In Memoriam: Prof. Edward Schroeder

Dr. Edward Schroeder, a beloved UC Davis professor of environmental engineering for 34 years, recently passed away. 

Originally from the mountain West, Ed attended Oregon State University to earn both his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees. There, he found himself drawn to civil engineering and, in particular, the relatively new field environmental engineering. Moreover, it was there that he met his wife, Mary. He was drawn to research, and after a short stint working for the public health service in Cincinnati, he completed his Ph.D. at Rice University where he focused on microbiology and biological treatment. 

Ed was among the first faculty members hired into the new UC Davis Department of Civil Engineering in 1966, at a time when campus facilities were still being constructed. Alongside Professors Ray Krone, Jerry Orlob, George Tchobanoglous, and later Dan Chang, Jeannie Darby, and others, Ed helped build UC Davis’ worldclass Environmental Engineering program. His early work focused on biological wastewater treatment, especially removal of nitrogen and harmful organic pollutants, later expanding to how microbes could degrade air pollutants. Ed collaborated extensively with colleagues from across campus to create unique learning opportunities for the many students he advised—about 100 master’s students and 25 PhD students. Most of the Ph.D. students Ed mentored have gone on to populate universities across the U.S.

In tandem with his research, Ed was an exceptional educator and mentor. He encouraged and cared for his students, received the College of Engineering award for outstanding advising three times and was honored with the UC Davis Distinguished Teaching Award. Ed always engaged with his students as unique individuals to draw out their best while also holding them to exceptionally high standards. 

Ed was deeply involved in campus leadership and governance, for example serving as the first engineer on the Academic Senate Committee on Academic Personnel and eventually as the committee chair. He was an extraordinarily effective academic leader, sometimes called to be an external chair for troubled departments.  He also played an important role in helping shape the first campus general education requirements.  His retirement interview summarizes his career and reveals his personality and keen sense of humor.

While Ed retired from UC Davis in 2000, his research carried on for many years and his legacy as a foundational member of the CEE faculty lives on today. 

A service will be held at noon on Friday, March 14th at St. James Church in Davis. For those who wish to honor Ed’s memory, contributions can be made to the Edward and Mary Schroeder Fund supporting undergraduate research opportunities in Civil and Environmental Engineering or to the St James St Vincent De Paul Society.

Those who knew Ed are welcome to share remembrances of him on this page.