Water Sustainability Initiative - IIHR · The Water Sustainability Initiative Evolves, Thrives. The University of Iowa established the Water Sustainability Initiative (WSI) to advance

~ 2017 Water Sustainability Initiative1

WaterSustainabilityInitiative

Spring 2017

WSI


Working together as an interdisciplinary team, WSI affiliates are committed to developing sound analysis, strategies, and technological solutions to meet the challenges facing society’s growing need for sustainable water resources and to educate future generations of sustainable water citizens.

Wsi Mission StatementContents

WSI Mission Statement

WSI Steering Committee

An H2O Revolution: The Water Sustainability Initiative Evolves, Thrives

WSI Faculty Affiliates

WSI Faculty Affiliates Updates

Selected Program Initiatives

Internal Seed Funding

Research Funding

Educational Initiatives

Selected Publications 2016 – 17

Guest Lectures

Activities, Collaborations, and Honors

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wsi Steering Committee

Jerry SchnoorCivil & Environmental Engineering

David Bennett Geographical and Sustainable Sciences

Charles Connerly Urban and Regional Planning

Peter Damiano Preventive and Community Dentistry

Kevin KregelHealth and Human Physiology

Sara McLaughlin Mitchell Political Science

Peter Thorne Occupational and Environmental Health

Larry Weber Civil & Environmental Engineering


Water issues present the perfect combination of complexity and global scale for a multidisciplinary group effort. The collaborative nature of the University of Iowa’s Water Sustainability Initiative (WSI) provides a better understanding of the broad context of the subject, enabling WSI affiliates to more completely address complicated water problems.

The 10 Water Sustainability Initiative faculty affiliates hail from across the academic spectrum, and together they are transforming water research at Iowa with fresh ideas and new focus areas, all in support of an issue that affects all life on Earth: water sustainability.

In 2009, the university announced it would create a cluster of new faculty positions to advance research, education, and outreach around the subject of water sustainability. In 2013, all the WSI faculty members affiliated with IIHR—Hydroscience & Engineering (IIHR), while still retaining primary appointments in their home departments.

Executive Associate Dean of Engineering Larry Weber says that the work of the WSI affiliates helps IIHR maintain its position as a global leader in fluids-related research, education, and service. “The focus on water cuts across all boundaries,” Weber explains.

As part of the university’s Water Sustainability Initiative, these faculty affiliates are part of an important new research focus that will positively impact the University of Iowa, the state, and the world for decades to come.

An h2o Revolution: The Water Sustainability Initiative Evolves, Thrives

The University of Iowa established the Water Sustainability Initiative (WSI) to advance research, education, and outreach activities regarding the stewardship and responsible management of our water resources. Working together, WSI faculty members identify key challenges at local, regional, and global scales regarding the availability, quality, reuse, and health impacts of water resources and their relationship to a changing climate.

WSI is an interdisciplinary team of researchers and educators encompassing the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Public Health, Engineering, and the Graduate College. New faculty positions have been added to expand the University of Iowa’s existing research strengths in the humanities, engineering, the natural and social sciences, and public health. The University of Iowa is committed to creating a sustainable campus through its support of the WSI, the work of the UI Office of Sustainability, and the undergraduate Certificate in Sustainability.

The initiative was also designed to transform education for university students by providing additional graduate and undergraduate opportunities for interdisciplinary training and research, and by integrating sustainability concepts and behavioral change strategies with existing coursework. The WSI also has a significant opportunity to inform upper-level high school students, community college students, and professional trades-personnel in the areas of sustainability literacy, applied mathematics, and information sourcing as they apply to future career paths. As the WSI continues to develop research and education programs oriented toward greater water sustainability, the team facilitates engagement with the university community, Iowa citizens, and the world.


Wsi Faculty Affiliates

David Cwiertny

Associate Professor— Civil and Environmental Engineering

Associate Research Engineer, IIHR Pollutant fate and transport

Water treatment

Kajsa Dalrymple

Assistant Professor—Journalism and Mass Communication

Assistant Research Scientist, IIHR Intersections among science, strategic communication, and public policy

Hans-Joachim Lehmler

Associate Professor— Occupational and Environmental Health

Associate Research Scientist, IIHR Environmental, chemical, and analytical toxicology

Environmental contaminants

Craig Just

Assistant Professor— Civil and Environmental Engineering

Assistant Research Engineer, IIHR Freshwater mussels

Vadose zone

Wastewater nutrient removal processes

Kelly Baker

Assistant Professor— Occupational and Environmental Health

Assistant Research Scientist, IIHR Epidemiology

Maternal and child health

Environmental microbiology

Ecology


Wsi Faculty Affiliates

Ananya Sen Gupta

Assistant Professor— Electrical and Computer Engineering

Assistant Research Engineer, IIHR Environmental signal processing focused on anthropogenic impact on aquatic environments

Eric Tate

Associate Professor— Geographical and Sustainable Sciences

Associate Research Engineer, IIHR Social vulnerability/resilience indicators

Uncertainty and sensitivity in geospatial models

Tori Z. Forbes

Associate Professor—Chemistry

Associate Research Scientist, IIHR Fundamental actinide chemistry

Development of materials for advanced water treatment

Elise Pizzi

Assistant Professor—Political Science

Assistant Research Scientist, IIHR Local politics of drinking water provision in rural China

The role of ethnic identity and geographic conditions in natural resources governance and civil conflict


The University of Iowa’s Water Sustainability Initiative (WSI) is now fully staffed with 10 full-time faculty member affiliates. In 2016, the WSI welcomed Elise Pizzi, a new faculty member in the Department of Political Science. Pizzi was a U.S. Fulbright Fellow in Guizhou, China, where she conducted a 10-month research project on drinking water provision in rural China.

