Support for the 2018 Gordon Research Conference on Environmental Sciences: Water To held June 24-29, 2018 in Holderness, NH

Gordon Research Conferences, East Greenwich RI

Investigators

Abstract

The conference will survey national and international priority research in the field of water quality. The science will focus on solutions to urgent societal challenges for water safety and ecosystem health. Scientific advances will include cutting edge research in separation technologies, water treatment, and systems engineering for the production of food, energy, and material resources, preventing exposures to hazardous chemicals, and remediation technologies. This proposal advances US national interests and societal benefits by facilitating communication of scientific progress towards improving water quality. The conference will survey priority and emerging issues across all aspects of the field of environmental water research focusing on challenges and the development of new technologies to meet these challenges. A focus will be on developments in separation technologies, water treatment, and systems engineering for the production of food, energy, and material resources. Other topics include mitigation strategies for climate change, exposures to hazardous chemicals, and remediation technologies. These topics will be explored in sessions that focus on the broad themes of: 1) Sustainable water and materials, 2) Chemical exposures and outcomes, 3) New technologies for water, 4) Community-engaged science and public policy. These are relevant to the program objectives of the Environmental Engineering program, as well as Environmental Chemistry program in MPS, and NSF initiatives in INFEWS, among others. This proposal advances the broader mission of NSF through direct societal benefits by facilitating communication of scientific progress towards improving water availability and quality, and protection of ecosystem health. Solutions to the problems require ideas and interactions among multiple disciplines to allow proper action and development of environmental policy. The conference will advance discovery while promoting teaching, training, and learning by offering a platform for graduate student and postdoctoral researchers to present their research and participate fully in the conference activities. The conference also provides a forum for interactions between senior scientists and students and broad participation of scientists from groups underrepresented in science and engineering. Assessment of the broader impacts will be performed via survey of participants at the conference. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.