses. Dr. Edwards just finished a term as president of the Association of Environmental and Engineering Science Professors, and in 2004 he testified to the United States Congress on the issue of lead in Washington D.C. drinking water.

Dr. Edwards’ research group is currently emphasizing research on internal corrosion processes in home plumbing-- a problem that costs consumers in the U.S. billions of dollars each year and which also can endanger the safety of potable water. The National Science Foundation, individual water utilities and homeowners’ groups, the AWWA Research Foundation, and the Copper Development Association support this research. His research group’s work has been featured in Time magazine, Materials Performance, National Public Radio, Good Housekeeping, Environmental Science and Technology, Public Works, and in newspaper articles around the country.

A Ph.D. candidate at Virginia Tech writes of Dr. Edwards, “ Marc is one of a rare breed that conducts pioneering research while effectively developing the skills and talents of students. He encourages independent thought and analysis, while providing appropriate guidance and collaborative input.” A colleague adds, “What sets [Dr. Edwards] apart even more so is an unwavering commitment to public health and safety. At great personal sacrifice, he has upheld the highest standards of ethics in engineering by searching out the facts behind the levels of lead found in consumer's drinking water... The end result will be a tangible and direct benefit to society that most academicians will never provide.”

Dr. Edwards received his bachelor’s degree in Bio-Physics from SUNY Buffalo in 1986. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Washington, in 1988 and 1991, respectively.