Tom Franti

Tom Franti

Contact Information:

East Campus (Lincoln)
242 L.W. Chase Hall
402-472-9872
tfranti@unl.edu

Professional Memberships:


Associate Professor of Biological Systems Engineering, Surface Water Management Engineer

Academic Degrees

  • Ph.D., Agricultural Engineering, Purdue University - West Lafayette, Indiana, 1987
  • M.S., Agricultural Engineering, Iowa State University - Ames, 1985
  • B.S., Agricultural Engineering, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1983
  • Registered Professional Engineer, Wisconsin

Certifications

  • Ph.D., P.E.

Appointment

  • 25% Research
  • 60% Extension
  • 15% Teaching

Curriculum Vitae (CV):

Franti Complete Vitae 2020.pdf

Areas of Research and Professional Interest

  • Surface Water Quality
  • Urban Stormwater BMPs
  • Ecological Engineering

Teaching Interests

  • Ecological Engineering
  • River Restoration Engineering
  • Nonpoint Source Pollution Control

Extension Education Focus

Courses Taught

  • BSEN 355 Introduction to Ecological Engineering
  • BSEN/CIVE 455/855 Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Engineering

About Tom Franti

Tom Franti is an Associate Professor and Surface Water Management Specialist with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Department of Biological Systems Engineering. Since 1993 he has conducted research and extension education programs related to protecting surface water quality. 

He also has five years of consulting engineering experience related to site feasibility and landfill design and construction and is a registered professional engineer in Wisconsin. He has written guides related to riparian buffer strips to protect streams from agricultural runoff, rain gardens for urban homeowners, and use of compost for erosion control on steep slope construction sites. He teaches two courses, Introduction to Ecological Engineering and Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Engineering.

 Franti has received multiple research and extension awards over the years and has had the opportunity to be a part of several regional water quality projects and teams.  He has served on multiple committees for professional associations throughout his career, including on the executive committee for the American Ecological Engineering Society and the Extension Committee for the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.

He earned his Ph.D. in Agricultural Engineering from Purdue University; his M.S. in Agricultural Engineering from Iowa State University; and his B.S. from Agricultural Engineering from the University of Wisconsin. Franti is also a Registered Professional Engineer.

Honors and Awards

  • Co-Recipient of 2015 Community Landscape Award, awarded by the Nebraska State Arboretum, for state-wide, team programming in promotion of green infrastructure.
  • Recipient of 2015 ASABE Blue Ribbon Award - Education Aids Competition, Short Publications
  • Recipient of 2013 Association of Natural Resources Extension Professionals Gold Award and Association of Natural Resources Extension Professional Outstanding Team Award
  • Recipient of 2013 Nebraska Cooperative Extension Association Award of Excellence: Creative Programming
  • Recipient of 2008 ASABE Educational Aids Blue Ribbon Award – Innovative Extension Methods or Impact Assessment Category – Report on Impact Assessment of the Extension Program "Promoting Conservation Buffers in the Blue River Basin," 1996-2006.
  • Recipient of two ASAE Educational Aids Blue Ribbon Awards - Factsheet Category – Fox, Franti, Josiah & Kucera. Planning Your Riparian Buffer: Design and Plant Selection. G05-1557 and Fox, Franti, Josiah & Kucera. Installing Your Riparian Buffer: Planting Trees and Grass, Post-Planting Care and Maintenance. G05-1558. 2005
  • Recipient of an ASAE Educational Aids Blue Ribbon Award - Circulars Category - Guide to Buffers in the Blue River Basin. Extension Circular, EC-02-725, Nebraska Cooperative Extension. 2003
  • Recipient of a Silver Award (Long Publication Category) from Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals (ANREP) for: Guide to Buffers in the Blue River Basin. EC-02-725. 2003
  • Selected by Transactions of the ASAE for special recognition for contributions as a technical reviewer for the Soil and Water Division, 2001.
  • Recipient of 1999 ASAE Nolan Mitchell Young Extension Worker Award.

Funding

  1. Cai, X. (Principal Investigator), et al. (Franti, T. – participant) Advancing FEW system resilience in Corn Belt watersheds using integrated technology-environment-economics modeling of nutrient cycling, NSF 17-530 INFEWS, $2,500,000. October 2017 to September 2021.
  2. Franti, T.G. Planning Grant for Regional Ephemeral Gully Erosion Research and Extension. Dept of Agriculture-NRCS, $66,486. 09/30/2019 - 09/30/2020.

