Dr. Adaline Buerck is passionate about water innovations that improve the lives of others, and she’s been able to tackle that at the local and international level since joining Mercer University’s faculty in 2022. Her work was recently recognized by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists, which selected her for its 40 Under 40 Recognition Program for rising stars in the field.
“I feel very honored, especially when I look at the other award recipients,” she said. “A lot of it is because of the mentors I’ve had throughout my schooling and here at Mercer: Dr. James Mihelcic (University of South Florida), Dr. (Adam) Kiefer, Dr. (Craig) McMahan and Dean (Dr. Laura) Lackey. Without their mentorship and the many other friendships, partnerships and mentors I have found, I would not have been able to do it.”
Dr. Buerck earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from Saint Louis University and her doctorate in civil engineering from the University of South Florida. At Mercer, she teaches a full course load as an assistant professor of environmental and civil engineering and also directs Mercer’s Cecil Day Family Center for International Groundwater Innovation.
“For me, it was the opportunities here at Mercer, being able to still do international work, directing the groundwater center, and the support,” Dr. Buerck said of her decision to come to the University. “I needed some good mentors, and I saw that at Mercer.”
She has continued and expanded upon the water initiatives of the late Dr. Michael MacCarthy, the center’s first director and associate professor of environmental and civil engineering.
“The mission that I have created for the (groundwater) center is to be a hub for fostering research, innovation, education and collaboration for establishing and implementing best practices and access to improved water,” she said. “I really want to build connections locally and internationally. A big part of it was this international focus and connection with Mercer On Mission, but I also want to build connections here locally as well, whether that’s just in the university or in the community.”
Dr. Buerck’s main research focus at Mercer has been looking at heavy metals in water and consumer items, and she and Distinguished University Professor of Chemistry Dr. Adam Kiefer lead a Mercer On Mission program in Belize with this focus.
Dr. Buerck also does water testing work for the program in the Dominican Republic led by engineering professors Dr. Natalia Cardelino and Dr. Laura Moody. Each summer, this Mercer On Mission team builds systems to bring clean water to rural communities.
Dr. Buerck has acquired a drill that she hopes can assist future Mercer teams in making water wells. A team of students is building a modified stand for the drill as their senior design project, and Dr. Buerck hopes to do field testing on the equipment in the Dominican Republic during spring break 2026. In addition, she is spearheading research to assess the overall progress of the Mercer On Mission program.
She and Dr. Sarah Bauer, assistant professor of environmental and civil engineering, have taken on a number of outreach efforts together. They facilitate workshops for the Society of Women Engineers: Engineers in Training (SWEET) Program, which exposes middle schoolers to engineering concepts and careers, and started an American Water Works Association student chapter at Mercer.
During the spring semester, Dr. Buerck, Dr. Bauer and engineering professors Dr. Schultz and Dr. Sinjae Hyun accompanied some of their engineering students to Roberts Academy in Macon to teach science, technology, engineering and math concepts to children.
Dr. Buerck said her favorite parts of her job are working with students and seeing the moments when they realize that engineering can change lives. In April, a few students presented a senior design project on stormwater management at Penfield Cemetery for the Georgia Association of Water Professionals’ Spring Conference and Expo in Columbus. At the end, an attendee thanked them for their work and said it meant a lot to him because he had relatives buried there. As another example, Dr. Buerck found out recently that their Belize contacts were acting on the data the Mercer team had collected the previous summer.
“It’s not always immediate, but eventually you are making a difference in small ways,” Dr. Buerck said.
