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Alternatives for Managing the Nation's Complex Contaminated Groundwater Sites (2013)

Chapter: Appendix A: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff

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Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff." National Research Council. 2013. Alternatives for Managing the Nation's Complex Contaminated Groundwater Sites. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14668.
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Appendix A

Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

MICHAEL KAVANAUGH, Chair, is a principal at Geosyntec. Before Geosyntec, Dr. Kavanaugh served as Vice President and a Global Science and Technology Leader at Malcolm Pirnie, Inc. Dr. Kavanaugh’s primary areas of expertise include hazardous waste management with a particular focus on groundwater remediation, risk and decision analysis, water quality, water treatment, potable and non-potable water reuse, and fate and transport of chemical contaminants in the environment. Dr. Kavanaugh has served on numerous NRC boards and committees, chairing both the Water Science and Technology Board and the Board on Radioactive Waste Management. He is also a Consulting Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University. A member of the National Academy of Engineering, Dr. Kavanaugh received a B.S. in chemical engineering from Stanford University, and an M.S. in chemical engineering and a Ph.D. in civil/sanitary engineering from University of California, Berkeley.

WILLIAM A. ARNOLD is the Joseph T. and Rose S. Ling Professor at the University of Minnesota’s Department of Civil Engineering. He specializes in the fate and transport of anthropogenic organic chemicals (solvents, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals) in natural and engineered aquatic systems. In particular, he studies diffusion, mass transfer, and partitioning processes and how knowledge of these processes can be used to develop containment/remediation schemes. Dr Arnold is familiar with subsurface remediation techniques such as zero-valent metals, phytoremediation, surfactants, re-

Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff." National Research Council. 2013. Alternatives for Managing the Nation's Complex Contaminated Groundwater Sites. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14668.
×

active membranes, and sediment capping. He received a B.S. in chemical engineering from MIT, an M.S. in chemical engineering from Yale, and a Ph.D. in environmental engineering from the Johns Hopkins University.

BARBARA D. BECK is a principal at Gradient. She is an expert in toxicology and in human health risk assessment for environmental chemicals, especially metals and air pollutants. Dr. Beck directs Gradient’s toxicology and risk assessment practice and has performed numerous site-specific and chemical-specific risk assessments, as well having developed exposure and risk assessment methodologies. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology and a Fellow and past President of the Academy of Toxicological Sciences. Dr. Beck is also a Visiting Scientist in the Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences Program in the Department of Environmental Health at the Harvard School of Public Health. She has previously held the position of Chief of the Air Toxics Staff for U.S. EPA Region I. Dr. Beck received her A.B. in biology from Bryn Mawr College and Ph.D. in molecular biology and microbiology from Tufts University.

YU-PING CHIN is a Professor in the School of Earth Sciences at The Ohio State University. Prior to joining The Ohio State University, Dr. Chin conducted research at the Ralph M. Parsons Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on the properties of organic humic materials in marine and lacustrine porewaters and on the fluxes of particle reactive contaminants across the sediment/water interface. He is a specialist in natural attenuation, redox processes, and surfactant and cosolvent behavior in the subsurface. He is a current member of the Water Science and Technology Board. Dr. Chin received his A.B in geology from Columbia University and his M.S. and Ph.D. in aquatic chemistry from the University of Michigan.

ZAID CHOWDHURY is a vice president of Malcolm Pirnie, Inc., in Phoenix, Arizona. He has an extensive background in water treatment processes and is involved in all advanced drinking water process evaluations performed by the company. Dr. Chowdhury has managed many high profile projects including the development of the water treatment plant simulation model which he also incorporated into the Surface Water Analytical Tool (SWAT) for the regulatory development of the D/DBP Rule by the EPA. During his tenure at Malcolm Pirnie, he has managed numerous water quality evaluations involving bench- and pilot-scale studies for alternative treatment processes and the development of information needs for capital improvement programs for water utilities. He received his B.S. in civil engineering from the Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology and his M.S. and Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Arizona.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff." National Research Council. 2013. Alternatives for Managing the Nation's Complex Contaminated Groundwater Sites. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14668.
×

DAVID E. ELLIS is a Principal Consultant in DuPont’s Corporate Remediation Group in Wilmington, Delaware. He has 30 years experience in the science of subsurface cleanup. Dr. Ellis is Chair of the Sustainable Remediation Forum (SuRF) and Chair of the UK’s SABRE consortium on bioremediation of chlorinated solvent source areas. He has served on two previous NRC committees—those investigating natural attenuation and source removal. Dr. Ellis is very active in the ITRC, serving both on the Board of Advisors and a lead instructor in several ITRC classes. He received his B.S. in geology from Allegheny College and his M.Phil. and Ph.D. in geology and geophysics from Yale University.

