10/16/2024
Tackling PFAS for a Sustainable Future
A public forum to advance science and policy.
3 – 6 p.m., Nov. 12, 2024
Where: Health Sciences Innovation Building, Room 306
Register Here!
https://arizona.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZckce6uqzstGdNMJxl7DBCTekdmmAeOr25B #/registration
Join the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy for a public PFAS Symposium at the University of Arizona!
Where: Health Sciences Innovation Building, Room 306
When: Tuesday, November 12, 2024. 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
The event will begin with a social and networking hour at 3:00 PM where hors d'oeuvres and refreshments will be served. A two-hour program of expert panel discussions will begin at 4:00 PM.
PFAS—also known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or "forever chemicals"—are a group of chemicals widely used in an array of consumer goods, from stain-resistant textiles and firefighting foam to medical devices and food packaging.
Largely unregulated for the duration of their existence, these chemicals are now known to cause a range of health impacts on living beings even in small amounts. PFAS have been found in municipal drinking water across the US and in the blood of nearly every person on the planet.
After a day-long, expert-only workshop on the future of PFAS research at U of A hosted by the Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center, the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy will host a public-facing symposium dedicated to explaining advances in the science and management of these widespread chemicals.
The public symposium will follow the below program:
1) Welcome from Andrea K. Gerlak, Udall Center Director and U of A Professor of Geography, and Elliott Cheu, U of A Interim Senior VP of Research and Innovation
2) Introduction to PFAS: What are they and why should we care?
An overview from Drs. Adrienne Brown and Gina Gilson, U of A Postdoctoral Researchers at the Udall Center
3) Panel 1: Advances in the Science of PFAS
Moderated by Cherie L. DeVore (Diné), U of A Asst. Prof. of Chemical and Environmental Engineering
Jennifer Schlezinger, Boston University School of Public Health, Prof. of Environmental Health
Bo Guo, U of A Assoc. Prof. of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences
Mark L. Brusseau, U of A Prof. of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences, Environmental Science
Melissa Furlong, U of A, Asst. Prof in the College of Public Health
4) Panel 2: Future Directions in PFAS Governance
Moderated by Sharon Megdal, Director of the U of A Water Resources Research Center
Dianne Barton, Tribal PFAS Working Group and Chairwoman of the National Tribal Toxics Council
Matthew Narter, Senior Hydrologist, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
John Kmiec, Director of Tucson Water
Gemma Smith, U of A Asst. Prof. of Government and Public Policy
Additional speakers TBA.
Event partners and sponsors include the Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center; the University of Arizona Health Sciences; the U of A Office of Research, Innovation & Impact; the Water Resources Research Center; and the Arizona Institute for Resilience.
You won't want to miss this opportunity to engage with and have your questions answered by leading experts on the topic of PFAS and the governance thereof!
https://udallcenter.arizona.edu/events/tackling-pfas-sustainable-future
The Water Resources Research Center (WRRC) has turned 60! Join the celebration on November 12, 2024, from 12:00 to 1:15 pm, as the WRRC looks back on six decades of water research, outreach, education, and engagement at the University of Arizona. If you are interested in what the WRRC has been doing...
