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Professor Nii Attoh-Okine, chair of the UMD civil and environmental engineering department, co-chaired the event together with Professor Birthe Kjellerup, the department’s chair of civil empowerment. |
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A University of Maryland (UMD) roundtable on the construction and environmental aspects of data centers featured presentations from leading academics and industry representatives involved in the field.
The UMD Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) hosted the Oct. 6, 2025 event, which was led jointly by CEE Department Chair Nii Attoh-Okine and Professor Birthe V. Kjellerup, the department’s chair of civil empowerment.
David Reid, Delegate for Loudon (HD-28) in the Virginia House of Delegates, spoke about the burgeoning of data centers in the county.
With the digital economy rapidly becoming the AI economy, data centers continue to expand in number and size. A decade ago, companies often housed data centers on their own premises. Nowadays, even a modestly-sized business has data needs that exceed the capacity of an on-site hub.
The resulting proliferation of smaller and supersized data centers has environmental and energy implications, and also presents challenges related to construction and maintenance. The UMD roundtable provided a valuable opportunity for experts and stakeholders to explore these issues and propose innovative, sustainable, and resilient solutions.
The all-day event began with opening remarks by Samuel Graham, Dean of the A. James Clark School of Engineering, and David Reid, who represents Loudoun County—a global top location for data center presence—in the Virginia House of Delegates.
Guest speaker Kelly Schulz, Chief Executive Officer of the Maryland Technology Council, discussed the impact of data centers on the state, including economic benefits as well as issues such as water usage and the effects on rural communities, and explained how local communities can be involved in these discussions.
Guest speaker Kelly Schulz., Chief Executive Officer of the Maryland Technology Council, provided an overview of data centers in Maryland. Photo by Al Santos.
Presenters then discussed a broad range of specific topics, including water use planning, foundation construction and ground improvement, economic benefits and community relations, the role of labor unions, waste heat utilization, and protection of cooling towers against biofilms and potential health risks.
From left: Mary Ellen Large, P.E., BC/GE , Nicholson Construction Company; Alimatou Seck, Ph.D., Senior Water Resources Scientist, Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin. Photo by Al Santos.
The speakers included Navid Ariaban, FTI Consulting; Mike Dempsey and Mike Conner, Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters; Alexander Erb, Menard USA; Jan Drgona, Johns Hopkins University; Laura Gage and James Folsom, Arxada; Mary Ellen Large, Nicholson Construction Company; Manoj K. Jha, Jha Consulting; Yunho Hwang, University of Maryland Department of Mechanical Engineering; Stephanie Morris, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Rachel Schwaab, Ramboll, Water Infrastructure & Climate Adaptation; Alimatou Seck, Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin; and Thomas B. Wild, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
“The issues presented by data centers are not just timely. They are urgent,” said Professor Attoh-Okine, the roundtable co-chair. “This event marks an important initial step in drawing up roadmaps that will help us meet fast-growing challenges.”
The Schneider Electric Sustainability Research Institute found that generative AI queries in the U.S. draw about 15 TWh of electricity per year. With that amount likely to continue increasing, Attoh-Okine said, the accelerated construction of these centers, as well as effective maintenance and cyberresilience, is “of the utmost importance.”
Professor Kjellerup said the roundtable yielded insights of great value.
“Directly-involved stakeholders shed light not only on emerging opportunities but also on concerns that data centers may pose for states such as Maryland and Virginia,” she said. “Discussions were candid and cordial. Participants brought varied perspectives and we all learned from engaging each other’s viewpoints."
"We will continue these conversations in the spring and are very interested in welcoming additional stakeholders to the discussion,” Kjellerup said.
November 14, 2025
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