TISSA H. ILLANGASEKARE is a Professor and AMAX Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines and the Director of the Center for the Experimental Study of Subsurface Environmental Processes. His research interests include subsurface hydrology, numerical and physical modeling, subsurface chemical transport and multiphase flow land-atmospheric interaction and remediation engineering. He is a licensed Professional Engineer, Board Certified Environmental Engineer, and Diplomate of the American Academy of Water Resources Engineers. He has served on several previous NRC committees including the Committee on Subsurface Contamination at Department of Energy Complex Sites: Research Needs and Opportunities. He was the European Geosciences Union’s 2012 Henry Darcy medalist. Dr. Illangasekare received a Ph.D. in civil engineering from Colorado State University, a M.E. from the Asian Institute of Technology, and a B.S. from University of Ceylon, Sri Lanka.

PAUL C. JOHNSON is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and is also the Executive Dean of the Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering at Arizona State University. Prior to joining ASU he was a Senior Research Engineer at the Shell Oil Westhollow Technology Center. His teaching, research, and professional activities focus on the application of contaminant fate and transport fundamentals to subsurface remediation and risk assessment problems. Dr. Johnson is recognized for contributions to the fields of soil and groundwater remediation and risk assessment; more specifically, the design, monitoring, and optimization of soil and groundwater remediation systems and the monitoring and modeling of exposure pathways, including vapor intrusion. Dr. Johnson is also the editor-in-chief for the journal Ground Water Monitoring & Remediation. He received a B.S. from the University of California, Davis, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Princeton University.

MOHSEN MEHRAN is a principal hydrologist and chief executive officer of Rubicon Engineering Corporation. In the last 40 years, he has been the

Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff." National Research Council. 2013. Alternatives for Managing the Nation's Complex Contaminated Groundwater Sites. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14668.
×

principal investigator and manager for Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Studies; RCRA Facility Investigations, risk assessment; and design, installation, and operation of remediation systems. Dr. Mehran has developed and applied numerous computer models to solve groundwater flow problems and investigate the migration of various chemical compounds in fractured/porous media. He has applied this technical specialty to site characterization, evaluation of remedial alternatives, development of cleanup criteria, and allocation of cost among potentially responsible parties for the aerospace, petroleum, electronics, chemical, wood preserving, and communications industries. Dr. Mehran holds a B.S. from Tehran University and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of California, Davis.

JAMES W. MERCER spent eight years with the U.S. Geological Survey in the Northeastern Research Group working on water resources and contaminant and heat transport issues, including multiphase flow. In 1979 he co-founded GeoTrans (now Tetra Tech GEO) and in 1980 began working on dense nonaqueous phase liquid issues at Love Canal (for which he received the Wesley W. Horner Award of the American Society of Civil Engineers). He continues to work on DNAPL issues and co-authored a book on DNAPL Site Evaluation in 1993. In 1994, Dr. Mercer received the American Institute of Hydrology’s Theis Award for contributions to groundwater hydrology. He has served on the NRC’s Water Science and Technology Board and several committees and was a member of the U.S. EPA Science Advisory Board. He is currently on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program. Dr. Mercer received his Ph.D. in geology from the University of Illinois.

KURT D. PENNELL is a Professor and Chair at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Tufts University. His research interests include the fate and transport of engineered nanomaterials and nonaqueous phase liquids in the subsurface; development and testing of in situ remediation technologies including thermal treatment, surfactant flushing and bioremediation; and the link between chronic exposure to persistent organic pollutants, oxidative stress and neurodegenerative disease. He is a licensed professional engineer, board-certified environmental engineer, and currently serves as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Contaminant Hydrology. Dr. Pennell received a B.S. from the University of Maine, an M.S. from North Carolina State University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Florida.

ALAN J. RABIDEAU is a Professor of Civil, Structural, and Environmental Engineering at the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he also administers the University’s interdisciplinary doctoral program in ecosystem restoration. He has served on the editorial boards for Advances in Water

Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff." National Research Council. 2013. Alternatives for Managing the Nation's Complex Contaminated Groundwater Sites. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14668.
×

Resources and the Journal of Environmental Engineering. Dr. Rabideau’s primary research interests include mathematical modeling of flow and reactive contaminant transport in groundwater, subsurface remediation, and decision and risk analysis for environmental systems. Past awards include the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Rudolf Hering medal for the best paper in environmental engineering and the Brigham Award for outstanding service from the New York Water Environment Association. In 2011, he participated in the project team that was awarded the National Ground Water Association Remediation Project of the Year. Dr. Rabideau received his B.S. in civil engineering from the University of Notre Dame, an M.E. in civil engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and a Ph.D. in environmental sciences and engineering from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

ALLEN M. SHAPIRO is a Senior Research Hydrologist with the National Research Program of the U.S. Geological Survey in Reston, VA. His research focuses on the development of field techniques and methods of integrating and interpreting geologic, geophysical, hydraulic, and geochemical information in order to characterize fluid and chemical transport in fractured rock over dimensions from meters to kilometers. His research has been applied to issues of water supply, geotechnical engineering, waste isolation, and groundwater contamination and restoration, including the fate of DNAPLs and transport of pathogens in fractured rock. Dr. Shapiro is the Principal Investigator investigating the fate of DNAPLs in fractured sedimentary rock at the former Naval Air Warfare Center in West Trenton, NJ. Dr. Shapiro serves as an Associate Editor of Ground Water. In 2004, the National Ground Water Association selected Dr. Shapiro as the 2004 Distinguished Darcy Lecturer. He received a B.S. in civil engineering from Lafayette College, and his M.S., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees in civil and geological engineering from Princeton University.

