2022 Dellinger Symposium          

On February 23, 2022, students, staff, and researchers from Louisiana and around the country gathered to share research, learn, and celebrate at the 2022 Dellinger Symposium. The Dellinger Symposium is held in honor of Dr. Harold “Barry” Dellinger, founding director of the Louisiana State University Superfund Research Program (LSU SRP). It is a joint effort of the LSU SRP Administrative Core, Community Engagement Core, and Research Experience and Training Coordination Core, as LSU SRP trainees help organize the symposium in addition to presenting their research.

This year’s keynote speaker was Dr. Staci Simonich, Executive Associate Dean for the College of Agricultural Sciences and Professor in the departments of Chemistry and Environmental and Molecular Toxicology at Oregon State University. Dr. Simonich spoke about the remediation of soils contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs are known human carcinogens, formed through the incomplete combustion of organic matter and sites contaminated with PAHs are difficult to clean up.

"Is Remediation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) Contaminated Soils Worth it?"

 

In addition to the keynote speaker, the Community Engagement Core hosted a panel discussion on Environmental Justice and Community Engagement the Classroom. The panelists were Dr. Sharon Petronella Croisant from the University of Texas Medical Branch Department of Preventive Medicine and Population Health; Dr. Adrienne Katner from LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Public Health; Dr. Wesley Gray from Southern University's Environmental Toxicology Program; and Dr. Aimée Thomas from Loyola University New Orleans Department of Biological Science. The panel was moderated by Dr. Margaret Reams.

       Speakers on the Community Engagement and Environmental Justice in the Classroom Panel (from left to right): Dr. Sharon Petronella               Croisant, Dr. Adrienne Katner, Dr. Wesley Gray, and Dr. Aimée Thomas

This year’s symposium also featured oral and poster sessions to provide postdoctoral, graduate students and undergraduates the opportunity to practice presentation skills and showcase their research. The following trainees won $250 travel awards for their presentations:

• Ms. Jennifer Irving - Cumulative Environmental Health Vulnerability in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana (oral presentation)
• Mr. Emmanual Ampiah - Formation and Stability of Environmentally Persistent Free Radicals in Dual-Metal Loaded Clay Surrogates (poster presentation)
• Mr. Ankit Aryal - Inhalation of Combustion-Derived Environmentally Persistent Free Radicals Causes Vascular Endothelial Injury Mediated Via AHR Activation in Alveolar Type-2 Pneumocytes (poster presentation)
• Ms. Liana Baconguis - An Observed Increase in Cardiovascular and Respiratory disease-Related Mortality in an Area Surrounding a Hazardous Waste Incinerator (poster presentation)
• Ms. Veronica Morales-Rodriguez, Ms. Deytzalie Rodríguez-Hernandez, and Paola Rodríguez-Montoyo - Lead poisoning prevention among Puerto Ricans: An educational intervention (poster presentation)

 

To learn more about the Dellinger Symposium and see a complete list of this year’s presentations, view the program.