In addition, the WSI steering committee filled the remaining open position: Silvia Secchi will join the cluster for fall 2017 as an Associate Professor in the Department of Geographical and

Sustainable Sciences. She is a natural resources economist whose work focuses on a wide range of interdisciplinary issues related to agriculture, energy, and the environment. These two new members bring important new interdisciplinary skills and expertise to the WSI.

David Cwiertny spent a year in Washington, D.C., as an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Congressional Fellow for 2016–17. He was one of only two fellows chosen from more than 100 applicants. AAAS fellowships provide opportunities for scientists and engineers to learn about policymaking firsthand, while also contributing specialized knowledge and analytical skills to the legislative process. Cwiertny returned to the University of Iowa this summer.

Wsi Faculty Affiliates Updates

Eric Tate was approved for promotion by the Iowa Board of Regents. He has been awarded tenure and was promoted to associate professor of geographical and sustainability sciences. Three WSI members already hold tenure in their respective departments: Tori Forbes, chemistry; Hans-Joachim Lehmler, occupational and environmental health; and David Cwiertny, civil and environmental engineering.

WSI faculty affiliates collaborate on a variety of research projects. With a thorough understanding of each colleague’s research interests, they look for synergies and opportunities that make sense to pursue together. In addition, they collaborate with other non-WSI colleagues who have an interest in water sustainability. Significant synergies result, and the success of the cluster is evident in new, novel interdisciplinary research projects. Last spring, several WSI faculty members (Craig Just, Eric Tate, and Elise Pizzi) collaborated with the Information Technology cluster on a new NSF proposal, “SCC-IRG Track 1: Actionable Science for Smart and Connected Watershed Communities.” This $5M proposal was still pending at press time.

WSI faculty members currently hold more than 20 active grants from agencies such as NSF, USDA, USHHS, HUD, DOE, the Nuclear Regulatory Committee, and more (see listing pp. 12 – 13).


Iowa Watershed Approach

WSI affiliates Craig Just and Eric Tate are part of the Iowa Watershed Approach (IWA), leading work in the area of increased community resilience. Their goals include helping communities prepare for, respond to, recover from, and adapt to floods. The researchers are assessing resilience in the targeted watersheds, engaging community residents in discussions about their unique needs, and helping them formulate and begin to act on resilience plans.

The Iowa Watershed Approach brought $96.9M to the state for a statewide watershed improvement program, awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The IWA will address issues associated with the devastating and dangerous floods Iowa communities experience year after year. The IWA’s goals include the following:

Reduction of flood risk

Improvement in water quality

Increased resilience

Engagement of stakeholders through collaboration, outreach, and education

Improved quality of life and health for Iowans

Development of a replicable program

Disposition and Toxicity of Safeners

Hans-Joachim Lehmler and David Cwiertny (with John Sivey and Christopher Salice) have developed an interest in the disposition and toxicity of safeners

— inactive ingredients in commercial pesticide formulations used in Iowa and elsewhere. Lehmler and Cwiertny published a review article about safeners and submitted an NSF grant proposal titled

“Collaborative Research: Environmental Fate and Effects of ‘Inert’ Herbicide Safeners, an Overlooked Class of Emerging Contaminants,” fall 2016.

Insensitive High Explosives

Hans-Joachim Lehmler and Craig Just embarked on a project investigating the toxicity, uptake, metabolism, and photodegradation of insensitive high explosives (IHE). IHEs are present in industrial waste water as the result of operations at the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant in Burlington, Iowa. Lehmler and Just published a joint paper titled

“Stable Isotope Enabled Pathway Elucidation of 2, 4-dinitroanisole Metabolized by Rhizobium lichtii” in Environmental Science and Technology Letters. They are pursuing funding from the Department of Defense.


The Iowa Watershed Approach (iwa) is a

collaborative program with the goals of increasing flood

resiliency and improving water quality.


Sustainability and the Future


Craig Just has made developing sustainability education at the University of Iowa a high priority for almost a decade. In 2008, he was involved in designing the Certificate of Sustainability. Just, a UI assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, also designed and taught the Introduction to Sustainability course from 2009 until 2015. In 2010, he received a research grant from the Department of Education to develop and improve the course.

Just, a WSI member since 2011, says he and other faculty members have integrated sustainability principles into a variety of engineering courses taught at UI. The textbook for the Principles of Environmental Engineering course he teaches begins with a chapter about sustainability. He addresses many sustainability issues in these courses, including efficient water use, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and efforts to help people in resource-constrained countries develop with minimal pollution. Educating young engineers about the sustainability challenges they will face in the future is paramount, says Just.

One of Just’s areas of research is small community wastewater treatment. Many small communities in Iowa struggle to cover the cost of flushing their toilets. Just researches and advocates for solutions to these problems and speaks frequently about these issues, whether it’s in small communities or to legislators in Des Moines.

Among his many awards, Just received the 2017 Excellence in Teaching Sustainability Award from the Institute of Industrial Engineers Sustainable Development Division in May.

by Mikael Mulugeta


WSI affiliate Anaya Sen Gupta’s experience as a data scientist began in 2010 while fingerprinting oil spills at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Cape Cod, Mass.

