Emerging contaminants in road runoff and removal in green infrastructure systems
Time: 12:30pm to 1:20pm
Location: Beaty Museum Allan Yap Theatre (Basement, 2212 Main Mall) Please check in at the Admissions Desk first before going to the Theatre.
No food or drinks allowed in the Theatre.
View Video Here
Talk summary:
Freshwater and coastal ecosystems near urban areas are subject to multiple stressors, including the impacts of pollution. In particular, chemicals used in consumer products and industrial practices can negatively impact aquatic ecosystems when they are washed down the drains in our homes and workplaces, and when rain carries them from outdoor surfaces into storm drains and then into receiving waters. Of increasing concern are contaminants found in road runoff, including the tire rubber byproduct known as 6PPD-quinone, which is acutely toxic to coho salmon. This presentation will focus on 6PPD-quinone fate in urban stormwater, and the potential for green infrastructure systems to mitigate the impacts of toxic road runoff contaminants.
UBC Environmental Engineering
Bio:
Dr. Rachel Scholes is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Engineering at the University of British Columbia. Her research focuses on emerging contaminants in water, with an emphasis on nature-based treatment systems. She earned an M.S. and Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University. Prior to joining UBC, she conducted postdoctoral research at UC Berkeley and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Bioproducts Research Unit, where she focused on green chemistry approaches to mitigate emerging environmental contaminants.