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A cross-divisional department spanning

Research and Practice

Grand Rounds

The Department of Environmental Health and Engineering holds monthly grand round during the academic year. The series explores the critical intersections between environmental health and engineering. Experts from academia, industry, and government present on a range of topics that highlight pressing environmental challenges and promote sustainable, healthy solutions.

Each session features a 45-minute presentation followed by a Q&A period. The goal is to foster interdisciplinary dialogue, showcase innovative research, and equip attendees with knowledge to drive change at the environment-health nexus. Presentations are open to students, faculty, and the public.

Academic Year 2024-25

Tiered Approach Hazard Assessment of Advanced Materials by High-Throughput Screening and Omics

October 11, 2024

Artificial intelligence (AI) is set to revolutionize hazard and risk assessments by leveraging "Big Data" and advanced modeling techniques. However, the diverse and growing field of materials presents a challenge due to the scarcity of extensive datasets necessary for AI. The EU-funded HARMLESS project introduces a tiered new approach methodology to navigate this complexity. Cooperation within this project employs a two-tiered approach, starting with a "high-throughput screening" to define dose-response relationships across 72 diverse materials. This is followed by "high-throughput transcriptomics" for a deeper analysis of toxic modes of action.

About the presenter 
Roland Grafström is a professor at the Karolinska Institute of Environmental Medicine. His work has involved use of human cell models for toxicity analyses and omics-based biomarker discovery, including methods development, standardization, pilot marketing, and IPR.

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Threat Multiplier: Climate, Military Leadership, and the Fight for Global Security

September 13, 2024

Sherri Goodman is a senior fellow at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program and Polar Institute, and secretary general of the International Military Council on Climate and Security. She is credited with educating a generation of U.S. military and government officials about the nexus between climate change and national security, using her famous coinage, “threat multiplier,” to fundamentally reshape the national discourse on the topic.

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