Tulane Engineering Forum

Laura J. Steinberg

Dr. Steinberg holds a B.S. in Civil and Urban Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and an MS and Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Duke University. Before joining the faculty of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Tulane University, Dr. Steinberg held a series of managerial assignments at environmental engineering consulting firms, including positions as Senior Engineer and Business Development Manager. Following an appointment as a Fellow at the National Institute of Statistical Sciences where Dr. Steinberg was engaged in modeling urban air pollution and evaluating methodologies to assist in environmental justice investigations, Dr. Steinberg joined the Tulane faculty in 1995. She has been engaged in research on the diffusion of environmental technology, the environmental impacts of natural hazards in urban environments, and water quality issues since joining the faculty. Dr. Steinberg has advised the USEPA on technology diffusion, provides the American Society of Civil Engineers with expert advice on US water policy as a member of its National Water Policy Board, and was recently appointed a Fellow of the Institute for Civil Infrastructure Systems in New York City.

Presentation Topic: Industry Adoption of Innovative Environmental Technology

By Laura J. Steinberg

Summary

The adoption of innovative environmental technology by industry does not always proceed as quickly as the technology improvement may warrant. In this study, general diffusion-of-technology models developed by investigators in business, communications, and political science are applied specifically to environmental technology. The aim is to understand what motivates industry to adopt new technology, what barriers exist to adoption, and how adoption might be speeded up. The work focuses on a case study of ultraviolet disinfection, an innovative wastewater treatment process. A survey of 500 wastewater treatment plans around the United States provides a unique look at the decision-making process undertaken by individual wastewater treatment plans in choosing to implement new technology.