Alison M. Cupples

Dr. Alison M. Cupples is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Michigan State University's College of Engineering. Her research focuses on environmental microbiology and biodegradation of contaminants in soil and water systems.

Dr. Cupples' primary research interests include:

• Biodegradation of organic contaminants
• Whole genome sequencing applications
• Microbial ecology in contaminated environments
• Functional gene analysis for contaminant degradation
• Molecular methods in environmental microbiology

Her work addresses both traditional contaminants (chlorinated solvents, BTEX, MTBE, RDX, 1,4-dioxane) and emerging contaminants (antimicrobials, pharmaceuticals, personal care products) in agricultural soils and water systems.

Dr. Cupples teaches multiple courses including ENE 280 - Principles of Environmental Engineering and Science, ENE 487 - Microbiology for Environmental Science and Engineering, and ENE 805 - Contaminated Site Remediation.

• ENE 280 covers physical, chemical and biological processes related to environmental systems
• ENE 487 focuses on microbiology applications in environmental engineering
• ENE 805 provides overview of remediation technologies for contaminated sites

She has supervised numerous graduate students and is actively involved in outreach programs including High School Engineering Institute Laboratories, Wireless Integrated MicroSystems for TEENS Program, and Woman in Engineering Summer Program.