Congratulations to Marcy Thompson who was elected Treasurer of the Delta-Upsilon Chapter-at-Large, Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society. The formal announcement was made at the Region 15 Annual Conference on April 27, 2013, at Salve Regina University, Ochre Court in Newport, RI. Delta-Upsilon is a highly successful statewide chapter with more than 2000 inductees and 700 active members. Chapter achievements include twice being awarded the Sigma Theta Tau Key Award for Chapter Excellence and receiving the Sigma Theta Tau International Award for Heritage. Chapter scholarship and research awards totaling $6,000 annually are distributed to deserving members.
Marcella Thompson elected Treasurer of the Delta-Upsilon Chapter-at-Large, Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society
May 3rd, 2013 by Linda C. Covington
Lead-Soil Contamination of Residential Properties Adjacent to Municipal Water Towers in Rhode Island
May 3rd, 2013 by Linda C. Covington
Andrea Burdon, RN, took first prize for her poster presentation entitled, “Lead-Soil Contamination of Residential Properties Adjacent to Municipal Water Towers in Rhode Island” at the Eastern Nursing Research Association Annual Conference in Boston. Ms. Burdon is a baccalaureate student at the University of Rhode Island. Currently, she is a staff nurse at Rhode Island Hospital and the ENT Center of Rhode Island. She holds a B.S. degree in Biological Sciences from URI. Dr. Marcella Remer Thompson, State Agencies and Community Liaison for Brown University’s Superfund Research Program and an Assistant Professor Adjunct at URI’s College of Nursing, mentored Ms. Burdon. They analyzed data from the RI Department of Environmental Management to evaluate the efficacy of RI Department of Health regulations regarding lead-soil contamination of residential properties. They worked with Dr. Robert Vanderslice who Team Lead for Healthy Homes andEenvironment at the RI Department of Health and SRP Community Engagement Core Co-Leader as well as RIDEM staff. A publication on this study is in the works.
Low Concentration Vapor Exposures in Complex Systems and the Problem of Vapor Intrusion
April 23rd, 2013 by Linda C. Covington
The Brown University SRP has a strong connection with the Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting (Narragansett, RI). Dr. Kelly Pennell (Proj 7) and Dr. Robert Vanderslice (CEC) serve on Metcalf’s Advisory Board. In addition, the Brown SRP, through its RTC, has co-chaired/organized science-training workshops for environmental journalists. Two recent news highlights include:
Low Concentration Vapor Exposures in Complex Systems and the Problem of Vapor Intrusion – Independent Review of ATSDR Health Consultation
April 23rd, 2013 by Linda C. Covington
Professor Kelly Pennell served and is listed as an Independent Reviewer of an ATSDR Health Consultation for the vapor intrusion impacted “Taku Gardens” site in Wainwright, Alaska. The consultation is available HERE.
Exposures to Toxins in the Developing World: Scale, Solutions and Strategies – Richard Fuller (President, Blacksmith Institute) Seminar
April 23rd, 2013 by Linda C. Covington
“Exposures to Toxins in the Developing World: Scale, Solutions and Strategies” Richard Fuller, President, Blacksmith Institute Brown University SRP Seminar on March 15, 2013 Born in Australia, Mr. Fuller graduated with a degree in engineering from Melbourne University and was employed by IBM. He worked in the rainforests of Brazil with the United Nations Environment Programme creating forest reserves. Moving to New York City, he established Great Forest Inc., now one of the most successful sustainability consulting companies in the U.S. Great Forest was one of the first to bring sustainability practices to the business world, helping to pave the way for the rise of corporate social responsibility. Mr. Fuller founded the not-for-profit Blacksmith Institute in 1999. On a global scale, Mr. Fuller believes that pollution is still one of the most serious problems the earth faces, and that developing countries bear the brunt of it. Up until now, very little support has been given to local institutions to solve these problems in their communities, a crucial gap Blacksmith is filling. Behind Mr. Fuller’s driving determination is the know-how to solve these problems and save lives at risk. Working with scientists, public health experts, environmental engineers, academics and other experts from local and governmental agencies, Mr. Fuller has assembled a comprehensive database of knowledge and information that is being used by Blacksmith’s network of project managers around the world to clean up the worst polluted sites efficiently and effectively.
Brown SRP scientists partner with ATSDR to discuss nano design
April 5th, 2013 by Linda C. Covington
To share their nanomaterial research and foster collaboration with Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) scientists, Brown University Superfund Research Program (SRP) grantees Drs. Robert Hurt and James Rice spent Feb 27 at ATSDR in Atlanta. Click HERE to read the full story.
ACS CALL FOR PAPERS
January 17th, 2013 by Linda C. Covington
” Emerging Contaminants Across Mixed Media: Advances in basic and applied research and their extension to risk assessment and remediation”
At 246th ACS National Meeting & Exposition
Indianapolis, Indiana
September 8-12, 2013
Abstract Deadline: March 18, 2013
Please click here for more details.
The Superfund Research Program and our Activities at Brown University
November 29th, 2012 by Linda C. Covington
Learn about the Superfund Research Program and our activities at Brown University in the November 2012 issue (Page 6) of EnviroMentor, a newsletter of the American Society of Safety Engineers.
Women 16–49 at risk of multiple pollutants
November 29th, 2012 by Linda C. Covington
Brown University SRP researchers found that most U.S. women of childbearing age exceeded the median blood level for two or more of three environmental pollutants that could harm brain development of fetuses and babies: lead, mercury, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Click here for Brown University’s Press Release.
UMass Dartmouth Civil and Environmental Engineering Seminar
November 29th, 2012 by Linda C. Covington
Jim Rice, our SRP’s Engineering State Agencies Liaison, gave the following talk at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Civil and Environmental Engineering Seminar Series on November 20,2012.
“An Engineer’s Take on Hazardous Waste: What we’ve learned, what we don’t know, and what we’re doing about it”
The Brown University Superfund Research Program is an interdisciplinary research center funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. We focus on understanding the health effects, transport, and remediation of pollutants commonly found at contaminated sites. This seminar will provide: 1. A general overview of hazardous waste, environmental regulations, and the Brown University Superfund Research Program. 2. A research summary demonstrating the surprisingly complex behavior (i.e., vapor pressure and aqueous solubility) of mixed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are common, combustion-generated environmental pollutants. 3. A case study describing ongoing and innovative bioremediation activities at the Fisherville Mill site in Grafton, MA. The main contaminant of concern is heating oil (a complex mixture of hydrocarbons) released from storage tanks into adjacent surface water and sediment.