Sen Gupta takes a computational approach to fingerprinting oil spills, which involves finding patterns in field data using algorithms she develops. Her work at WHOI focused on marine pollution, which attracted the attention of the leaders of the WSI.

Sen Gupta has since applied this computational approach to water-related problems other than oil spills. With the WSI, Sen Gupta focuses on using algorithms to understand how toxins and pathogens in the environment relate to each other.

Sen Gupta is using these algorithms in collaboration with fellow WSI member Kelly Baker, who studies waterborne pathogens, particularly in developing countries. Baker shared data she collected in Kenya with Sen Gupta, who is using algorithms to search for patterns of association between diarrheal pathogens.

The algorithms Sen Gupta builds can process large amounts of field data much faster than human experts can. Additionally, they help her agnostically interpret the data, which means letting the algorithm discover patterns and knowledge hidden in the data, rather than the researcher looking for specific patterns or trying to confirm a specific hypothesis.

“While model-based research is great and very necessary, the challenge with that approach is that you may lead the question if you’re already framing what to study,” says Sen Gupta.


A Mindful Future

by Mikael Mulugeta


WSI affiliate Eric Tate is working with IIHR researchers to create flood resilience indicators. Tate’s approach involves not only accounting for the physical impact of floods, such as the economic cost of flood-damaged buildings, but also factoring in social variables to measure a population’s ability to withstand or recover from floods. Tate collects local demographic and census data to inform his models and to understand which areas are more likely to be resilient to floods.

Tate’s research focuses on what variables should be included, how they should be measured, and to what degree they should influence the resilience rating. Variables taken into consideration include age, health, income, disability, level of education, and immigration status.

Tate, an associate professor in the Department of Geographical and Sustainability Sciences, says a multi-disciplinary approach is necessary to better encapsulate the factors that influence flood resilience. Tate’s background as a geographer and engineer both play a role in his research, easing his collaborations with physical scientists, social scientists, and local stakeholders alike.


Measuring Flood Vulnerability

by Mikael Mulugeta


The University of Iowa offers a number of internal funding opportunities, and WSI affiliates have applied for and received UI seed grants to support their research.

Development of Chemically Functionalized, High Surface Area Nanofiber Networks for Carbon Capture, Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research (CGRER), 2016, $35K

— Co-PI: David Cwiertny

Discovering Links Between Environmental Contaminant Clusters and Environmental, Geographic, and Social Drivers using Network-based Data Processing, CHEEC, 2016, $39.6K

— PI: Ananya Sen Gupta

Evaluating Paresthesia and Exposure to α-cypermethrin among Egyptian Adolescent Pesticide Applicators, EHSRC, 2016, $34.2K

— Co-PI: Hans-Joachim Lehmler

Exposure to Individual and Multiple Environmental Chemicals among Lactating Women in the United States, EHSRC, 2016, $40K


Exposure to Environmental Obesogen Tributyltin during Early Pregnancy in Association with Maternal Obesity and Gestational Weight Gain, Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination (CHEEC), 2016, $40K


Fate of Neonicotinoid Insecticides in Water and Wastewater Treatment Systems, CHEEC, 2016, $40K

— Co-PI: David Cwiertny

Household Exposure to Enteric Pathogens that Cause Gastrointestinal Disease for Young Infants Living in Urban Slums of Kisumu, Kenya, EHSRC, 2016, $40K

— Co-PI: Kelly Baker

Mobility of Naturally-occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) in Bit Cuttings from Unconventional Drilling Operations, CGRER, 2016, $35K

— PI: Tori Forbes

Pyrethroid Pesticides and Autism Spectrum Disorders: Role of Microglial Activation and Inflammation, EHSRC, 2016, $40K


Quantifying Salinization Vulnerability of Municipal Water Supplies from Winter Road Maintenance: A Case Study in Eastern Iowa, CGRER, 2016, $34.1K

— PI: Eric Tate

Toward Understanding PCB-mediated Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Does the Intestinal Microbiome Modulate the Disposition of Neurotoxic PCBs?, EHSRC, 2015, $40K

— PI: Hans-Joachim Lehmler

Tributyltin Exposure from Seafood Consumption in Relation to Obesity and Diabetes Prevalence in a Nationally Representative Population, Environmental Health Sciences Research Center (EHSRC), 2016, 40K


University of Iowa Minority Health in International Research Training (MHIRT)—NIH, 2017

— Co-I: Kelly Baker

Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene and Social Capital on Women’s Reproductive Health in India—University of Iowa Junior Faculty Opportunity Award, $8K— Co-PI: Kelly Baker

Internal Seed Funding


Research Funding

The WSI enables collaborative research in water sustainability that cannot be otherwise pursued. The group accomplishes this, in part, by identifying and applying for funding for key water-related challenges. The following list represents a sample of recent and/or currently funded projects. WSI faculty are achieving success, together and in collaboration with other faculty at the University of Iowa and elsewhere.

