UM Professor Appointed to EPA Science Advisory Board

Nosa O. Egiebor
Photo courtesy of Ole Miss Communications

A University of Mississippi administrator and professor widely respected for his leadership and research has been appointed to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Science Advisory Board.

Nosa O. Egiebor, professor of chemical engineering and senior international officer and executive director of UM’s Office of Global Engagement, will serve a three-year term ending in September 2018. He is also a member of the SAB’s Environmental Engineering Committee.

“The initial notice from EPA that I had been nominated by one or more professional peers for this prestigious national assignment was a humbling experience,” Egiebor said. “I was obviously elated when I received the final news that I was selected via the invitation and appointment letter by the EPA administrator to serve, after such a rigorous review and evaluation process.”

The U.S. EPA Science Advisory Board includes leading scientific experts from the environmental community. Congress created the board in 1978 to advise the EPA in policymaking based on “the best environmental decisions to protect human health and the environment.”

“My main assignment is to serve as a chemical engineering expert within the Environmental Engineering Committee, and to provide independent scientific, technical and professional advice on significant environmental science and technology issues to the EPA administrator,” Egiebor said. “Such expert guidance is essential to the EPA’s ability to protect public health and safeguard the environment for all Americans.”

Egiebor’s selection honors both his personal professional achievements and the university, officials said.

“This is an outstanding honor recognizing Dr. Egiebor’s accomplishments,” Provost Morris Stocks said. “He is a distinguished scientist, well-respected among his colleagues. I am pleased that Dr. Egiebor has been recognized and selected for this tremendous honor.”

Egiebor said his appointment is a community service assignment that will not, in any way, affect his duties at the university.

“If anything, the university will benefit from being viewed as a leading national brand with an improved visibility and an enhanced reputation for excellence,” he said. “SAB meetings are scheduled and held infrequently, and most of the scientific and technical review activities are conducted online, and mainly during evenings and weekends.”

Still, the work of the SAB is critically important to the public because the technical and professional advice and guidance it provides help shape the regulations and laws that guide environmental protection.

“Since our public health is inextricably linked to the quality of our environment, and no one can be immune to environmental pollution in air, water and soil, the work of the SAB invariably impacts people’s lives through the policies, regulations and laws that are enacted to protect our environment,” Egiebor said.

As the chief international officer of the university, Egiebor has oversight responsibility for several departments within the Office of Global Engagement. These include the Office of International Programs, the Intensive English Program, the Study Abroad Office and the Japanese Supplementary School.

A registered professional engineer, he has more than 30 years of involvement and leadership in international higher education, both as an administrator and as a faculty member.

Egiebor holds a doctorate in chemical and environmental process metallurgy from Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada, a master’s degree from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Benin in Nigeria.

He previously worked at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada; the University of Benin; Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Florida; and Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama. He has also been a visiting professor at numerous international universities, including the Technical University of Berlin in Germany and Ankara University in Turkey. He is an active member of several professional and higher education organizations and has published more than 120 scholarly articles in journals, books and conference proceedings.

For more about UM’s Office of Global Engagement, visit http://oge.olemiss.edu/.

Courtesy of Edwin Smith and the Ole Miss News Desk