2025 Kappe Lecturer

Vinio Floris,
PhD, PE, BCEE, CSP

Director of Health, Safety, Environment and Quality
AXIOS Industrial Group

Education

• MBA, Finance, Texas A&M University, 2007
• MPA, Economics and Environmental Management, Harvard University, 1996
• PhD, Civil-Environmental Engineering, Water Resources Planning and Management, Colorado State University, 1989
• MS, Civil-Environmental Engineering, Water Resources Systems Analysis, Colorado State University, 1986
• BS, Agricultural Engineering, Water and Land Resources Management, Suma cum laude, National Agricultural University – La Molina, Lima, Peru, 1981

Selected Honors

• Kappe Lecturer, American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (AAEES), 2025
• Outstanding Academic Partner Award, Colorado State University, 2019
• ConAgra Agribusiness Award, Harvard Business School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1996
• Environmental Engineering Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Research completed at the Office of Water, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 1995

Professional Licenses/Certifications

• Registered Professional Engineer, State of Texas
• Board Certified Environmental Engineer, American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists
• ASP (Associate Safety Professional) and CSP (Certified Safety Professional), Board of Certified Safety Professionals
• Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) and advanced OSHA-training certifications

Volunteering

• Science and Engineering Fair of Houston, Environmental Engineering Coordinator and Lead Judge
• Harvard College interviewer in the Greater Houston area, Harvard University
• College Fair mentor for Houston, Harvard Club of Houston
• The Beacon Homeless Services, Houston, TX, Volunteer

Dr. Floris is an experienced environmental engineer in the sustainability, water resources, environmental management, and occupational health and safety fields. He has been an executive of several organizations managing their Environment, Health and Safety and Operations Excellence business units.  He is currently the Director of Health, Safety, Environment and Quality at AXIOS Industrial Group in Houston, Texas. Previously, he has worked for Veolia, CEMEX, ERM, TETRA Technologies, the South Florida Water Management District, and the Port of Houston. In addition, he has been an international environmental and water management consultant for the Interamerican Development Bank, World Bank, International Finance Corporation, Andean Development Corporation, as well as USAID and other development agencies of donor countries. 

Dr. Floris is a professor of sustainability at the SKEMA Graduate School in Lille, France, and at the GĚRENS Post Graduate School in Lima, Peru, and Colorado (in partnership with Colorado State University and the Colorado School of Mines). He is a proud long-term and active member of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists, having been the Academy’s treasurer from 2020 to 2023. He is also an editorial board member of the Public Works Management & Policy Journal, which focuses on all aspects of the sustainable development of critical infrastructure systems. 

Dr. Floris is a renowned international speaker, researcher, visionary, and prolific writer on the topics of water resources management, environment, sustainability, climate change, responsible mining and energy, and occupational safety, and has published extensively on those topics.

Abstracts of Lectures Offered

The Future of Sustainable Water Management – Innovation, Practices, and Opportunities for Environmental Science and Engineering

Water, the most precious resource on earth, is currently in true peril. Both quantity and quality of this most basic human need are being affected by its indiscriminate use, alarming level of contamination, a growing population, aging and/or inadequate infrastructure, and lack of funding. In addition, the severe impacts of climate change are seriously altering its availability and leaving significant uncertainties that strongly challenge its water security. Traditional strategies of problem mitigation and management solutions are simply not making progress, they are mostly ineffective and will eventually become obsolete. It is imperative that a new vision is cultivated to manage these sizeable challenges.

This presentation examines the current global water scenario under the SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis approach and focuses on the design and implementation of improved prospects for the short, medium, and long-term scenarios. It centers strongly on innovation and modern technologies available now, and others that will eventually mature (generative artificial intelligence, unmanned aerial vehicles, robotics and process automation, advanced remote sensing, etc.). The presentation will touch on appropriate and leading-edge infrastructure development and management, and innovative mechanisms in finance, all with the aim of mitigating and eventually solving these most severe challenges. In addition, a case study related to water management in responsible mining will be discussed, as mining (a key element in the energy transition) depends greatly on water resources. 

The ultimate goal of this presentation is to motivate environmental engineers and scientists to think outside the box and use every available tool to tackle (and ultimately solve) global water management challenges. 

Sustainability in the Supply Chain - The Role of Environmental Science and Engineering

The supply chain is the system that embodies all steps in getting a finished product or service to the final customer. It involves a sophisticated and active group of organizations, individuals, and resources, including producers, vendors, warehousing and distribution centers, transportation entities, wholesalers, retailers, and of course, the consumer. Considering its complexity and the many elements interacting globally, the supply chain can yield a considerable impact to the environmental footprint and cause huge negative externalities to societies. It is important to zoom out and look at the bigger picture, being mindful that one link in the supply chain can contribute significantly to gas emissions, impact water, waste, and the well-being of workers and communities. 

This presentation has three sections. First, it identifies and examines the supply chain’s drivers and factors of markets and society expectations in terms of social responsibility, health and safety, economic impacts, and environmental sustainability (including climate change, water, waste, etc.). Secondly, it presents a “green” supply chain scenario that embodies a circular economy model that effectively manages the environmental, social, and economic impacts, and encourages good governance practices throughout the lifecycles of goods and services (practices like sustainable sourcing and “green” reverse logistics will be examined in this section). And lastly, it depicts a case study on global fashion, specifically on “fast fashion”- an industry that thrives on the quick production of garments and accessories at a low cost. This portion of the presentation will discuss lessons learned and steps to make it a more environmentally and socially responsible industry and will conclude by exploring the role of sustainability leaders in progressing towards to a more sustainable supply chain. 

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Kappe Lecturer Reservation Form for the 2025 Kappe Lecturer.

Click here to download the 2025 
Kappe Lecture Brochure.