Grants

Advancing the Graduate Program in Radiochemistry at the University of Iowa—U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 2014 – 18, $393K— PI: Tori Forbes

American Ordnance: Waste Water Treatment System Design Pilot Study—American Ordnance, 2015 – 17, $41.9K— PI: Craig Just

Assessing Subtle Variations in the Actinyl Oxo Reactivity through Characterization of Neptunyl Complexes—U.S. Department of Energy, 2015 – 20, $531.3K— PI: Tori Forbes

Associations Between Poor Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Practices and Symptoms of Lower Reproductive Tract Infections in Indian Girls and Women over the Life Course—London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 2016, $6.3K— PI: Kelly Baker

Biologically Mediated Abiotic Degradation of Chlorinated Ethenes: A New Conceptual Framework—U.S. Department of Defense, Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program, 2015 – 18, $643.3K— CO-I: David Cwiertny

CAREER: Development of Metal-organic Nanotubes with Unique Water Transport and Storage Properties—NSF, 2013 – 18, $572.7K— PI: Tori Forbes

CAREER: Hybrid Nanostructures as Catalysts for Advancing Oxidation Processes: An Integrated Research and Education Plan Promoting Water ReUse and Sustainability—NSF, 2011 – 16, $390.5K— PI: David Cwiertny

Center for Sustainable Materials Chemistry-OSU—Oregon State University (NSF), 2016 – 18, $170.6K— PI: Tori Forbes

Collaborative Research: Integrated In Silico and Non-target Analytical Framework for High Throughput Prioritization of Bioactive Transformation Products—NSF, 2016 – 19, $200K— PI: David Cwiertny

Collaborative Research: Measuring Social Vulnerability--Reducing Uncertainty and Validating Indicators—NSF, 2013 – 17, $174.7K— PI: Eric Tate

CNH-EX: Monsoon Harvests: Assessing the Impact of Distributed Storage Tanks on the Vulnerability of Subsistence-level Agriculture in Tamil Nadu, India—NSF, 2012 – 16, $249.9K— PI: Eric Tate— CO-I: Craig Just

Development of a Hydro-excavation Spoils Treatment Machine—Vermeer Corporation, 2017, $123.9K— PI: Craig Just

Development of Metal-organic Nanotubes with Unique Water Transport and Storage Properties—NSF, 2013 – 18, $572.7K— PI: Tori Forbes

Economic Benefits of Agricultural Practices Flood Loss Estimation for the Middle Cedar River Watershed—The Nature Conservancy, 2015 – 17, $47K— PI: Eric Tate

Environmental Health Sciences Research Center—U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (NIH), 1990 – 2022, $40.7M— CO-I: Hans-Joachim Lehmler

Iowa EPSCoR: Harnessing Energy Flows in the Biosphere to Build Sustainable Energy Systems—Iowa State University (NSF), 2011 – 17, $6.3M— CO-I: Craig Just

Iowa Water-Quality Information System (Iowa WQIS)—Roy J. Carver Trust, 2015 – 18, $453.3K— CO-I: Kajsa Dalrymple


Research Funding

Iowa Watershed Approach for Urban and Rural Resilience—Iowa Economic Development Authority (HUD), 2016 – 21, $6.4M— CO-Is: Craig Just, Eric Tate

Nanofiber-enabled, Multi-target Passive Sampling Device for Determination of the Freely-dissolved Sediment Pore Water Concentrations of Organic Contaminants—U.S. Department of Defense, Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program, 2015 – 17, $150K— CO-I: David Cwiertny

NRT-INFEWS: Paths to Sustainable Food-Energy-Water Systems in Resource-limited Communities—NSF, 2016 – 21, $3M— PI: David Cwiertny — CO-Is: Craig Just, Eric Tate

Prioritizing WASH Interventions Based on Soil Analysis in Peri-urban Settlement of Corail, Port au Prince—Terre des Hommes Foundation, 2016 – 17, $14.9K— PI: Kelly Baker

Rapid Uranium Sensors to Minimize Health Impacts in the Navajo Nation—U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (NIH), 2017 – 21, $1.6M— CO-IS: David Cwiertny, Tori Forbes

Reaction of Carbon Nanotubes with Free Chlorine and Monochloramine Disinfectants: Byproduct Formation and Implications for Nanotube Environmental Fate and Toxicity—NSF, 2012 – 17, $300K— Co-I: David Cwiertny

Research and Demonstration of Electrospun Nanofiber Filters: Multifunctional, Chemically Active Filtration Technologies for Small-scale Water Treatment Systems—EPA, 2011 – 16, $499.5K— PI: David Cwiertny

Reversible Photohydration in Diene and Triene Steroids: A Mechanism for Unexpected Persistence of Unique, Biologically Active Steroidal Contaminants?—NSF, 2013 – 17, $394.7K— PI: David Cwiertny

Safe Start: The Effect of a Novel Early Childhood Hygiene Intervention on Enteric Infections and Growth Faltering in Low-income Informal Settlements of Kisumu, Kenya—a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial—Sanitation and Hygiene Applied Research for Equity (SHARE), $176.4K— CO-PI: Kelly Baker

Semi-volatile PCBs: Sources, Exposures, Toxicities—U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (NIH), 2006 – 20, $41.6M— CO-IS: Craig Just, Hans-Joachim Lehmler, Ananya Sen Gupta

SusChEM: Collaborative Research: Development and Application of Piezoelectric Nanoheterostructures to Reduce the Chemical and Energy Demand of Water Treatment—NSF, 2014 – 17, $141.3K— PI: David Cwiertny

UNICEF Laos—WASH in Schools Impact Study—Emory University (UNICEF), 2017, $33.9K— PI on Subcontract: Kelly Baker

Water-quality Implications of Unique Transformation Processes of Trenbolone Steroids used as Agricultural Pharmaceuticals — University of Nevada (USDA), 2013 – 17, $113K— PI: David Cwiertny

WSC-Category 1: Decision Processes, Climate Change, and Water Resources in the Agricultural Midwest—Indiana University (NSF), 2014 – 17, $446K— CO-IS: Kajsa Dalrymple, Ananya Sen Gupta, Eric Tate


Sustainable Water Development Graduate Program

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Iowa is offering a revolutionary new approach to graduate school in engineering: the Sustainable Water Development (SWD) Graduate Program. With $3M in funding from the National Science Foundation Research Traineeship program, the SWD program is preparing students to meet the resource challenges of communities most in need as a professional engineers, researchers, or educators.

