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Home / Academics / Academic Majors / Civil Engineering / Civil Engineering Faculty / Dr. Sharon Zelmanowitz

Sharon Zelmanowitz, Ph.D., P.E.

Civil Engineering, Professor Dean, School of Engineering and Cyber Systems

Dr. Zelmanowitz graduated from Cornell in 1983 with a B.S. in Agricultural Engineering and from N.C. State University with an M.S. in Biological and Agricultural Engineering in 1986. After earning her Masters, Dr. Zelmanowitz worked as an environmental engineer at Alliance Technologies in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. At Alliance she engaged in a wide variety of projects for the EPA including developing emissions inventories for the acid precipitation database and updating hazardous waste databases. She left Alliance to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned a Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering in August 1991. Her dissertation work involved studying the fate of acidic leachates and heavy metals in soils beneath coal storage piles. In August 1991, Dr. Zelmanowitz took a teaching position in Civil Engineering at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and is presently a full professor, section chief, and coordinator of environmental engineering for the major. She engages cadets in Coast Guard research and consulting work such as development of shipboard wastewater systems and evaluation/improvement of storm water systems at CGA. Dr. Zelmanowitz maintains an active relationship with local water and wastewater plants which has led to academically enriching, service-based class projects.

Education

  • Ph.D., Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • M.S., Biological and Agricultural Engineering North Carolina State University
  • Agricultural Engineering, Cornell University

Courses Taught

  • Senior Capstone Design
  • Environmental Engineering I
  • Environmental Engineering II
  • Statics and Engineering Design
  • Strength of Materials
  • Civil Engineering Design

Selected Publications and Presentations

  • Zelmanowitz, S. 2005. “Treatment of Simulated Shipboard Gray Water in a Lab-Scale Membrane Bioreactor.” Center for Advanced Studies Report 08-05.
  • Zelmanowitz, S. 2003. “Development of a Membrane Bioreactor to Treat Combined Gray Water and Black Water on a 225’ Buoy Tender”, Presented at the Marine Environmental Engineering Technology Symposium In Pursuit of Cleaner Seas.

Awarded Grants

  • Adrezin, R., Burns, K., Freeman, R., and Russell, J. (2012). DOD Systems Engineering Grant – RT19A to support integrating systems engineering into capstone projects – Senior Personnel: A. Foley, R. Hartnett, and S. Zelmanowitz: Department of Defense

Honors

  • U.S. Department of Transportation Team Commendation Award. November, 1997

Professional Memberships

  • Professional Engineer in New York since 1994
  • Water Environment Federation
  • New England Water Environment Association
  • New York Water Environment Association
  • American Society of Civil Engineers
  • National Academic Advising Association

Contact Information

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Sponsor Family Application

Thank you for submitting your application to be part of the Sponsor Family Program. Your application will be processed in the upcoming week. Coast Guard Academy’s policy on background screening now requires all adults (everyone 18 and older living in the home) who volunteer to mentor, teach, coach or sponsor cadets, whether on or off Coast Guard Academy grounds, to be screened every 5 years. They are required to provide personal information (name, birth date and social security number) for the purpose of conducting a criminal background check.

The Security Officer at the Coast Guard Academy, CWO2 Gina Polkowski, is overseeing this process. Her email is: Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.

Sponsor Family designations fall into several different categories. Below are the guidelines to help you determine how best to meet the background screening requirement:

  1. If you are Coast Guard active duty you do not need to apply for an additional Background Check. You will be vetted through the Coast Guard system by CWO2 Polkowski.
  2. If you are a Civilian working for the Coast Guard you do not need to apply for an additional Background Check. You will be vetted through the Coast Guard system by CWO2 Polkowski.
  3. If you are non-Coast Guard Active Duty, you are required to provide proof of your current security clearance or National Agency Check that is to be emailed by your Command Security Officer (CSO)/ Security Office to CWO2 Polkowski at  Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.
  4. If you are non-Coast Guard civilian who has a current security clearance or National Agency check, you are required to provide proof of your current security clearance or National Agency Check that is to be emailed by your Command Security Officer (CSO)/ Security Office to CWO2 Polkowski at  Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.
  5. All civilians in the families who are 18 years or older and do not have a security clearance or a National Agency Check are required to be vetted through Mind Your Business, the third party vendor hired by the Coast Guard Academy for the vetting process.

After you complete your application, please e-mail the Sponsor Family Program Coordinator at CadetFamilySponsorProgram@uscga.edu. In your e-mail, you must include the e-mail address and phone number of every adult living in the home. The Sponsor Family Coordinator will then initiate the background check process and you will receive an email with further instructions.

Important things to note:

There is a Sponsor Family Training that is a one-hour training which we ask sponsors to attend once every four years. This training is designed to give you an overview of the program, what is expected of you as a sponsor, and what you can expect from your cadets. This training will also help familiarize you with the cadet regulations onboard CGA. You will be notified via e-mail once the training is scheduled.

The matching process of swabs to families will occur during July and August. Please bear with us and remain flexible through this process. There will be a meet and greet scheduled on Campus, typically in late August. This will give families an opportunity to formally meet their cadet if they have not already done so. Details on this will also be via email.

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