Selected Publications

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

  1. Keilhauer, M.G., T.L. Messer, A.R. Mittelstet, T.G. Franti, J. Corman. 2019. Nitrate Removal Potential of Floating Treatment Wetlands Amended with Spent Coffee: A Mesocosm Scale Evaluation. Trans. of the ASABE. 62(6):1619-1630. (doi: 10.13031/trans.13431)
  2. Matapedia-Restigouche Organisme de basin Versant. 2019. Adapted to French Language (Quebec, CA): Franti, T., Rodie, S. 2013. Rain Garden Design: Site Selectin and Sizing Guide. Rain Garden Design: Site Selection and Sizing Guide. EC 1262. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension.
  3. Anderson, A.R., T.G. Franti, and D.P. Shelton. 2018. Hydrologic Evaluation of Residential Rain Gardens Using a Stormwater Runoff Simulator. Applied Eng. in Agri., Trans. of the ASABE. 61(2): 495-508.
  4. Shelton, D.P., S.N. Rodie, K.A. Feehan, T.G. Franti, K.A. Pekarek, and B.A. Holm. 2015.  Integrating Extension, Teaching, and Research for Stormwater Management Education. Jour. of Contemporary Water Research & Education, No. 156, Pages 68-77.
  5. Franti, T., Rodie, S.  2013. Rain Garden Design: Site Selection and Sizing Guide. EC 1262.  University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension.

SELECTED JOURNAL ARTICLES

  1. Keilhauer, M.G., T.L. Messer, A.R. Mittelstet, T.G. Franti, J. Corman. 2019. Nitrate Removal Potential of Floating Treatment Wetlands Amended with Spent Coffee: A Mesocosm Scale Evaluation. Trans. of the ASABE. 62(6):1619-1630. (doi: 10.13031/trans.13431)
  2. Anderson, A.R., T.G. Franti, and D.P. Shelton. 2018. Hydrologic Evaluation of Residential Rain Gardens. Using a Stormwater Runoff Simulator. Applied Eng. in Agri., Trans. of the ASABE. 61(2): 495-508.
  3. Al-wadaey, A., C.S. Wortmann, T.G. Franti, C.A. Shapiro and D.E. Eisenhauer. 2012. Effectiveness of grass filters in reducing phosphorus and sediment runoff. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution Vol. 223(9):5865-5875.
  4. Alms, W.C., T.G. Franti, and D.P. Shelton. 2011. Improved Soil Mixing and Delivery System for a Storm Runoff Simulator. Applied Eng. in Agri., Vol. 27(4):579-586.
  5. Wortmann, C.S., R.A. Drijber, and T.G. Franti.  2010.  One-time Tillage of No-till Crop Land Five Years Post-Tillage. Agron. Jour. 102(4):1302-1307.

BOOKS

  1. Franti, T. 2009. Erosion and transport of suspended solids, pp. 153-166.  In: Soil, Water and Nutrient Management Drainage, Irrigation and the Environment.  Ed: M. Paasonen-Kivekas, R. Peltomaa, P. Vakkilainen, and H. Aijo, Gummerus Kirjapaino Oy, Jyvaskyla 2009, Finland, 2009.  ISBN 978-952-5345-22-3, 452 pp.

NEBGUIDES

  1. T. Franti, and S. Rodie. 2007. Stormwater Management: Installing Rain Gardens in Your Yard. G1760Nebraska Extension.
  2. S. Rodie, T. Franti, and R. Sutton. 2007. Stormwater Management: Plant Selection for Rain Gardens in Nebraska. G1759. Nebraska Extension.
  3. T. Franti and S. Rodie. 2007. Stormwater Management: Rain Garden Design for Homeowners. G1758. Nebraska Extension.

EXTENSION BULLETINS/CIRCULARS

  1. Franti, T., Rodie, S.  2013. Rain Garden Design: Site Selectin and Sizing Guide. EC 1262.  University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension.
  2. Franti, T.G., M.L. Bernards, P.C. Hay, and R.W. Pryor. 2009. Protecting Surface Water Quality: Adoption of Agricultural Best Management Practices in the Lower Big Blue River Basin. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension. EC 730.
  3. Wortmann, C.S., M. Helmers, B. Gelder, L. Wright Morton, D. Devlin, C. Barden, S. Anderson, R. Broz, T. Franti, T. Regassa, P. Shea, M. Tomer, L. Frees, and D. Griffith, 2008. Targeting of Watershed Management Practices for Water Quality Protection. University of Nebraska RP195.
  4. Devlin, D., C. Barden, P. Barnes, R. Smeda, R. Lerch, M. Bernards, T. Franti, M. Milner, T. Regassa, P. Shea, C. Wortmann, H. Duncan, and T. Phillips. 2008. Pesticide management for water quality protection in the Midwest. Publication of the Heartland Regional Water Coordination Initiative and the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service. pp 20.