Kara L. Nelson

- Associate Professor

 

Mailing Address:
CEE Dept., #1710
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-1710

Email: nelson(at)ce.berkeley.edu

Office Hours Fall 2008: Tuesday 3:00 – 5:00

Office location: 663 Davis Hall

Phone:
(510) 643-5023

Fax:
(510) 642-7483

Curriculum Vitae

Teaching

Professor Nelson teaches graduate and undergraduate courses on water and wastewater treatment processes and ecological engineering, as well as a graduate course on the control of water-related pathogens.

Teaching Schedule 2008-09

Semester

Course no.

Course title

Meeting times

Fall 2008

 

 

 

Spring 2009

  CE 113N

Ecological Engineering for Water Quality Improvement

 

 

  CE 210A

Control of Water-Related Pathogens

 

Research

Professor Nelson's research interests include the detection, removal and inactivation of pathogens in water and sludge, natural systems for water and wastewater treatment, water reuse, and appropriate technologies for improving water quality in developing countries.

Recent Publications

  • Murray, A. and K.L. Nelson (2008) “Sanitation for Unserved Populations: Technologies, Implementation Challenges, and Opportunities.” Annual Review of Environment and Resources, vol 33.
  • Lee, C., J.Y. Kim, W.I. Lee, K.L. Nelson, J. Yoon, and D. Sedlak (2008) “Bactericidal effect of zero-valent iron nanoparticles on Escherichia coli.” Environmental Science & Technology, 42(13):4927-4933.
  • Murray, A., A. Horvath, and K.L. Nelson. (2008) “Hybrid life-cycle environmental and cost inventory of sewage sludge treatment and end use scenarios: A case study from China.” Environmental Science & Technology, 42(9):3163-3169.
  • Silkie, S.S., Tolcher, M.P., and K.L. Nelson. (2008) “Reagent decontamination to eliminate false positives in E. coli qPCR.” Journal of Microbiological Methods, 72(3):275-282.
  • Brownell, S.A., A.R. Chakrabarti, F.M. Kaser, L.G. Connelly, R.L. Peletz, F. Reygadas, M.J. Lang, D. Kammen, and K.L. Nelson. (2008). "Assessment of a low-cost, point-of-use, ultraviolet water disinfection technology." Journal of Water and Health, 6(1):53-65.
  • Fisher, M.B., C. Keenan, K.L. Nelson, and B.M Voelker. (2008). "Speeding up solar disinfection (SODIS): Effects of hydrogen peroxide, temperature, pH, and copper plus ascorbate on the photoinactivation of E.coli" Journal of Water and Health, 6(1):35-51.
  • Williams, G.J., B. Sheikh, R.B. Holden, T.J. Kouretas, and K.L. Nelson. (2007). "The impact of increased loading rate on granular media, rapid depth filtration of wastewater" Water Research, 41(19):4535-4545.
  • Kohn, T., M. Grandbois, K. McNeill, and K.L. Nelson. (2007). "Association with natural organic matter enhances the sunlight-mediated inactivation of MS2 coliphage by singlet oxygen" Environmental Science & Technology, 41(13); 4626-4632.
  • Pecson, B.M., J.A. Barrios, B.E. Jimenez, and K.L. Nelson. (2007). "The effects of temperature, pH, and ammonia concentration on the inactivation of Ascaris eggs in sewage sludge." Water Research, 41:2893-2902.
  • Kohn, T. and K.L. Nelson (2007) "Sunlight-mediated inactivation of MS2 coliphage via exogenous singlet oxygen produced by sensitizers in natural waters" Environmental Science & Technology, 41(1): 192-197.
  • Pecson, B. M., and K. L. Nelson. (2006) "A real-time PCR method for quantifying viable Ascaris eggs using the first internally-transcribed spacer region of rDNA". Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 72(12):7864-7872.
  • Brownell, S.A. and K.L. Nelson (2006). "Inactivation of single-celled Ascaris suum eggs by low-pressure ultraviolet radiation." Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 72(3): 2178-2184.
  • Pecson, B.M., and K.L. Nelson. (2005). "Inactivation of Ascaris suum eggs by ammonia." Environmental Science and Technology, 39(20):7909-7914.
  • Nelson, K.L., B. Jimenez, G. Tchobanoglous, and J.L. Darby. (2004). "Sludge accumulation, characteristics, and pathogen inactivation in four primary wastewater stabilization ponds in central Mexico." Water Research, 38(1):111-127.
  • Nelson, K.L. (2003). "Concentrations and inactivation of Ascaris eggs and pathogen indicator organisms in wastewater stabilization pond sludge." Water Science and Technology, 48(2):89-95.
  • Huffman, D.E., K.L. Nelson, and J.B. Rose. (2003). "Risk and Control of Waterborne Calicivirus." Environmental Engineering Science, 20(5):503-515.
  • Nelson, K.L., and J.L. Darby. (2002). "Determination of the inactivation rate of Ascaris eggs in wastewater stabilization pond sludge using dialysis chambers and sludge cores." Water Environment Research, 74(4):362-369.
  • Nelson, K.L., and J.L. Darby. (2001). "Inactivation of viable Ascaris eggs by reagents during enumeration." Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 67(12):5453-5459.
  • Nelson, K.L. (2000) "Ultraviolet light disinfection of wastewater stabilization pond effluents and the impact of particles with embedded coliform bacteria." Water Science and Technology 42(10-11):165-170.
  • Nelson, K.L. and B. Jiménez (2000) "Sludge accumulation, properties, and degradation in a Mexican wastewater stabilization pond." Water Science and Technology 42(10-11):231-236.

Lab Group

Current postdoctoral researchers and PhD students

Allegra Da Silva (postdoc), Dave Love (postdoc), Khalid Kadir, Gordon Williams, Mike Fisher, Ashley Murray, Fermin Reygadas, Emily Kumpel, Jee Yeon Kim, Andrea Silverman

Former lab members

Post-doctoral researchers: Maria Raynal (2007-2008); Tamar Kohn (2004-2006; Ecole Polytéchnique Fédérale de Lausanne); Jose Antonio Barrios (2005; Universidad National Autonoma de México)

Ph.D.:

  • Sarah Silkie “Use of host-specific molecular markers in fecal source tracking,” Summer 2008
  • Brian Pecson "Improving methods for the control of Ascaris eggs in wastewater sludge," Fall 2006 (École Polytéchnique Fédérale de Lausanne)

·       Tryg Lundquist "A reduction pond for denitrification of agricultural drainage," Fall 2006 (Cal State San Luis Obispo)

Masters: Alejandro Guido, Jeff Dahm, Forest Kaser, Micah Lang, Fermin Reygadas, Sarah Brownell, Hans Schwing, Amy Pickering, Alicia Chakrabati, IlJoo Yang, Matthew Tolcher

Undergraduate: Ofelia Romero, Rachel Peletz, April Wong, Sonia Lopez, Ali Kattan, Senem Surelli

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