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A smile spreads across the face of Veera Gnaneswar Gude when he describes his unique opportunity to impact the environment.

In his four years with С����’s Bagley College of Engineering, the assistant professor has received campus and national recognition and accolades for work with wastewater treatments, microbial desalination and biofuels.

But when asked what he considers his biggest accomplishment, Gude’s humble response indicates that it all comes down to one thing – sharing his knowledge with students.

“Knowledge can’t be contained,” Gude said. “It has to be shared, which I think is the primary purpose why we’re here.”

With a background in chemical and civil engineering combined with environmental engineering experience in both research and industry settings, Gude could easily spend his time in a lab finding solutions to the world’s ever-changing environmental issues.

Instead, he chooses to pass his expertise on to a new grade of environmental engineers, with intentions of igniting his passion for sustainability in a younger generation.

Gude describes his instructional methods as an energy transfer of sorts. He inspires by revealing the necessity of environmental engineering to his students, which fuels Gude’s own motivation.

“I find passion in my work by interacting with these students who have young spirits and an eagerness to learn, and we are able to inspire each other,” Gude said. 

Gude encourages students to discover research interests and sets no limit on student participation in his in-depth sustainability projects. With recognition that environmental issues are consistently larger than one’s own work, Gude allows “his projects” to become “theirs.”

“The environmental problems that we’re dealing with are becoming very complex,” Gude said. “I want our students to know that they are entering a field that doesn’t have simple problems anymore. Sharing this allows me to play a part in nurturing the future generations of engineers and leaders of society.”