By Amy Reyes
News and Information Services
Some of the world’s most recognized experts on water quality issues were on campus March 17 to salute one of their own: Khalil H. Mancy, a professor of environmental sciences equally well-known within the field.
Mancy, an environmental chemist known for his research on water quality issues in the Middle East, recently announced his retirement, effective in May.
“I had the privilege of hiring him many years ago. I’d like to express my gratitude for all that he has done. He has really had some remarkable achievements and has been a major contributor to the field,” said Myron E. Wegman, dean emeritus of the School of Public Health, who spoke at the symposium.
Mancy’s colleagues from throughout the world attended the symposium. Among those who spoke was Hillel Shuval of Hebrew University in Jerusalem, who addressed the “Sharing of Water Resources between Syria, Lebanon and Israel,” an issue that Mancy has spent much of his career examining.
Mancy’s research, another speaker said, bridged international relations in the Middle East, where foes united to address water resource issues that plague parts of that area. Scientists from Egypt, Israel, Palestine and Jordan have worked collaboratively with Mancy’s encouragement.
Other speakers included Hosney Khordagui of the Economic Commission for Western Asia in Beirut, who spoke on “Water and Environmental Management Problems in Western Asia”; Daniel Okun, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, “Future Challenges for Drinking Water Quality”; Walter J. Weber Jr., College of Engineering, “Sustainable Water Supplies for the Future”; F. DeWolfe Miller, University of Hawaii, “What Can We Learn from the Egyptians”; and Dennis Mangino of NSF International, the Ann Arbor-based non-profit organization specializing in water treatment.
In retirement, Mancy will head the Middle East office of NSF International (formerly the National Sanitation Foundation).
“I’m going back to my roots,” said Mancy, who is a native of Egypt. “I’m leaving with a really good feeling about the School of Public Health and University, but it’s time for me to return to Egypt where I will continue my research.”
Founded in 1944, NSF International, along with industry officials, government regulatory agencies and the public, develops standards for products and services such as drinking water treatment units. Mancy’s work with the organization involves aligning safety standards in North Africa and the Middle East. Doing so, he said, will ultimately advance consumer protection and trade between the nations.
Mancy has made important and often pioneering contributions in a variety of environmental fields including environmental quality monitoring, water resources and water quality management, pollution control technology, marine pollution prevention, environmental exposure and health risk assessment, toxic chemicals and hazardous waste management.
