Bing Chen, UArctic Chair in Marine and Coastal Environmental Engineering and Director of Northern Region Persistent Organic Pollution Control (NRPOP) Laboratory at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada also serves as the founding Director of a global Network on Persistent, Emerging and Organic Pollution in the Environment (PEOPLE Network).
Dr. Chen is delighted to announce the 2024 Fall Online Symposium of the Network on Persistent, Emerging, and Organic Pollution in the Environment (PEOPLE Network; www.People-Network.ca). This symposium is dedicated to student researchers and young professionals and focuses on “Emerging Contaminants and Hazardous & Noxious Substances: Seeking Solutions for a Climate-Challenged World”. We invite you all to join us virtually on November 25-26, 2024.
The PEOPLE Network comprises over 600 professional and student members from more than 40 institutions and 50 partners from both private and public sectors, as well as community groups in Canada and worldwide. As one of the world’s largest consortium in the field, the network is dedicated to research and education on persistent, emerging, and organic pollution through cross-nation, cross-institution, and cross-disciplinary approaches. The training program has been funded by the Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
Our world is facing increasing environmental challenges particularly caused by emerging contaminants (ECs) and hazardous & noxious substances (HNS) released from human activities. ECs include micro/nano-plastics, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), per-/polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), flame retardants, endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), and artificial nanoparticles, which have been widely detected in water (freshwater to oceans), soil, and air, with long-term negative effects that are not yet fully understood. HNS include substances transported in bulk as liquids (usually exclude oil), liquefied gases, solid materials and materials in packaged form. Accidental spills of HNS (and oil) can also result in catastrophic impact due to their toxicity, carcinogenicity, and bioaccumulation. Any pollution caused by those compounds can last much longer with more severe effects in the Arctic and sub-Arctic environments, threatening ambient ecosystems and communities including Indigenous people. Moreover, climate change introduces more uncertainties, complexities, and challenges, calling for urgent attention and collaborative actions globally. We welcome presentations based on original research, case studies, or literature reviews on (but not limited to) the following topics: #Aquatic Environment, #Arctic & Cold Regions, #Climate Change, #Community Engagement, #Education & Training, #Emerging Contaminants, #Emission Reduction, #Environmental Policy & Management, #HNS, #New Fuels, #Oil Pollution, #Soil & Sediment Contamination, #UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), #Urban & Rural Environments, #Waste Management, #Water & Wastewater, #Resources Management, etc.
This symposium aims at uniting our student researchers and young professionals and creating a unique opportunity in exchanging ideas, sharing experience, growing collaborations, to help address new environmental challenges. We invite you to submit abstracts to our symposium by November 1, 2024. Full papers are not required but highly encouraged and will be selected for publications in special issues of our partner journals. Join us at PEOPLE 2024 to share your insights, innovations, and experiences, and together let us build a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable environment.
The abstract submission for PEOPLE 2024 is now open!
Submit abstracts through https://www.people-network.ca/index.php/2024/10/03/2024-fall-online-symposium-call-for-abstract/ before November 1, 2024.
Stay tuned for more information: http://www.people-network.ca/