Ashok Gadgil

Ashok Gadgil (born 1950 in India) is a physicist with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) in Berkeley, and a professor in civil and environmental engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. He is best known for "UV Waterworks" - a simple, effective and inexpensive water disinfection system.

Education

He has a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, an M.Sc. from IIT, Kanpur, and a B.Sc. from Bombay University, all in Physics.

Career

At LBNL, where Dr. Gadgil is Acting Director of the Environmental Energy Technologies Division, he leads a group of about 20 researchers conducting experimental and modeling research in indoor airflow and pollutant transport. Most of that work is focused on protecting building occupants from the threat of chemical and biological attacks. In recent years, he has worked on ways to inexpensively remove arsenic from Bangladesh drinking water, and on improving cookstoves for Darfur (Sudan) refugees.

Dr. Gadgil has substantial experience in technical, economic, and policy research on energy efficiency and its implementation - particularly in developing countries. He has authored or co-authored more than 70 journal papers, and more than 100 conference papers.

In 1998 and again in 2006, Dr. Gadgil was invited by the Smithsonian Institution's Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation to speak at the National Museum of American History about his life and work.

Awards

Among his other awards are the Pew Fellowship in Conservation and the Environment in 1991 for his work on accelerating energy efficiency in developing countries, the World Technology Award for energy in 2002, the Tech Laureate Award in 2004, and in 2009, a 15th Annual Heinz Award with special focus on the environment. . Dr. Gadgil is Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Berkeley, and was the Map-Ming Visiting Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University.

UV Waterworks

UV Waterworks uses the UV light emitted by a low-pressure mercury discharge (similar to that in a fluorescent lamp) to disinfect drinking water. Effective disinfection at affordable cost is the primary and most important feature of UV Waterworks—allowing an entire system (including costs of pumps, filters, tanks, armpits, consumables, and employee salaries for operation) to sell drinking water at about 2 cents US for 12 liters even in deep rural areas, where personal incomes are commonly less than $1 US per day.

This business model, developed and implemented by WaterHealth International, makes safe drinking water affordable and accessible to even poor communities in developing countries. For UV Waterworks, Dr. Gadgil received the Discover Award in 1996 for the most significant environmental invention of the year, as well as the Popular Science Award for "Best of What is New - 1996".

Darfur Stoves Project

The Darfur Stoves Project seeks to protect Darfuri women by providing them with specially developed stoves which require less firewood, hence decreasing women’s exposure to violence while collecting firewood and their need to trade food rations for fuel.

The Darfur Stoves Project collaborates with international organizations such as Oxfam America and the Sudanese organization, Sustainable Action Group (SAG). By mid-2011 the Darfur Stoves Project has produced nearly 16,000 stoves.

The Darfur Stoves Project is the first initiative of the nonprofit organization, Technology Innovation for Sustainable Societies (TISS). The mission of TISS is to link research institutions, nonprofit organizations, and private distributors to increase the availability of affordable, appropriate technology to help improve the quality of life and create employment in places affected by poverty and conflict.

Film

Ashok is featured in Irena Salina's feature documentary Flow: For Love of Water (2008) and Michael Apted's award winning 1999 documentary "Me and Isaac Newton"

External links

• Personal Website
• Courage: Ashok Gadgil. Short biography from MIT Press. Text adapted from Inventing Modern America.
• Prototype Online: Inventive Voices podcast featuring a two-part interview with Ashok Gadgil - From the Smithsonian's Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation website.
• Darfur Stoves Project Website