2024 Kappe Lecturer

Craig H. Benson,
PhD, PE, BCGE,
BCEE, NAE

Wisconsin Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Dean of Engineering and Hamilton Professor Emeritus, University of Virginia

Education

• BSCE, Lehigh University – 1985
• MSE, University of Texas at Austin – 1987
• PhD, University of Texas at Austin – 1989

Credentials & Affiliations

• US National Academy of Engineering – 2012
• US National Academy of Inventors – 2018
• American Association for Advancement of Science, Fellow, Inducted – 2019
• Professional Engineer, State of Wisconsin
• Board Certified Environmental Engineer, American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists
• Board Certified Geotechnical Engineer, Geo-Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers

Awards & Recognitions

• Kappe Lecturer, American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists — 2024
• Karl Terzaghi Award, Geo-Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers — 2021
• A. Ivan Johnson Outstanding Achievement Award, ASTM International — 2015
• Fellow, ASTM International — 2011
• Fellow, American Society of Civil Engineers — 2009
• Fellow, Sigma Xi, Scientific Research Honor Society — 2017
• Academy of Distinguished Alumni, University of Texas at Austin — 2009
• Diplomate, Geotechnical Engineering, Academy of Geo-Professionals — 2009

Craig H. Benson is Wisconsin Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Dean of Engineering and Hamilton Professor Emeritus at the University of Virginia. Benson is a geoenvironmental engineer with expertise in waste management, waste containment systems, recycling and beneficial reuse, and sustainability. He served as Dean of Engineering at the University of Virginia and as a Department Chair and Director of Sustainability Research and Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Benson has a BS from Lehigh University and the MSE and PhD from the University of Texas at Austin, all in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in geoenvironmental engineering. He is a member of the US National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), as well as a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Benson has been conducting research related to protection of the environment for nearly four decades, with primary focus on environmental containment of wastes; beneficial use of industrial byproducts; and sustainable infrastructure. He is recognized as a foremost international authority on waste containment systems, and is widely sought after for his expertise in design, operation, and performance assessment of waste disposal facilities. Benson is currently evaluating sustainable reuse of historically disposed coal combustion products, developing guidance on managing landfill gas and odor issues and quantifying the physical and social correspondence between landfill odors and odor complaints, and evaluating the efficacy of plastic waste recycling and upcycling. He frequently consults as an expert in waste containment systems and sustainability.

Benson’s research experience involves laboratory studies, large-scale field experiments, and predictive modeling. He has published more than 300 refereed articles based on his research and has received numerous research awards, including the Karl Terzaghi Award, Ralph Peck Award, Huber Research Prize, Alfred Noble Prize, Croes Medal (twice), Middlebrooks Award (twice), Collingwood Prize, and Casagrande Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Award of Merit, Ivan Johnson Award for Outstanding Achievement, and the Best Practical Paper Award (twice) from ASTM International. Benson is the 2024 Kappe Lecturer for the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists.

Abstracts of Lectures Offered

Elevated Temperature Landfills: Causation, Impacts, and Best Management Practices Learned from the Field

Elevated temperature landfills (ETLFs) are municipal solid waste landfills (MSW) with waste temperatures substantially in excess of 65 oC that persist over a large area for a sustained period of time. Phenomena commonly associated with ETLFs include substantial and rapid settlements; strong leachate with high BOD and COD, high VOC concentrations, and high total suspended solids; landfill gas depleted in methane and rich in carbon monoxide and hydrogen, and very strong odors that often result in strained relationships with the local community. Remedial measures to address ELTFs can cost in the $100Ms. When the first ETLFs were encountered, they were poorly understood and perceived as an “existential threat” to the solid waste industry. The mechanisms responsible for ELTFs were unclear and a subject of intense debate, as were the appropriate remedial actions. Extensive research and field experience derived through industry-academic partnerships over nearly two decades have clarified the mechanisms that cause ETLFs as well as identified appropriate best management practices (BMPs) to address impacts and return the landfill to a stable equilibrium state. BMPs have also been developed for landfill operations, including characterization of heat generating potential of different waste streams, pre-treatment approaches for heat generating wastes, and disposal strategies to manage the accumulation of heat. This presentation will provide the historical evolution of our understanding of ETLFs and illustrate how BMPs developed from field experience result in successful outcomes at actual MSW landfills. Recommendations are provided that are important to current students as well as seasoned professionals.

Field Performance of Final Covers for Containment of Long-Lived Waste Forms: Lessons Learned from the Field

Engineers design containment facilities to store long-lived waste forms that can be a threat to the environment for 1000s of years (e.g., low level radioactive waste). These designs are based on current knowledge and principles, but the facilities are required to have a service life of a millennium or more, far beyond any modern engineering experience. Over the last decade, we have had the opportunity to exhume and inspect final covers on containment facilities for long-lived waste forms that have been in-service for up to three decades, providing a glimpse of the degradation mechanisms and the condition that may exist in the future. We have also had the opportunity to construct and monitor more than 50 full-scale test sections simulating final covers, providing unique insight into field-scale hydrologic performance and the mechanisms controlling performance. These observations, along with lessons learned from studying natural analogs in the environs of containment facilities, have reframed and refined our perspective on design of final covers for waste containment over very long service lives that go far beyond our experience. This experience has shown that, when possible, designs that embed natural principles and/or are congruent with the natural surroundings tend to be the most resilient and the most effective in the long-term. In contrast, designs that are incongruent with natural surroundings tend to degrade more quickly, with their attributes and performance altered to be more consistent with the surroundings. Observations made in the field, and the lessons learned, will be shared in this presentation. Recommendations are provided that are important to current students and seasoned professionals.

Click here to download the 2024 
Kappe Lecture Brochure.