Davis Delivers 2026 Freese Lecture at ASCE EWRI Congress

Charles A. Irish, Sr. Professor Allen P. Davis, a member of the University of Maryland’s (UMD) civil and environmental engineering faculty, delivered the Simon W. Freese lecture at the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI) Congress, held in Mobile, AL in April.

From left: Xiaguo Wei, Prof. Allen P. Davis, Musbiha Meehan, Nazia Rahmat, Iffat Afreen, Vincent Mwangi.

Davis’s lecture, “Streets to Streams: The Urban Stormwater Cocktail,” surveyed the past 30 years of efforts to address stormwater quality in urban environments, assessing the progress that has been achieved thus far while detailing current challenges and future considerations.

Five UMD graduate students—Iffat Afreen, Musbiha Meehan, Vincent Mwang, Nazia Rahmat, and Xiaguo Wei—also attended the event, with each delivering papers. Mwangi and Rahmat are co-advised by Davis and Professor Ahmet Aydilek, while Meehan is co-advised by Davis and Assistant Professor Guangbin Li. Wei is co-advised by Professors Aydilek and Li.

Established in 1999, the EWRI serves as a specialized technical institute for professionals in environmental and water-related fields. With a membership base of approximately 20,000, the institute promotes the sustainable use, protection, and management of natural resources while advancing scientific and engineering knowledge.

In 2025, the organization honored Davis with the Urban Water Resources Research Council Founders’ Award, recognizing his role in launching the council.

Published June 16, 2026