Photo courtesy of Paul Brandt-Rauf

SEAS alum and Professor Emeritus Paul Brandt-Rauf is your SEAS Class Day Speaker. SEAS Class Day is Sunday, May 16th. Brandt-Rauf has been on the Columbia faculty for 23 years, and is a Professor Emeritus of Environmental Health Sciences, of Medicine, and of Earth and Environmental Engineering. He holds six degrees from the University—BS, MS and EngScD in chemical engineering at SEAS; an MD from the Medical Center; and an MPH and DrPH from the School of Public Health.  He’s also on the board of Engineers Without Borders, and has advised the WHO, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Hello, accomplishment!

The full press release after the jump.

NEW YORK, April 9, 2010 —The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science at Columbia University has selected alumnus and Professor Emeritus Paul Brandt-Rauf, dean of the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago, as keynote speaker for this year’s Class Day ceremony on Sunday afternoon, May 16, on the South Lawn of Columbia’s Morningside Heights campus.

Brandt-Rauf, a member of the Columbia faculty for 23 years, is Professor Emeritus of Environmental Health Sciences, of Medicine, and of Earth and Environmental Engineering. He holds six degrees from the University—BS, MS and EngScD in chemical engineering at SEAS and MD, MPH and DrPH at the Medical Center. He joined the Columbia faculty in 1985 and, during his tenure, held appointments as professor and chair of environmental health sciences, professor of medicine, professor of earth and environmental engineering, and professor of international and public affairs. He assumed the post as dean of the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2008.

“Dr. Brandt-Rauf’s career echoes that of Columbia Engineering’s first dean, Charles Frederick Chandler, whose education as a chemist enabled him to improve the public health and sanitation in the city of New York,” said Feniosky Peña-Mora, dean of the School. “Dr. Brandt-Rauf epitomizes our School’s mission to ‘educate socially-responsible engineering and applied science leaders whose work results in the betterment of the human condition, locally, nationally, and globally’. He is a sterling example of how engineering can make a difference in people’s lives worldwide. I know that his story will inspire all members of the Class of 2010.”

Brandt-Rauf sits on the national board of directors of Engineers Without Borders, the non-profit humanitarian group that sponsors sustainable engineering projects in partnership with developing communities throughout the world to improve their quality of life. He also served as deputy director of the Center for Environmental Health in Northern Manhattan, whose mission is to understand and prevent the environmental components of disease.

He has been the recipient of many honors in occupational and environmental medicine, and has advised the World Health Organization, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, among others.

Brandt-Rauf has served as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine since 1992 and contributing editor of the International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health since 1996.

About Columbia University

A leading academic and research university, Columbia University continually seeks to advance the frontiers of knowledge and to foster a campus community deeply engaged in understanding and addressing the complex global issues of our time. Columbia’s extensive public service initiatives, cultural collaborations, and community partnerships help define the University’s underlying values and mission to educate students to be both leading scholars and informed, engaged citizens. Founded in 1754 as King’s College, Columbia University in the City of New York is the fifth oldest institution of higher learning in the United States.

About Columbia Engineering

The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, as a part of a world-class teaching and research university, strives to educate socially-responsible engineering and applied science leaders whose work results in the betterment of the human condition, locally, nationally, and globally. Founded in 1864, it is one of the first mining and metallurgy schools in the US. Its nine departments include 164 faculty, 1,400 undergraduate students and 1,800 graduate students, and it is home to NSF-NIH funded centers in genomic science, molecular nanostructures, materials science, and energy, as well as one of the world’s leading programs in financial engineering.