CEO, alum to collaborate on water science curriculum

Duperon Corp. President Mark Turpin, a ’98 Heidelberg alumnus, and Heidelberg science administrators have begun a new collaboration to improve the curriculum for the university’s Watershed Science concentration for the Environmental Science program. Turpin, together with Dr. Laura Johnson, director of the National Center for Water Quality Research, Dr. Bryan Smith, dean of the School of Natural Sciences and Allied Health Sciences and others at the Berg, will develop ideas about how to expand the program into a stand-alone major.

Additionally, Turpin has joined the Berg Business Board, a group of area businessmen and women who lend their expertise, advice and support to help Heidelberg students. By providing resources, evaluating programs and offering internship opportunities, the board offers valuable industry experience and makes connections between classes and real jobs.

“It’s an honor to serve the Berg Business Board and a pleasure to bring together two of my passions – the water industry and the next generation of water leaders,” said Turpin. “Not only do I get to work with the students at Heidelberg University, my alma mater, but serving on Berg Business Board will also bring me closer to the National Center for Water Quality Research (NCWQR). Strengthening the connections between Heidelberg University students and the water industry while also partnering with the NCWQR to improve Heidelberg’s water science curriculum is a wonderful personal opportunity to support and nurture the future leaders of the water industry.”

On April 4, Johnson will present Nutrients – The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly about HABs in the Great Lakes at the WWEMA (Water & Wastewater Equipment Manufacturers Association) 46th Washington Forum. Turpin, who served as chairman of WWEMA from December 2016 to January 2018, will host a luncheon connecting Johnson with water equipment manufacturers to facilitate a dialogue that will help strengthen Heidelberg’s water science curriculum.

Johnson is an expert in nutrient and sediment export from headwater streams to large watersheds. Johnson is involved in issues in Lake Erie and the Ohio River Watershed, specializing in aquatic biogeochemistry, stream and river ecology, anthropogenic impacts on water resources and microbial ecology. The NCWQR supports the sustainable use of soil and water resources and helps protect human health and the ecological integrity of aquatic ecosystems through research, monitoring, education, and outreach. The team performs research such as chemical analysis of freshwater samples, biological assessment of aquatic communities, and watershed modeling throughout the Great Lakes region. The NCWQR has been at the forefront of the algae crisis in northwest Ohio. 

About Duperon Corporation

Duperon is the leader in innovative preliminary liquids/solids separation systems. For more than 30 years, Duperon has provided simple solutions for coarse screening, fine screening, low flow screening, perforated screening, washing compacting, and conveying. Duperon technologies are designed and manufactured in Saginaw, Michigan. www.duperon.com