Students can tailor the SWD curriculum to fit their unique interests and career goals — everything from politics to public health, chemistry to microbiology, and informatics to entrepreneurship and beyond — all while earning a generous student stipend. WSI affiliate David Cwiertny is co-PI with Michelle Scherer; both are faculty members in civil and environmental engineering. In addition, WSI affiliates Kelly Baker, Craig Just, and Eric Tate serve as co-PIs on the project. WSI Steering Committee members Larry Weber (executive associate dean of engineering) and Jerry Schnoor (co-director of the Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research) are also involved in the project.

SWD students conduct innovative research at the food, energy, and water nexus, focusing on the impacts of climate change, resource recovery from waste, technologies for sustainable and healthy communities, and more. Community service and professional development, including immersive internships with diverse project partners, complement the research.

This is the only NRT-funded training program of its kind in Iowa. Learn more at the SWD website: waterhawks.uiowa.edu.

Global Water and Health

Hans-Joachim Lehmler presented a lecture on organic pollutants as part of the course Global Water and Health in support of the WSI’s goal to strengthen multidisciplinary education in sustainability at the University of Iowa.

Global Public Health

Kelly Baker is the principal instructor for Global Public Health, a core course in the new College of Public Health undergraduate program. The course explores the historical, current, and forecasted trends in global public health, the factors influencing health demographics in human populations, sources of health inequalities, and appropriate policy and intervention approaches for addressing global public health challenges. She is also the primary instructor for Global Water and Health, an elective for the Sustainable Water Development Graduate Program (see above).

Educational Initiatives

IIHR graduate student Luiza Notini de Andrade

working in the lab.


Alalwan, H.A.; Cwiertny, D.M.; and Grassian, V.H. “Co3O4 Nanoparticles as Oxygen Carriers for Chemical Looping Combustian: A Materials Characterization Approach to Understanding Oxygen Carrier Performance,” Chemical Engineering Journal, 319, pp. 279 – 287, 2017.

Ansari, N.; Gupta, A.; and Sen Gupta, A. “Shallow Water Acoustic Channel Estimation using Two-dimensional Frequency Characterization,” The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 140, 5, pp. 3995 – 4009, November 2016.

Bitterman, P.; Tate, E.; Van Meter, K.J.; and Basu, N.B. “Water Security and Rainwater Harvesting: A Conceptual Framework and Candidate Indicators,” Applied Geography, 76, pp. 75 – 84, November 2016.

Bode, L. and Dalrymple, K.E. “Politics in 140 Characters or Less: Campaign Communication, Network Interaction, and Political Participation on Twitter,” Journal of Political Marketing, 15, 4, pp. 311 – 332, 2016.

Bril, J.S.; Langenfeld, K.; Just, C.L.; Spak, S.N.; and Newton, T.J. “Simulated Mussel Mortality Thresholds as a Function of Mussel Biomass and Nutrient Loading,” PeerJ, 5, e2838, January 2017.

Carrel, M.; Young, S.G.; and Tate, E. “Pigs in Space: Determining the Environmental Justice Landscape of Swine Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) in Iowa,” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 13, 9, August 2016.

Cole, E.; Flores, E.; Basile, M.; Jayasinghe, A.; deGroot, J.; Unruh, D.K.; and Forbes, T.Z.

“Directing Dimensionality in Uranyl Malate and Copper Uranyl Malate Compounds,” Polyhedron, 114, pp. 378 – 384, August 2016.

Dalrymple, K.E. and Young, R. “The Promise of Participatory Media,” chapter in Strategic Communication: New Agendas in Communication, 42, Routledge, New York, N.Y., July 2016.

Dalrymple, K.E.; Young, R.; and Tully, M. “’Facts, Not Fear’: Negotiating Uncertainty on Social Media during the 2014 Ebola Crisis,” Science Communication, 38, 4, pp. 442 – 467, August 2016.

Das, S.; Xu, W.; Lehmler, H.-J.; Miller, A.-F.; Knutson, B.L.; and Rankin, S.E. “Inverted Micelle-in-micelle Configuration in Cationic/Carbohydrate Surfactant Mixtures,” ChemPhysChem, 18, 1, pp. 79 – 86, January 2017.

DeGroot, J.; Cassell, B.; Basile, M.; Fetrow, T.; and FORBES, T.Z. “Charge-assisted Hydrogen Bonding and Crystallization Effects within U (VI) Glycine Compounds,” European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry, 13, pp. 1938 – 1946, April 2017.

Dilling, L.; Pizzi, E.; Berggren, J.; Ravikumar, A.; and Andersson, K. “Drivers of Adaptation: Responses to Weather- and Climate-related Hazards in 60 Local Governments in the Intermountain Western U.S.,” Environment and Planning A, pp. 1 – 21, January 2017.

