Dr. Bhaskar Kura Named to Governor-Elect Jindal's Environment Advisory Group

Dec 17, 2007 — Dr. Bhaskar Kura, professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of the UNO Maritime Environmental Resources and Information Center, has been appointed to the Environment Group of Governor-Elect Bobby Jindal's Economic Growth Transition Advisory Council.

"I am honored for the opportunity to serve on Governor-Elect Jindal's Environmental Advisory Council," Kura said. "Our state is blessed with unique environmental resources, but is faced with complex challenges from the climate change and will require multi-disciplinary, innovative and science-based engineering solutions. I am fully confidant that Bobby's forward-thinking strategies and support to science-based solutions will help our state to achieve environmental excellence while allowing meaningful and sustainable economic growth."

In June 2006, Kura presented seven research papers at the Air & Waste Management Association's 99th annual conference and exhibition held in New Orleans, including a paper on Hurricane Katrina's impact on New Orleans and debris management. In addition to waste management, Kura's research areas of interest include air quality management, health risk management, sustainable energy resources, multi-media waste minimization, and clean technologies within industrial, municipal and commercial sectors.

The Economic Growth Transition Advisory Council's areas of focus are:

• Environment
• Business Retention and Recruitment
• Higher Education
• Natural Resources
• Small Business and Entrepreneurship
• Transition
• Workforce

Each of the Economic Growth Transition Advisory Council's seven groups will hold public hearings to collect information on their specific area of focus, and then make recommendations to the governor's office.

The Environment Group of the Economic Growth Transition Advisory Council is chaired by Dr. Robert A. "Bob" Thomas, director of the Center for Environmental Communications at Loyola University. Tim Hardy of Baton Rouge is vice-chairman.