Instructor
Mike Foster is Principal Consultant for Environmental Business Specialists, LLC in Mandeville, LA. Mike started EBS in 1997 after a thirteen-year career with a major supplier of wastewater treatment chemicals. EBS provides training and consulting services to industrial wastewater treatment systems, particularly the pulp and paper industry. Mike conducts training classes and seminars throughout the country on activated sludge systems, aerated stabilization basins and the use of chemical and biological technologies in these systems. He has authored numerous articles and papers on a variety of topics including nutrient optimization, activated sludge process control, bioaugmentation and micronutrient technology. He is the co-author of the textbook for this course, "Aerated Stabilization Basins for the Pulp and Paper Mills."

Mike received his B.S. degree in Chemistry from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1980. He completed his Masters Degree in Instructional Technology at USM in 2004 with a specific interest in online instruction for wastewater operators. Mike is a Certified Environmental Trainer (CET) in wastewater and holds a Class IV Wastewater Operator Licenses in MS, LA and AR.

Mike is a member of the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI), the Water Environment Federation (WEF) and the National Environmental, Safety, and Health Trainers Association (NESHTA).

Textbook and other materials
The textbook for this course is “Aerated Stabilization Basins in the Pulp and Paper Industry,” authored by Mike Foster of EBS and Paul Klopping of Callan and Brooks and is included in the registration fee for the course.

Order forms for the book are available in pdf format or as a Word document. You may also order by phone by calling Christine Foster at (985) 674-0660.

Instructional Goals
The general goal of this training course is to fill a training and technical support void in the area of pulp and paper mill aerated stabilization basins, by providing wastewater professionals with readily available and easily accessible technical training to assist them in monitoring, optimizing, and troubleshooting their systems. A more specific goal will be to provide relevant continuing education opportunities for those operators required to maintain state licenses or certifications.

Specific Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this course the student will be able to do the following:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of what the key contaminants of wastewater are and why wastewater is treated.
2. List the seven key growth pressures in order of the "Hierarchy of Needs" for the bacteria.
3. Evaluate the performance of a primary clarifier.
4. Identify and evaluate an appropriate surrogate for BOD5 for their particular system.
5. Explain the concept of "phantom BOD loading."
6. Explain the roles of bactria and higher life forms in the context of an ASB.
7. Perform and interpret a microscopic examination of an ASB sample.
8. Distinguish between mechanical and diffused aeration.
9. Estimate the amount of oxygen required to treat a given amount of BOD.
10. Identify the two main macronutrients.
11. Calculate the amount of nutrients required for an ASB based on BOD loading.
12. Explain the importance of tracer studies and basin profiles.
13. Systematically troubleshoot BOD and TSS problems in an ASB.
14. Logically evaluate the use of chemical and biological additives.
15. Work safely around a wastewater treatment system.

Course Format
This course is designed for independent study with some interaction with the course administrator. Each lesson will have a reading assignment, review slides, one or more exercises, and one or two discussion questions, the answer to which you will submit via email.

Course Schedule
You may start the course anytime and there is a six month limit. No CEUs will be awarded until the entire course and all assignments are completed. The only exception will be students that request dividing the course into to equal halves (5 lessons) each. In this case, CEUs will be awarded after five lesson are complete and at the completion of the course.

Assignments and Student Participation
The course is made up of ten lessons. The coursework for each lesson will consist of a reading assignment, discussion questions via email, two or three online quiz or exercises, and occasionally some additional reading or laboratory work. A final course critique will be administered at the end of the course. There are no passing or failing grades. However, the instructor reserves the right to withhold CEUs from individual that do not complete the assignments or online discussions.

Contiuning Education Credits
This course is approved for a total of 25 hours (2.5 hours for each lesson) of continuing education credits for wastewater operator license certification and renewal by the Arkansas and Mississippi Departments of Environmental Quality. EBS will submit for other state approvals upon request.