Department Seminar Series - Christopher I. Olivares, Ph.D.

CBEE Department Seminar Series

Title: 

Contaminant Fate in a Changing Climate: Water Quality Responses to Wildland-Interface Fires and Machine Learning for PFAS Monitoring 

Abstract:

Mitigating climate change impacts, protecting water quality, and leveraging data management are key challenges and opportunities for environmental engineers in this century. On one side, we lack field data on how extreme events impact contaminant fate and water quality. On the other side, we can leverage data science tools to a growing body of monitoring data of emerging contaminants, such as PFAS, to protect public health and prioritize treatment of pollution hotspots. First, I will share our findings on water quality impacts following a wildland-urban interface (WUI) fire in Coastal Southern California, focusing on the interaction between pyrogenic contaminants and surface water microbiome dynamics. Then, we will examine how machine learning can strengthen statewide monitoring programs and help predict the growing number of PFAS species monitored in groundwater and wastewater. By integrating climate-induced wildfire data and advanced predictive tools, the seminar highlights innovative approaches for understanding and managing the environmental fate of organic pollutants.

Biography: