Join us and hear the lessons learned from the 2023 chemical disaster in East Palestine, Ohio. The webinar will feature various rapid response research teams. These include Purdue University, Tufts University, Cleveland State University, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Inter American University of Puerto Rico-Aguadilla, University of Notre Dame, and Microbial Insights, Inc. These teams were funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (nsf.gov) to provide scientific support. Register to join us for the brief presentations, panel discussion, followed by a Q&A session.

Register here for the webinar.

Brief summaries of each grant can be found under grant numbers 2329409, 2327139, and 2325719. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. National Science Foundation.

The webinar, moderated by Dr. Andrew Whelton, will explain scientific contributions and findings by the team in the detection of multiple toxins released into the soil, air, buildings, and watershed, what protective actions were taken, as well as discuss underdeveloped public warning systems. Four research studies were published based on the experiences of the teams visiting East Palestine and the surrounding areas.

Speakers

ANDREW WHELTON, Professor of Civil Engineering and Environmental and Ecological Engineering, PURDUE UNIVERSITY
Dr. Whelton has 20 years of experience helping respond to and recover from disasters and water contamination incidents. His teams have been called been on the forefront of uncovering and solving health and safety challenges. Over his career, he has advised agency executives and officials in California, Colorado, Hawai’i, New Mexico, West Virginia, other states as well as in Canada. By request, he has shared discoveries with elected state and federal leaders, including the White House.
 

DORA TAGGART, President and CEO MICROBIAL INSIGHTS, INC.

Dora Taggart has become a global ambassador for molecular biological tools, presenting as an invited speaker at conferences, leading hundreds of technical workshops worldwide, and co-authoring guidance documents. Dora has received several awards (most valuable team member for the ITRC, Woman-Owned Business of the Year, Businessperson of the Year and the National Groundwater Association Technology Award). Dora received her degree in Biomedical Engineering from Vanderbilt University.

LAURYN SPEARING, Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering, TUFTS UNIVERSITY

Lauryn Spearing uses a systems thinking approach, involving both qualitative and quantitative methods, to understand complex problems at the intersection of technical, social, and natural systems. Her work is centered around improving infrastructure management during uncertain contexts and understanding public perceptions towards the built environment. She is currently leading an NSF-funded project to understand community members' experiences related to water and home impacts after the East Palestine chemical spill and fires. She received her PhD from the University of Texas at Austin.

R. CLAYTON WUKICH, Associate Professor and Interim Director, Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs, CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY

Clayton Wukich's research focuses on disaster response and risk communication. Wukich has published extensively on how governments use social media during crises.

NUSRAT JUNG, Assistant Professor, Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering, PURDUE UNIVERSITY

Nusrat Jung leads an interdisciplinary research team that focuses on the identification, characterization, and mitigation of harmful pollutants, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and fine particulate matter, which have critical health implications. Her expertise lies in the rapid detection and analysis of VOCs in air using advanced mass spectrometry techniques like PTR-TOF-MS. Her contributions include developing novel sampling methods to support disaster response, emphasizing the importance of time-sensitive environmental contamination assessments for public health and safety.

PAULA BELMONT COELHO, Environmental and Ecological Engineering, PURDUE UNIVERSITY

Paula Belmont Coelho is an environmental engineer, a Ph.D. student, and a Graduate Research Assistant at Purdue University, has responded to environmental disasters, including leading the analytical characterization efforts during the 2023 train derailment chemical disaster in Ohio as part of a National Science Foundation RAPID response project. She also contributed to the response to the 2023 Maui wildfire by collaborating with the University of Hawaii at Manoa to assess post-fire water contamination. Her current research focuses on emerging contaminants in water supplies, particularly plastics and inorganic materials.

FRANK LOEFFLER, Goodrich Chair of Excellence in Civil Engineering, UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE, KNOXVILLE

Frank Loeffler studies relevant biogeochemical processes in soil, sediment, subsurface and water environments by combining cultivation-based techniques with genetic, biochemical, analytical, meta-omics, and computational methodologies. This integrated approach unifies research themes in the Loeffler Lab, and all projects address fundamental research questions, some have an applied component, and several are of considerable public interest.