Egodawatte, S.; Greenstein, K.E.; Vance, I.; Rivera, E.; Myung, N.V.; Parkin, G.F.; Cwiertny, D.M.; and Larsen, S.C. “Electrospun Hematite Nanofiber/Mesoporous Silica Core/Shell Nanomaterials as an Efficient Adsorbent for Heavy Metals,” The Royal Society of Chemistry, 6, 93, pp. 90516 – 90525, September 2016.

Eitrheim, E.S.; May, D.; Forbes, T.Z.; and Nelson, A.W. “Disequilibrium of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) in Drill Cuttings from a Horizontal Drilling Operation,” Environmental Science & Technology Letters, 3, 12, pp. 425 – 429, November 2016.

Gankanda, A.; Coddens, E.M.; Zhang, Y.; Cwiertny, D.M.; and Grassian, V.H. “Sulfate Formation Catalyzed by Coal Fly Ash, Mineral Dust, and Iron (iii) Oxide: Variable Influence of Temperature and Light,” The Royal Society of Chemistry, 18, 12, pp. 1484 – 1491, October 2016.

Gankanda, A.; Cwiertny, D.M.; and Grassian, V.H. “Role of Atmospheric CO2 and H20 Adsorption on ZnO and CuO Nanoparticle Aging: Formation of New Surface Phases and the Impact on Nanoparticle Dissolution,” The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 120, 34, pp. 19195 – 19203, August 2016.

Ghasemi Damavandi, H.; Sen Gupta, A.; Nelson, R.K.; and Reddy, C.M. “Interpreting Comprehensive Two-dimensional Gas Chromatography Using Peak Topography Maps with Application to Petroleum Forensics,” Chemistry Central Journal, 10, 1, November 2016.

Selected Publications 2016–17


Grimm, F.A.; Lehmler, H.-J.; Koh, W.X.; DeWall, J.; Teesch, L.M.; Hornbuckle, K.C.; Thorne, P.S.; Robertson, L.W.; and Duffel, M.W. “Identification of a Sulfate Metabolite of PCB 11 in Human Serum,” Environment International, 98, pp. 120 – 128, January 2017.

Holland, E.B; Feng, W.; Zheng, J.; Dong, Y.; Li, X.; Lehmler, H.-J.; and Pessah, I.N. “An Extended Structure-activity Relationship of Nondioxin-like PCBs Evaluates and Supports Modeling Predictions and Identifies Picomolar Potency of PCB 202 Toward Ryanodine Receptors,” Toxicological Sciences, 155, 1, pp. 170 – 181, January 2017.

Jahan, S.; Carter, G.S.; Krager, K.J.; Li, X.; Lehmler, H.-J.; and Aykin-Burns, N. “434-Absence of Functional Sirtuin 3 Alters Fatty Acid and Glucose Metabolism Following 4-OH-PCB11 Exposure,” Free Radical Biology and Medicine, 100, S181, November 2016.

Jayasinghe, A.S.; Salzman, S.; and Forbes, T.Z. “Metal Substitution into Organic Nanotubes: Impacts on Solvent Uptake and Stability,” Crystal Growth & Design, 16, 12, pp. 7058 – 7066, October 2016.

Klarich, K.L.; Pflug, N.C.; DeWald, E.M.; Hladik, M.L.; Kolpin, D.W.; Cwiertny, D.M.; and LeFevre, G.H. “Occurrence of Neonicotinoid Insecticides in Finished Drinking Water and Fate during Drinking Water Treatment,” Environmental Science & Technology Letters, April 2017.

Knight, A.W.; Eitrheim, E.S.; Nelson, A.W.; Peterson, M.; McAlister, D.; Forbes, T.Z.; and Schultz, M.K. “Trace-level Extraction Behavior of Actinide Elements by Aliphatic Alcohol Extractants in Mineral Acids: Insights into the Trace Solution chemistry of Protactinium,” Solvent Extraction and Ion Exchange, 34, 6, pp. 509 – 521, September 2016.

Knight, A.W.; Ziao, B.; Chiaizia, R.; Ferru, G.; Forbes, T.Z.; Ellis, R.J.; and Soderholm, L. “Subtle Effects of Aliphatic Alcohol Structure on Water Extraction and Solute Aggregation in Biphasic Water/n-Dodecane,” Langmuir, April 2017.

Liu, A.H. and Pizzi, E. “The Language of Economic Growth: A New Measure of Linguistic Heterogeneity,” British Journal of Political Science, pp. 1 – 28, 2016.

Liu, S.; Zhao, H.; Lehmler, H.-J.; Cai, S.; and Chen, J. “Antibiotic Pollution in Marine Food Webs in Laizhou Bay, North China: Trophodynamics and Human Exposure Implication,” Environmental Science & Technology, 51, 4, pp. 2392 – 2400, February 2017.

Lu, G.; Forbes, T.Z.; and Haes, A.J. “SERS Detection of Uranyl using Functionalized Gold Nanostars Promoted by Nanoparticle Shape and Size,” Analyst, 141, 17, pp. 5137 – 5143, 2016.

Munoz, C.E. and Tate, E. “Unequal Recovery? Federal Resource Distribution after a Midwest Flood Disaster,” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 13, 5, 2016.

Nalbandian, M.J.; Zhang, M.; Sanchez, J.; Nam, J.; Cwiertny, D.M.; and Myung, N.V. “Mesoporous □-Alumina/Hematite (□-Al2O3/Fe2O3) Composite Nanofibers for Heavy Metal Removal,” Ingenta Connect, 9, 1, pp. 22 – 29, January 2017.

