Team
Principal Investigator
Dr. Tao Ye
Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, South Dakota School of Mines & Technology (South Dakota Mines), Rapid City, South Dakota, 2021-present
Postdoc, Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, 2018-2021
Ph.D., Civil and Environmental Engineering, George Washington University, 2018
M.S., Municipal Engineering, Tongji University, 2013
B.S., Water Supply and Sewage Engineering, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, 2010
Graduate students
Rabbi Sikder
Rabbi joined our group as a Ph.D. student in Jan 2022. He completed his undergraduate from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology with a focus on Environmental Engineering. As water is indeed a vital natural resource and an essential component of human lives, his research will concentrate on drinking water treatment, specifically the control and formation of DBPs to ensure safe potable drinking water.
Aritree Shreya
Aritree started her PhD at Ye Research Lab from Spring 2024. She completed her B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). Her research interest lies in water treatment technologies.
Water, the essence of life on Earth is indispensable for all the living beings. Serving as the universal solvent, water facilitates our interaction with inorganic compounds on Earth. Despite its crucial role, the finite nature of water storage has led to significant depletion by the onset of the 21st century. Recognizing water as a fundamental right for future generations, it is imperative that we utilize this precious resource meticulously. Additionally, embracing innovative technologies is essential to harness unconventional water sources (such as wastewater and saline water etc.). These efforts are vital to ensure accessibility to pure water for every living being on the planet. Motivated by this commitment, Aritree aspires to channelize her efforts towards solving the pressing issues in water treatments, contributing to a sustainable and equitable future for all. Current PhD Research Topic: Catalytic denitrification of waste Brine.
Mahjib Hossain Imon
Mahjib joined our group as a Ph.D. student in January, 2024. He is from Dhaka, Bangladesh. He completed his Bachelors in Civil Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). Previously he worked at the Centre for Climate Change and Environmental Research (C3ER), BRAC University, and the Centre for Water Supply and Waste Management (ITN-BUET). His research interests include drinking water treatment, water supply and sanitation (WASH), GIS applications, machine learning applications, climate change adaptation, air quality monitoring, etc. Beyond schooling and research, his hobbies include chess, gadgets, and technologies. Mahjib is currently working on using the machine learning application to predict the formation of DBPs to ensure safe potable drinking water. He wants to become an Environmental Engineer in the future to ensure safe drinking water and waste management for all.
Undergraduate students
Lucas Ransen
Lucas is a Civil and Environmental Engineering student at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (Class of 2026). He is from Norfolk, Nebraska, and wants to be a Civil Engineer to make meaningful contributions to his community.
He is currently working on drinking water quality reporting and analysis. He joined our group in Fall 2023.
Ella Froning
Ella is a Civil and Environmental Engineering student at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. She is from Hutchinson, Minnesota, and plans to graduate in 2026. She wants to be an Environmental Engineer so she can make a positive impact on people's lives and the environment. She is currently working on drinking water quality reporting and analysis. She joined our group in Fall 2023.
Alumni
Katie Magni
Katie is a Civil and Environmental Engineering student at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (Class of 2025). She is from Santa Maria, California, and runs cross country and tracks for SDSM&T. She wants to become an Environmental Engineer because she wants to make the world a better place. Providing people with safe, drinkable water is something that she wishes to achieve because water is integral to many parts of our daily lives.
She is currently working on adsorption of micropollutants in water using carbonaceous materials, such as activated carbon. She joined our group in Fall 2021.
Megan Stone
Megan is a senior Civil and Environmental Engineering student at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. She is born and raised from Rapid City, SD. She is passionate about water resources because she wants to ensure that every human can get clean drinking water, and that the environment is cleaner than before humanity used it. She is currently working on adsorption of micropollutants in water using activated carbon. She joined our group in Spring 2022.
Rylie Andrews
Rylie is a Senior Chemical Engineering Undergraduate student from Boyceville, Wisconsin planning to graduate in December 2022 (Class 2022). Water quality is something she finds important for personal health in several aspects, and as someone who struggles with eczema flare-ups due to water components, she is personally passionate about this topic since it directly affects her while at college.
To further research and study disinfection byproducts (DBP’s) will give her further insight and understanding as to what happens to our tap water and how it could potentially be altered to best benefit the community. Beyond schooling and research, her hobbies include spending time with friends and family, watching movies and athletics, and outdoor activities; fishing, shooting bow, going for walks, and riding snowmobile!
Amanda Tones
Amanda graduated from South Dakota Mines with honors with her Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering in May of 2022. She also received minors in Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Engineering. She was a part of the accelerated master’s program and will graduate with her master's degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering in May of 2023. On campus, she remains active in multiple organizations including Beta Delta Mu, Order of Omega, and Wise. She enjoys spending time with friends and exploring the hills in her free time.
She is currently working on the analysis of iodine and bromine species in water.
Sophia Williams
I am a senior Chemical Engineering student at South Dakota Mines.
Abed Kime
Abed is a master’s student in Civil and Environmental Engineering at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. He obtained his bachelor's degree with honors from the University of Johannesburg in South Africa. His career objective is to become a Structural Engineer and ultimately contribute to the development of public infrastructures in his home country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Abed joined the team in Fall 2022 and his research focuses on the removal and recovery of ammonia from water using biochar adsorption.
James Maertens
James is a Sophomore Computer Science student also working toward a Math Minor. He is from Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. Some things he enjoys doing off campus are hiking, and working out. While on campus, he is involved with the Health and Fitness club, Peer Mentor Program, and is the Recruitment Chair of the Chi Psi interest group.
He joined our team hoping to work with machine learning programs to learn more about water purification.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-maertens-762a42249/?trk=public_profile_samename-profile
Samantha Twing
I am a sophomore Civil Engineering student with an emphasis on Environmental Engineering and am working towards a minor in Chemistry (Class of 2025). I am from Palmer, Alaska and enjoy skiing, swimming, and hiking. On campus, I am involved with the concrete canoe team as well as being the vice-president of the health and fitness club and the treasurer of the rocker car club. Water quality has always been a subject of interest for me and I believe having the opportunity to conduct research on water treatment allows me to expand my horizons and prepare for a career in Environmental Engineering.
Collins Antwi Boasiako
Collins started the PhD program in Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at SD Mines in Jan 2022. He obtained his undergraduate degree from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana with focus on Environmental Engineering. He will develop advanced materials, such as adsorbents and catalysts, for water purification.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ing-collins-antwi-boasiako-pe-ghie-69208440/
Dustin Paschke
Dustin is a senior Civil Engineering student at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. He was born and raised in Rapid City, SD. He has an emphasis in water resources and wants to help provide clean and reliable water to people.
Frederick Otte
Frederick is a Civil and Environmental Engineering student at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (Class of 2026). He is from Guam.
He is currently working on data collecting and machine learning for DBPs. He joined our group in Spring 2022.
Looking for motivated students
Tao Ye’s group is always looking for highly motivated students to carry out research projects related to advanced water treatment.
Research interests include water treatment, environmental chemistry, and big data. We will develop advanced materials for the removal of emerging contaminants through adsorption, catalytic reduction, etc. Interested candidates are encouraged to contact Dr. Ye.
We also work on big data.
Are you interested in your hometown water quality? How do weather, population, and location impact your hometown water quality? What are other factors that can affect the water quality? And how does the water quality affect public health? Big data, Al, and machine learning can help us answer these questions and do a lot more.
Water is life. Come and explore with us, and study your hometown water quality!