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Dr. Thomas Bierma

Office
Felmley Hall Annex FSA 222C
  • About
  • Research

Biography

Dr. Bierma is Research Professor of Environmental Health, and Professor Emeritus of Environmental Health. He has been at ISU since 1984 and taught courses in waste management, pollution prevention, air pollution control, environmental health law and management, toxicology, and epidemiology. His prior research focused on designing supplier contracts to minimize costs and environmental, health, and safety hazards.

Research Interests & Areas

Nutrient recovery from water and wastewater, anaerobic digestion, organics recycling, community waste management.

Conference Proceeding

Solanki, P., Bierma, T., & Jin, G. Recycling of Single-Stream Waste Glass in Flowable Fill. The Fifth International Conference on Sustainable Construction Materials and Technologies (SCMT5) (2019)

Journal Article

Solanki, P., Bierma, T. and Jin, G. (2020), “Properties of Flowable Fill Produced by Substituting Fly Ash with Recycled Glass Powder,” Construction and Building Materials, Vol. 265, pp. 1 – 16.
Jin, G., Bierma, T., & Yang, L. Cap-and-Trade: Understanding and teaching a market-based approach to natural resource allocation. Natural Sciences Education 45.doi:10.4195/nse2015.0030 (2016)
Jin, G., & Bierma, T. Low-heat, mild alkaline pretreatment of switchgrass for anaerobic digestion. Journal of Environmental Science and Health, PartA: 49.5 (2014): 565-574.
Jin, G., & Bierma, T. Guided-inquiry learning in environmental health. Journal of Environmental Health 73.6 (2011)
Jin, G., Bierma, T. (2023) Sustainability Education and Civic Engagement through Integration of Undergraduate Research with Service Learning. Science Education and Civic Engagement: An International Journal. Vol. 15, No. 1, 17- 21.

Presentations

A Summary of Practice for Recycling of Waste Glass in Pavement Materials. ASCE T&DI International Airfield & Highway Pavements Conference. ASCE. (2019)
Recycling of Single-Stream Waste Glass in Flowable Fill. The Fifth International Conference on Sustainable Construction Materials and Technologies (SCMT5). (2019)
STEM for Non-STEM Majors: POGIL, “Clickers”, and Biodiesel in a Lecture Hall Environmental Science Course. POGIL Great Lake Regional Meeting. National Science Foundation. (2011)

Grants & Contracts

Recycled Glass: Cement/Fly Ash Substitute in CLSM. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Federal. (2018)
Economic Feasibility Study for an Anaerobic Digester at the Illinois State University Farm at Lexington. ISU Office of Sustainability Student Sustainability Fund. Illinois State University. (2013)
Collaborative Research: Biodiesel for non-STEM Majors: Three Applications. National Science Foundation Course Curriculum Laboratory Improvement (CCLI) program. (2009)
Overcoming Barriers to Pollution Prevention and Recycling for Construction Waste. Illinois Waste Management Research Center. State. (2006)