Nelson, A.W.; Eitrheim, E.S.; Knight, A.W.; May, D.; Wichman, M.D.; Forbes, T.Z.; and Schultz, M.K.

“Polonium-210 Accumulates in a Lake Receiving Coal Mine Discharges—Anthropogenic or Natural?” Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 167, pp. 211 – 221, February 2017.

Peter, K.T.; Johns, A.J.; Myung, N.V.; and Cwiertny, D.M. “Functionalized Polymer-iron Oxide Hybrid Nanofibers: Electrospun Filtration Devices for Metal Oxyanion Removal,” Water Research, 117, pp. 207 – 217, April 2017.

Pflug, N.C.; Kupsco, A.; Kolodziej, E.P.; Schlenk, D.; Teesch, L.M.; Gloer, J.B.; and Cwiertny, D.M.

“Formation of Bioactive Transformation Products during Glucocorticoid Chlorination,” Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology, 2017.

Rodriguez, E.A.; Li, X.; Lehmler, H.-J.; Robertson, L.W.; and Duffel, M.W. “Sulfation of Lower Chlorinated Polychlorinated Biphenyls Increases their Affinity for the Major Drug-binding Sites of Human Serum Albumin,” Environmental Science & Technology, 50, 10, pp. 5320 – 5327, 2016.

Schroer, H.W.; Langenfeld, K.L.; Li, X.; Lehmler, H.-J.; and Just, C.L. “Biotransformation of 2, 4-dinitroanisole by a Fungal Penicillium sp.,” Biodegradation, 28, 1, pp. 95 – 109, December 2016.




Uwimana, E.; Li, X.; and Lehmler, H.-J. “2, 2’, 3, 5’, 6-Pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB 95) is Atropselectively Metabolized to Para-Hydroxylated Metabolites by Human Liver Microsomes,” Chemical Research in Toxicology, 29, 12, pp. 2108 – 2110, November 2016.

Uwimana, E.; Maiers, A.; Li, X.; and Lehmler, H.-J. “Microsomal Metabolism of Prochiral Biphenyls Results in the Enantioselective Formation of Chiral Metabolites,” Environmental Science & Technology, 51, 3, pp. 1820 – 1829, January 2017.

Verdugo, E.M.; Nelson, K.J.; Bako, C.M.; Valentine, R.L.; and Cwiertny, D.M. “Formation of Trihalomethanes and Haloacetic Acids during Chlorination of Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes,” The Royal Society of Chemistry, 3, 6, pp. 1327 – 1339, September 2016.

Verdugo, E.M.; Xie, Y.; Baltrusaitis, J.; and Cwiertny, D.M. “Hematite Decorated Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes (α-Fe2O3/MWCNTs) as Sorbents for Cu(II) and Cr(VI): Comparison of Hybrid Sorbent Performance to Its Nanomaterial Building Blocks,” The Royal Society of Chemistry, 6, 102, pp. 99997 – 100007, October 2016.

Wammer, K.H.; Anderson, K.C.; Erickson, P.R.; Kliegman, S.; Moffatt, M.E.; Berg, S.M.; Heitzman, J.A.; Pflug, N.C.; McNeill, K.; Martinovic-Weigelt, D.; Abagyan, R.; Cwiertny, D.M.; and Kolodziej, E.P. “Environmental Photochemistry of Altrenogest: Photoisomerization to a Bioactive Product with Increased Environmental Persistence via Reversible Photohydration,” Environmental Science & Technology, 50, 14, pp. 7480 – 7488, June 2016.

Wu, X.; Yang, J.; Morisseau, C.; Robertson, L.W.; Hammock, B.; and Lehmler, H.-J. “3, 3’, 4, 4’ 5-Pnetachlorobiphenyl (PCB 126) Decreases Hepatic and Systemic Ratios of Epoxide to Ciol Metabolites of Unsaturated Fatty Acids in Male Rats,” Toxicological Sciences, 152, 2, pp. kfw084, 2016.

Young, R.; Tully, M.; and Dalrymple, K. “# Engagement: Use of Twitter Chats to Construct Nominal Participatory Spaces during Health Crises,” Information, Communication & Society, pp. 1 – 17, March 2017.

Baker, K., “The Landscape of Enteric Pathogen Contamination in Low-income Urban Neighborhoods of Kisumu, Kenya,” Iowa One Health Conference, Iowa City, Iowa, Nov. 5, 2016.

Forbes, T.Z., “Actinides and Confinement: From Nanotube to Cucurbiturils,” Los Alamos National Laboratory Chemistry Division Colloquium Series, July 25, 2017.

Forbes, T.Z., “Actinides and Confinement: From Nanotubes to Cucurbiturils,” Department of Chemistry, Georgetown University, March 3, 2017.

Forbes, T.Z., “Actinides and Confinement: From Nanotubes to Cucurbiturils,” Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri-Columbia, March 3, 2017.

Forbes, T.Z., “Solids to Liquids,” presentation to 2nd grade class with Ed Gillian, Garner Elementary School, North Liberty, Iowa, Feb. 20, 2017.

Just, C.L., “Cedar Rapids Sustainable City Talk,” City of Cedar Rapids, Nov. 29, 2016.

Just, C.L., Iowa League of Cities Conference, Des Moines, Iowa, Sept. 15, 2016.

