Richard O. Mines Jr. is an American civil/environmental engineer, academic, and author. He is an emeritus professor of environmental and civil engineering at Mercer University. His research is primarily focused on the activated sludge process and biological nutrient removal processes, with particular emphasis on environmental engineering, water treatment, biosolids treatment, and engineering education. Mines has authored/co-authored two books, entitled Introduction to Environmental Engineering, and Environmental Engineering: Principles and Practices. He is a Fellow of American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), a Fellow of American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI) and a Life Member of ASCE.
Early life and education Mines was born on July 23, 1953, in Hot Springs, Virginia, the eldest of three children born to Mr. and Mrs. Richard O. Mines. His father worked in the hotel management business (The Omni Homestead Resort and the Greenbrier) while his mother was a bank teller. He is a first-generation engineer as well as a first-generation college graduate. Mines received his bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Virginia Military Institute in 1975. While studying there, he worked for HARZA engineering as a soils technician on the Bath County Pumped Storage Project. During this period, he was enrolled in the Flight Instruction Program (FIP) to earn his single-engine, land, private pilot's license. Upon graduation from Virginia Military Institute, he attended the University of Virginia, and obtained his master's degree in civil engineering in 1976. From 1980 until 1983, he studied at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and earned a doctoral degree in civil engineering.
Career Following his master's degree, Mines held appointment as a second lieutenant in U.S. Air Force stationed with the Virginia Air National Guard at Byrd Field in Richmond, Virginia. After his brief service in the Air Force, he began his academic career as an instructor at Virginia Military Institute in 1977. He served there as research assistant at VMI Research Laboratories until 1978, and as an instructor until 1979. In the following year, he joined Virginia Tech as graduate teaching assistant, and served in this position until 1983. He held his next appointment as an assistant professor at the University of South Florida until 1985, and subsequently rejoined Virginia Military Institute as an assistant professor for a year. From 1992 until 1998, he served as an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of South Florida. Following this appointment, he joined Mercer University as an associate professor and program director of environmental engineering and environmental systems in 1998 and was promoted to professor and program director of environmental engineering in 2005. He served there as director of MSE/MS programs and professor of environmental engineering from 2008 to 2017, and as professor of environmental and civil engineering department, and civil engineering startup coordinator from 2017 to 2022. Since 2017, he has been serving there as a civi engineering startup coordinator in school of engineering. In 2021, he held a brief appointment as chair and professor of environmental and civil engineering department, and then, in June 2022, he became emeritus professor of environmental and civil engineering at Mercer University. Since 1995, Mines has served in several capacities in the ASEE Southeastern Section, such as vice chair of civil engineering division, chairman of civil engineering division, vice chair of instructional division, vice president of instructional unit, secretary of administrative unit, vice president of the administrative unit, president-elect, president, past- president, secretary administrative division, chair administrative division, Miriam-Wiley Award Committee, and chair awards and recognition. He has also been an active member of ASCE since 1975 and was made a Fellow in 2007 and achieved Life Member status in 2018.
Research Mines has authored more than one hundred publications. His research works span the field of wastewater treatment, with a particular focus on biological wastewater treatment, and engineering and environmental education.
… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.
