Terezinha Galvao

Professional Bio:

Dr. T. Cãssia de Brito Galvão is an associate professor of the Environmental Science and Studies Program at Spelman College. Dr. Galvão has a Ph.D and Master degrees in Civil Engineering from Purdue University, IN, USA, and two bachelor’s degrees in Physics and Civil Engineering from Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil. She has served in the field of environmental geotechnology for 20 years as teacher, researcher, consultant and community outreach. She has authored more than hundred publications, including books, cd’s, book chapter’s and peer-reviewed articles.

Currently, she serves as Vice-President of the International Society of Environmental Geotechnology (ISEG), USA, a multidisciplinary professional organization of technical and policy experts who work on various aspects of sustainable development. Since 1990, ISEG has organized 15conferences in collaboration with local institutions in Europe, North America, South America and Asia that have generated international research partnerships and regional development policy initiatives. Also, she is a member of the director board of the Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction-GADR- a worldwide consortium of about 50 professional organizations, public agencies and academic institutions that are active in disaster prevention and management. GADR operates programs in partnership with national agencies and UN organizations. Her main research areas are: geotechnical, chemical and mineralogical properties of soils, thermodynamics of contaminant interactions with soils and clean-up techniques, recycling of waste materials, waste disposition, mining waste disposition, rain-induced landslides, erosion control, streambank erosion control, bioengineering techniques applied to erosion control (RECP’s – rolled erosion).