Press Release
Integral Scientists to Teach Several Courses at Montclair State University
Environmental forensics involves techniques such as chemical fingerprinting and statistical modeling to determine sources of chemical releases to the environment.
November 29, 2018—Environmental Forensics: What Is It? You may have heard of forensics science used in solving crimes, but what is environmental forensics? On November 29, 2018, Integral Consulting Inc. (Integral) staff Philip Goodrum, Ph.D., DABT, Andrew Nicholson, Ph.D., and Dreas Nielsen will teach a new course titled “Environmental forensics: What is it? Where did it come from? Is it mine?” as part of a full-day continuing education course for licensed environmental professionals.
Held at Montclair State University in Montclair, New Jersey, the new course is designed for environmental professionals who are seeking an introduction to environmental forensics methods with an emphasis on real world applications. The course is structured around environmental media, focusing on groundwater, stormwater, sediment, and soil.
Scientists apply environmental forensics to answer questions regarding the sources of contamination in the environment. This typically involves researching and reconstructing the history of site environmental events and applying techniques to determine sources and, under some circumstances, the timing of chemical releases to the environment.
Integral’s instructors will provide an overview of both introductory methods and options for more complex statistical analyses. Case studies will illustrate best practices for exploring data and developing lines of evidence that support arguments for source apportionment, cost allocation, and site-specific background screening levels in both regulatory and litigation contexts. Continuing education credit is available.
Instructors Dr. Goodrum and Dr. Nicholson have many years of experience applying forensic methods and are at the forefront of developing new techniques. Mr. Nielsen specializes in quantitative analysis of environmental data, and his scientific expertise in environmental forensics covers a broad range of contaminants, media, and exposures.
November 30, 2018—Remediation and Emerging Contaminants: Trends in Science and Regulations: Integral senior consultant Erin Palko, P.G., LSRP, will co-teach this course, during which she will address what makes a contaminant “emerging,” describe aspects of risk science and regulatory policy decisions using 1,4-dioxane and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances as examples, and review how emerging contaminants are addressed by federal and state agencies. Ms. Palko will also speak to tools and solutions for evaluating potential emerging contaminant liability.
Ms. Palko is a licensed geologist and New Jersey licensed site remediation professional with 20 years of consulting experience in the environmental field. She specializes in soil and groundwater investigations and remediation and fate and transport of emerging contaminants.
For more information, contact Dr. Goodrum at pgoodrum@integral-corp.com, Dr. Nicholson at anicholson@integral-corp.com, Mr. Nielsen at dnielsen@integral-corp.com, or Ms. Palko at epalko@integral-corp.com.