Just, C.L., “The Iowa Small Communities Wastewater Research Program,” Iowa Water Environment Association Conference, Council Bluffs, Iowa, June 8, 2016.

Just, C.L., Moderator, “Iowa’s Drinking Water: Could Flint Happen Here?” Des Moines, Iowa, June 17, 2016.

Just, C.L., “Legacy Nitrogen Pollution: Freshwater Mussels to the Rescue,” Gordon Research Conference, Holderness, N.H., June 29, 2016.

Tate, E., “Measuring Vulnerability and Resilience to Floods,” Changing Change: Thoughts and Actions for Sustainable Environments Workshop and Speaker Series, Iowa State University, Jan. 23, 2017.

Tate, E., “Social Sustainability,” Green Greek Lecture Series, University of Iowa, Sept. 13, 2016.

Guest Lectures


Kelly Baker

Chair, Occupational and Environmental Health Website Committee, 2015 – 16

Core Research Mentor, Iowa Biosciences Academy, University of Iowa

Executive Committee Member, Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research (CGRER), 2016 – present

Faculty affiliate, University of Iowa Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases

Judge, Eastern Iowa Science and Engineering Fair, 2015 – present

Member, University of Iowa Environmental Health Sciences Research Center

Mentor, Iowa Center for Research by Undergraduates (ICRU) Fellows, 2016 – present

Technical advisor, UNICEF Global Water Monitoring, 2016 – present

David M. Cwiertny

Congressional Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2016 – 17

Director, Environmental Policy Research Program, University of Iowa Public Policy Center

Founding editor-in-chief, Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology, 2014 – present

Granted patent, “Water Treatment Systems and Methods,” with Haase, J.P. U.S. Patent 20160251244 A1, Sept. 1, 2016

Member, Sustainability Certificate Committee, 2013 – present

Member, University of Iowa Environmental Health Sciences Research Center

Received 2016 Super Reviewer Award from Environmental Science & Technology, November 2016

Received Faculty Career Development Award, 2016


Kajsa Dalrymple

Advisor, Journalism Living Learning Community, 2015 – present

Advisor, School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC) Graduate Student Association, 2016 – present

Advisory Board, Journal of Communication Inquiry, 2016 – present

Chair, SJMC Diversity Steering Committee, 2016 – present

Director, Les and Dorothy Moeller Media Research Laboratory, 2014–present

Executive Committee, CGRER, 2012 – present

Executive Committee, Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities, 2013 – present

Member/consultant, Iowa DNR Non-point Source Water Pollution Management Team, 2013 – present

Newsletter/Social Media Chair, ComSHER Division of the Association for Education and Journalism and Mass Communication, 2014 – 16

Secretary, ComSHER Division of the Association for Education and Journalism and Mass Communication, 2016 – present

University Representative, Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, 2013 – present

Tori Z. Forbes

Core Mentor, Iowa Biosciences Academy, 2014 – present

Finalist, Iowa Women of Innovation Award, 2016

Member, University of Iowa Environmental Health Sciences Research Center, 2016 – present

Panelist, American Chemical Society Graduate School Workshop, Philadelphia, August 21, 2016

University of Iowa Dean’s Scholar, 2016 – present

University of Iowa Honors Lane Davis Team Teaching Award, 2017


Craig Just

Advisor, Engineers without Borders USA Student Chapter, 2016 – present

Advisor, UI Bridges to Prosperity Student Chapter, 2016 – present

Co-chair, Obermann Center Graduate Institute on Engagement and the Academy, 2015 and 2016

Co-leader, University of Iowa Superfund Research Program Community Engagement Core, 2006 – present

Co-organizer, University of Iowa Mobile Museum exhibit, 2015 – 16

Faculty advisor, U.S. Green Building Council Student Chapter, 2013 – 16

Member, University of Iowa Environmental Health Sciences Research Center, 2017

Received the Excellence in Teaching Sustainability Award from the Institute of Industrial Engineers Sustainable Development Division, 2017

Hans-Joachim Lehmler

Editor, plos one, 2014 – present.

Core Leader, Synthesis Core, Iowa Superfund Research Program, 2016 – present

Deputy Director and member, Environmental Health Sciences Research Center (EHSRC) at the University of Iowa, 2010 – present

Director, EHSRC’s Career Development Program, 2010 – present

EHSRC Executive Committee and Internal Advisory Committee, 2010 – present

Leader, University of Iowa Superfund Research Program Synthesis Core, 2003 – present

Organized a conference session on “PCB Environmental Fate and Transport” for the Ninth PCB Workshop in Kobe, Japan, October 9 – 13, 2016

Organized EHSRC Seminar Series, 2007 – present

Secretary/Treasurer, Central States chapter of the Society of Toxicology, 2010 – present

Ananya Sen Gupta

Co-chair for Numerical Modeling, Simulation, and Data Visualization technology committee, IEEE Ocean Engineering Society, 2016 – present

Co-organizer, special session at the IEEE Oceans conference, Aberdeen, Scotland, June 2017

Featured in EPSCoR’s 2015 – 16 Stimuli publication distributed to Congress

Guest Editor, IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering special issue on underwater acoustic communication and modeling

Eric Tate

Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Geographical and Sustainability Sciences, University of Iowa, 2015 – present

Director, Hazards, Risks, and Disasters Specialty Group, Association of American Geographers, 2015 – present

Fellow, Enabling the Next Generation of Hazards and Disasters Researchers, National Science Foundation, 2014 – 16



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