LEONARD M. SIEGEL is director of the Center for Public Environmental Oversight (CPEO), a project of the Pacific Studies Center that facilitates public participation in the oversight of military environmental programs, federal facilities cleanup, and Brownfields revitalization. He is one of the environmental movement’s leading experts on military facility contamination, community oversight of cleanup, and the vapor intrusion pathway. For his organization he runs two Internet newsgroups: the Military Environmental Forum and the Brownfields Internet Forum. He is a member of the Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council’s Munitions Response Work Team, the Department of Toxic Substances Control (California) External Advisory Group, and the Moffett Field (formerly Moffett Naval Air Station) Restoration Advisory Board. He has served on several NRC

Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff." National Research Council. 2013. Alternatives for Managing the Nation's Complex Contaminated Groundwater Sites. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14668.
×

committees, most recently as a member of the Committee to Review Possible Toxic Effects from Past Environmental Contamination at Fort Detrick.

WILLIAM J. WALSH is an attorney in the Washington, D.C., office of Pepper Hamilton LLP. Prior to joining Pepper, he was section chief in the EPA Office of Enforcement. His legal experience includes environmental regulatory advice and advocacy and defense of environmental injury litigation involving a broad spectrum of issues pursuant to a variety of environmental statutes, including the Resources Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). He represents trade associations, including the Rubber Manufacturers Association and the American Dental Association, in rule-making and other public policy advocacy. He has negotiated protective, yet cost-effective remedies in pollution cases involving water, air, and hazardous waste; and advised technology developers and users on taking advantage of the incentives for, and eliminating the regulatory barriers to, the use of innovative environmental technologies. Mr. Walsh has served on several NRC committees, including the Committee to Review Operations for Remediation of Recovered Chemical Warfare Materiel from Burial Sites. He holds a J.D. from George Washington University Law School and a B.S. in physics from Manhattan College.

STAFF

LAURA J. EHLERS is a senior staff officer for the Water Science and Technology Board of the National Research Council. Since joining the NRC in 1997, she has served as the study director for 18 committees, including the Committee to Review the New York City Watershed Management Strategy, the Committee on Bioavailability of Contaminants in Soils and Sediment, the Committee on Assessment of Water Resources Research, the Committee on Reducing Stormwater Discharge Contributions to Water Pollution, and the Committee to Review EPA’s Economic Analysis of Final Water Quality Standards for Nutrients for Lakes and Flowing Waters in Florida. Ehlers has periodically consulted for EPA’s Office of Research Development regarding their water quality research programs. She received her B.S. from the California Institute of Technology, majoring in biology and engineering and applied science. She earned both an M.S.E. and a Ph.D. in environmental engineering at the Johns Hopkins University.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff." National Research Council. 2013. Alternatives for Managing the Nation's Complex Contaminated Groundwater Sites. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14668.
×
Page 289
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff." National Research Council. 2013. Alternatives for Managing the Nation's Complex Contaminated Groundwater Sites. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14668.
×
Page 290
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff." National Research Council. 2013. Alternatives for Managing the Nation's Complex Contaminated Groundwater Sites. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14668.
×
Page 291
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff." National Research Council. 2013. Alternatives for Managing the Nation's Complex Contaminated Groundwater Sites. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14668.
×
Page 292
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff." National Research Council. 2013. Alternatives for Managing the Nation's Complex Contaminated Groundwater Sites. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14668.
×
Page 293
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff." National Research Council. 2013. Alternatives for Managing the Nation's Complex Contaminated Groundwater Sites. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14668.
×
Page 294
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Across the United States, thousands of hazardous waste sites are contaminated with chemicals that prevent the underlying groundwater from meeting drinking water standards. These include Superfund sites and other facilities that handle and dispose of hazardous waste, active and inactive dry cleaners, and leaking underground storage tanks; many are at federal facilities such as military installations. While many sites have been closed over the past 30 years through cleanup programs run by the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. EPA, and other state and federal agencies, the remaining caseload is much more difficult to address because the nature of the contamination and subsurface conditions make it difficult to achieve drinking water standards in the affected groundwater.

Alternatives for Managing the Nation's Complex Contaminated Groundwater Sites estimates that at least 126,000 sites across the U.S. still have contaminated groundwater, and their closure is expected to cost at least $110 billion to $127 billion. About 10 percent of these sites are considered "complex," meaning restoration is unlikely to be achieved in the next 50 to 100 years due to technological limitations. At sites where contaminant concentrations have plateaued at levels above cleanup goals despite active efforts, the report recommends evaluating whether the sites should transition to long-term management, where risks would be monitored and harmful exposures prevented, but at reduced costs.

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