Lunch and Learn

Join us for a presentation and Q&A with CAEE Alumnus Henry Goyette.

Abstract

Shock and Ouch – Engineered Cleanup of Contaminated Pits under Power Lines

A business owner tried to do the right thing by recycling used oil, but could not manage the amount and types of materials they received. Solution:  Dump excess feedstock and unsellable byproducts in open pits in a 500-kv high-voltage transmission line right-of-way.  The owner went out of business, so the site was assigned to the Superfund program.  Henry Goyette will describe the steps he and his team took to determine what was present in the waste materials and to design the best way to clean up the site, which was made especially difficult by high-voltage overhead lines and PCB-laden waste below.

About the Speaker

Henry Goyette is an alumnus of the Fariborz Maseeh Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. He recently began mentoring CAEE students, providing guidance on research opportunities, presentation skills and career development.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from Rutgers University and a master’s degree in Environmental Health Engineering from UT Austin, Goyette began his career as a staff environmental engineer at IBM’s Austin printed circuit board plant before joining Environmental Resources Management (ERM), where he advised petroleum refinery and chemical manufacturing clients on environmental compliance and regulatory issues. As an early partner at ERM, he helped grow the firm and retired after a successful 25-year career.

Since retiring, Goyette has remained active in service and mentorship. He has mentored students through the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center at Texas A&M University and volunteered with Texas Stream Team, conducting water quality monitoring across the state.

Henry and his wife established the Goyette Family Endowment to provide scholarships for CAEE students and support departmental research. They have also made significant contributions to the upgrades of the seventh and eighth floors of Ernest Cockrell Jr. Hall. Henry also serves on the CAEE External Advisory Council and is a registered Professional Engineer in Texas and Louisiana.