Poster Session | April 29 & 30 | 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM

Stephanie Dyer-Carroll, AICP
Director, Planning Studio
FHI Studio, now IMEG

Stephanie is a Senior Project Manager and Director of FHI Studio's Planning Studio. She has more than 30 years of experience preparing NEPA and state-level environmental documentation for a wide range of project types including roadway and bridge improvements, railway improvements, parks and open space, and resiliency infrastructure. With a Master's in Architectural History, Stephanie has extensive experience integrating NEPA and Section 106 compliance.

Daniel Hageman
Senior Environmental Scientist
FHI Studio, now IMEG

Dan is a Project Manager with extensive professional experience in the environmental field, with a focus on NEPA and permitting. He’s led or contributed to a wide range of projects including infrastructure improvements, utility projects, transportation rehabilitation and construction, site development, dredging activities, airport improvements, railway work, and conservation studies. Dan’s experience includes field documentation of wetland resources, listed species, and natural habitats. Wetland and listed species mitigation planning and design is one of his key focus areas.

Senior Highway Engineer, Project Manager
HDR, Inc.

Audrey is a Senior Highway Engineer and Project Manager for HDR in their Bedford NH office. She graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a BS in Civil Engineering in 2004 and from Villanova University in 2019 with a MS in Civil Engineering. She has a passion for teaching young engineers what she knows and helps prepare them for advancing their engineering careers. While she can do all aspects of roadway design, her focus has always been drainage and stormwater treatment. She is an active outdoors person who enjoys hiking and running.

Rita Campon, AICP
Environmental Manager
Parsons Corp

Presenter information coming soon.

Steven Gates
Vice President
AKRF, Inc.

Presenter information coming soon.

The rapid rise in the production and use of plastics over the past century, coupled with unsustainable waste management practices, has led to widespread plastic pollution including the ubiquity of microplastics across the globe. Microplastics are small plastic particles, often defined as ranging in size from 1 μm to 5 mm, that originate from the wear and tear of plastics during use (e.g., clothing, tires, paint), from the breakdown of discarded plastic products in the environment, and from industrial and other sources. Research has shown that microplastics are present in many global environments and can have adverse health effects on aquatic organisms. Potomac-Hudson Engineering, Inc. (PHE) in partnership with LimnoTech, recently completed a project for the International Joint Commission (IJC)'s Science Advisory Board that focused on microplastic pollution in the Great Lakes. The project focused on water quality in both Canadian and U.S. water of the Great Lakes, and was guided by a group of experts from both countries. The project was informed by, and included collaboration with, similar microplastics programs that are taking place in Southern California and the Chesapeake Bay.

This project sought to synthesize recent advances in microplastic knowledge including environmental occurrence and ecological risk, and develop separate but coordinated microplastics monitoring and risk management frameworks. Key aspects of the project included an in-depth literature review and data mining effort, two expert workshops focused on microplastics monitoring and risk assessment, and a final summary report with recommendations on next steps. Note that the risk assessment phase of this project focused primarily on ecological risk, with the hope that future efforts will look into human health risks posed by microplastics in the Great Lakes.

Join PHE and LimnoTech as we discuss the key findings and outcomes of this effort, which will include:

•  Background on microplastics, including sources and characteristics
• Summary of microplastics occurrence data in the Great Lakes.
• Discussion of ecological risks of microplastics and the current state of knowledge, focusing on microplastics risks to freshwater aquatic organisms.
• Summary of workshop outcomes, which included a set of SOPs for environmental sampling of microplastics and preliminary guidelines and a framework for the risk assessment and management of microplastics in the Great Lakes.
• Recommendations generated by the project, including establishing a monitoring program focused on microplastics, more ecotoxicological studies on species relevant to the Great Lakes, and the inclusion of microplastics into existing management frameworks aimed at contaminants of concern in the Great Lakes region.

Samir Qadir, Professional Engineer, LEED Green Associate
Senior Environmental Engineer
Potomac-Hudson Engineering, Inc.

Mr. Qadir has over 18 years of environmental consulting experience including National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) document development, environmental and sustainability program support, EMS implementation and auditing, and environmental compliance support. He has supported the International Joint Commission (IJC) on several projects, including microplastics pollution in the Great Lakes, climate change adaptation for small and medium communities, and assessing environmental risks of nuclear power plant decommissioning. He has also worked on multiple NEPA documents as lead analyst for greenhouse gases and climate change and provided compliance, sustainability/pollution prevention, compliance, and and EMS support to federal and state clients.

Adetola Olusegun Olushola
Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria Ibadan, Nigeria.

Adetola is a graduate of Environmental Management and Toxicology with specialization in Environmental Toxicology. He held a first degree in Biochemistry, and is presently a Research Fellow with Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria. Adetola has written over 25 research papers published in peer reviewed journals and 4 conference proceedings both locally and internationally.

With residential energy use exceeding 20% of the United States' total consumption, according to the Environmental Information Administration, there is a pressing need for community-driven solutions to reduce demand and accelerate the transition to sustainable, electrified systems. In response, a Residential Energy Coaching Program arose from the University of Michigan's Graham Sustainability Institute in collaboration with the GreenHome Institute and the municipal utility, Traverse City Light & Power. This program supports residents in making energy-efficient upgrades and electrifying home systems, empowering communities to achieve meaningful reductions in energy costs and environmental impact.

