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Early career researchers meeting on the environmental chemistry of water, sediment and soil

Meeting report by:
Steve Leharne
University of Greenwich
[email protected]
Tom Sizmur
University of Reading
[email protected]
ECG Bulletin February 2017
Twenty-nine delegates attended this ECG event on 14 November at Burlington House. The aim was to provide a supportive environment for doctoral and postdoctoral researchers and early career scientists in industry to present recent research findings, network with fellow early career researchers, and hear about the career opportunities available to professional environmental chemists. Eight oral and eleven poster presentations were made by early career researchers.

The meeting started with a presentation from Katerina Kademoglou (Reading University) on a novel analytical method, which used a dialysis membrane containing Tenax to measure the bioaccesibility of flame retardants in indoor dust. Helen Balshaw (Swansea University) then described the possible use of pyrene – a fluorescent probe – to examine the polarity and viscosity of the organic environment in water repellent soils, and Abdolbaset Karim (University of Nottingham) reported on an investigation of 129I bioavailability in vegetables grown in soils taken from Northern Iraq.
A  coffee break provided an opportunity for delegates to view and discuss the posters, whose contents ranged from soil micronutrient deficiency to organic pollutant uptake by plants, and the fate of plasticisers and pharmaceuticals in the environment. A poster by Saeed Ahmad (University of Nottingham) on the geochemistry of iodine and selenium in North East Pakistan was judged to be the best poster on display.

The meeting proceeded with former ECG committee member Dr Cecilia McLeod (Director Geo-Environment, WYG Global Consulting) describing her work as an environmental chemist in ameliorating a toxic waste dump  generated by Irish Steel on Haulbowline Island in Cork Harbour, Ireland.
Picture
Saeed Ahmad receives his prize for the best poster presentation.
The first afternoon session heard presentations on evaluating  landfills for their resource potential (Steven Warwick, Cardiff University); examining the effects of physicochemical parameters on the bioavailability of metals and hydrocarbons in soil mesocosms (Sabrina Cipullo, Cranfield University); and on the coupling of phyto- and myco-remediation on petroleum contaminated soils in the Niger Delta, Nigeria (Udeme Dickson, Nottingham Trent University). The final session commenced with a presentation by Heather Sanders (Nottingham University) on the interactions of I-129 and Se-77 with humic acids,  followed by Alun James’ (Aberystwyth University) account of the use of biochar derived from reeds to treat minewater in an upland environment. Alun’s presentation was judged to be the best oral presentation of the meeting.

The meeting concluded with Professor Chris Collins (Reading University) recalling his life as an environmental chemist in an academic environment. In particular, he emphasised his interests in the uptake of organic chemicals by plants; the fate and transport of pollutants in soils; and the use of a human gut simulator to measure the bioavailability of soil contaminants.
Picture

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  • Home
  • About
    • Committee >
      • Professional Qualifications
    • Annual reports
  • Environmental Briefs
  • Distinguished Guest Lectures
    • 2024 Killer Threads >
      • Thomas Stanton
      • Raquel Prado
    • 2023 Water, water, everywhere – is it still safe to drink? The pollution impact on water quality >
      • Rivers of life
      • Fiona Regan
    • 2022 Disposable Attitude: Electronics in the Environment >
      • Steve Cottle
      • Ian Williams
      • Fiona Dear
    • 2019 Radioactive Waste Disposal >
      • Juliet Long
    • 2018 Biopollution: Antimicrobial resistance in the environment >
      • Andrew Singer
      • Celia Manaia
    • 2017 Inside the Engine >
      • Frank Kelly
      • Claire Holman
      • Jacqui Hamilton
      • Simon Birkett
    • 2016 Geoengineering >
      • Alan Robock
      • Joanna Haigh
      • David Santillo
      • Mike Stephenson
    • 2015 Nanomaterials >
      • Eugenia Valsami-Jones
      • Debora F Rodrigues
      • David Spurgeon
    • 2014 Plastic debris in the ocean >
      • Richard Thompson
      • Norman Billingham
    • 2013 Rare earths and other scarce metals >
      • Thomas Graedel
      • David Merriman
      • Michael Pitts
      • Andrea Sella
      • Adrian Chapman
    • 2012 Energy, waste and resources >
      • RAFFAELLA VILLA
      • PAUL WILLIAMS
      • Kris Wadrop
    • 2011 The Nitrogen Cycle – in a fix?
    • 2010 Technology and the use of coal
    • 2009 The future of water >
      • J.A. (Tony) Allen
      • John W. Sawkins
    • 2008 The Science of Carbon Trading >
      • Jon Lovett
      • Matthew Owen
      • Terry barker
      • Nigel Mortimer
    • 2007 Environmental chemistry in the Polar Regions >
      • Eric Wolff
      • Tim JICKELLS
      • Anna Jones
    • 2006 The impact of climate change on air quality >
      • Michael Pilling
      • GUANG ZENG
    • 2005 DGL Metals in the environment: estimation, health impacts and toxicology
    • 2004 Environmental Chemistry from Space
  • Articles, reviews & updates
    • Articles
    • Reviews
    • Updates
  • Meetings
    • Upcoming meetings
    • Meeting reports
  • Resources
  • Index