The Residential Energy Coaching Program offers residents a one-stop, accessible solution that connects them with trained energy coaches who serve as trusted advisors. These coaches provide personalized guidance on a wide range of topics, from appliance electrification and insulation improvements to renewable energy options and energy management strategies. Importantly, they also inform residents about financial incentive programs, tax credits, and rebates available to help them make informed decisions and reduce upfront costs as much as possible. Through customized, practical recommendations, residents can confidently implement changes that lead to substantial energy savings, lower utility bills, and reduced carbon footprints. This holistic approach to energy coaching is tailored to meet the unique needs of each household, fostering a culture of sustainability and resilience within the community.

This session will delve into the practical framework, resources, and tools developed to make residential energy coaching accessible and effective. Attendees will gain insights into engagement strategies, communication approaches, and the logistical considerations of rolling out a community-focused program. A key component of the session will be an introduction to the Residential Energy Coaching Guidebook and a program template, both designed to be easily adapted by other communities. These resources provide step-by-step guidance on establishing, promoting, and managing a local energy coaching program, allowing communities to replicate this model and support residents in adopting sustainable practices.

Participants will also explore the program's broader impacts, including enhanced resident awareness, energy cost reductions, and contributions toward community climate goals. By bringing together technical guidance, individualized coaching, and community outreach, this initiative represents a scalable model that advances local climate action and energy equity.

Led by Yuk Long Yip, a Catalyst Leadership Circle Fellow under the University of Michigan's Graham Sustainability Institute, this session will highlight the benefits of the program not only at the community level but also for utilities. Attendees will be equipped with a replicable, sharable toolkit and an understanding of how to launch and sustain a successful residential energy coaching program, ultimately fostering climate resilience and a more sustainable energy future at the grassroots and utility level.

Yuk Long Yip
Catalyst Leadership Circle Fellow
University of Michigan's Graham Sustainability Institute

Presenter Bio Coming Soon.

Colorado's iconic big game species, including bighorn sheep, elk, mule deer, and pronghorn, are important to natural systems, hunting and wildlife viewing enthusiasts, and local economies. Some local populations of these big game species have suffered declines in recent decades. In a first-of-its-kind effort, the US Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Colorado State Office prepared an amendment to its land use plans to promote the conservation of big game corridors. Specifically, the BLM incorporated new oil and gas lease stipulations and adopted additional measures to enhance protection for high-priority habitat areas for elk, mule deer, pronghorn, and bighorn sheep. High-priority habitat areas for these species include migration and movement corridors, production areas, severe winter ranges, winter concentration areas, and winter ranges, depending on the species. The plan amendment aligned with the Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission's rules for oil and gas development in elk, mule deer, pronghorn, and bighorn sheep high priority habitats. Under the plan amendment, authorization of new oil and gas facility locations on BLM-managed lands within big game high-priority habitats will be avoided when the oil and gas location density exceeds one active oil and gas location per square mile or contributes to an increased density beyond one active oil and gas location per square mile.

In addition, the BLM will require a Wildlife Mitigation Plan for operators with new oil and gas facility locations within big game high-priority habitats. The Wildlife Mitigation Plan will address direct and indirect functional habitat loss. The analysis in the environmental impact statement for the plan amendment was similarly unique, including an oil and gas emissions inventory and evaluation of existing disturbances and their densities within big game high-priority habitats. The oil and gas emissions inventory included criteria air pollutants, volatile organic compounds, hazardous air pollutants, and greenhouse gases. The BLM modeled predicted emissions from each type of air pollutant under each alternative. The plan amendment would result in a decrease in criteria air pollutants in Colorado. Further, the BLM calculated the social costs of greenhouse gases by alternative. Under the plan amendment, the social costs of greenhouse gases are expected to be over 11 percent lower than under existing conditions.

The evaluation of the existing disturbance included calculations of current anthropogenic, oil and gas, and renewable energy disturbances by big game species. The environmental impact statement also presented existing oil and gas, road, and trail densities by species in high-priority habitat areas. The BLM concluded that the new oil and gas lease stipulations and additional protections would reduce impacts on big game, such as habitat fragmentation, mortality, injury, or displacement.

Meredith Linhoff 
Natural Resources Program Manager
AECOM

Ms. Linhoff is a NEPA project manager with nearly 20 years’ experience working on complex NEPA projects requiring extensive coordination between the Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and other federal and state agencies. She also brings her background in biology to assist federal agencies with Endangered Species Act consultations, both at the project and programmatic level.

Coral reefs, essential to marine biodiversity, face growing threats from chemical pollution, including oxybenzone, a common UV filter in sunscreens linked to coral bleaching. This study investigates oxybenzone’s toxic impact on Aiptasia pallida, a sea anemone model for corals, to better understand the oxidative stress mechanisms leading to coral bleaching. By measuring lipid peroxidation and glutathione levels, we assess oxidative damage thresholds in Aiptasia under varying oxybenzone concentrations. This research aims to fill knowledge gaps on oxybenzone toxicity, providing insights valuable for environmental policy, consumer awareness, and the development of safer sunscreen formulations.

Ezekiel Tosin Babatunde
Graduate Research Assistant
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Ezekiel Tosin Babatunde is an environmental scientist specializing in contaminants toxicology and environmental policy. With a background in Environmental Sciences from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and Environmental Management from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, he addresses complex environmental issues. His research examines pollutant impacts, like sunscreen ingredients on coral reefs, with a focus on public health and ecosystem protection. Ezekiel’s experience includes environmental assessments, permitting, and remediation, with a commitment to sustainable practices that balance economic needs and environmental health.

Poster Description coming soon!

Rachel Bares
Student
College of Charleston

Presenter bio coming soon!