The SERDP & ESTCP Symposium is rapidly approaching and we have a number of short courses being offered that feature work funded under the Environmental Restoration Program Area.

On Wednesday afternoon, November 29, 2017, we’re offering two short courses. The first will be presented by Dr. Charles Schaefer from CDM Smith and will summarize efforts from his recent technology transfer project. The overall goal of his short course is to highlight recent advances in our understanding of the fate and transport of chlorinated solvents in fractured bedrock, and how these advances can be used for improved management of the DoD’s fractured rock sites. The focus will be on verified and demonstrated technologies, tools, and fundamental mechanisms, and how they can be readily and cost effectively applied to fractured rock sites. Specific topics that will be covered include diffusion and abiotic dechlorination in rock matrices, assessing and treating DNAPL sources present in fractures, and assessing contaminant flux.

Dr. Lee Slater from Rutgers University will present the second course on Wednesday afternoon based on his technology transfer project on geophysics. This short course will discuss guidelines and new technology transfer tools to assist environmental site professionals in deciding, (1) when to consider applying geophysical methods, (2) how to evaluate the likely suitability of a geophysical technique at a site, and (3) how to perform desktop feasibility studies to determine whether a particular target/objective is realistically achievable. The short course will empower environmental site professionals to make informed decisions about the use of geophysics in support of environmental site management through better understanding of the subsurface and associated cost savings that result.

On Thursday afternoon, November 30, 2017, we are offering another two courses. Dr. Jennifer Field from Oregon State University will conduct a course on frequently asked questions on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) that were developed under her technology transfer project. The course is a 1.5-hour workshop in which eight frequently-asked questions are addressed including 1) what are PFASs, 2) what are aqueous film forming foams (AFFF), 3) what are other sources of PFASs, 4) in what environmental media have PFASs been found, 5) what are the fate and transport of PFASs in the environment, 6) what characterization and remedial tools are available/effective for PFASs, 7) what are the human exposure pathways and health effects, and 8) what are the current regulatory issues? The short course is aimed towards remedial project managers and other stakeholders by offering a concise summary on the state-of-knowledge regarding PFASs associated with the use of AFFFs at U.S. military sites.

Our final Environmental Restoration short course will be led by Dr. Dave Reynolds from Geosyntec Consultants. Dr. Reynolds will present an interactive online training tool (TEMPO – Training for Environmental Monitoring Performance Optimization) developed under his technology transfer project. TEMPO focuses on teaching users the methodology and science behind monitoring, critical performance indicators and metrics, inherent uncertainty in field-acquired data, the differences in investigation and monitoring approaches, and the design and assessment of monitoring systems. TEMPO includes a graphical user interface (GUI) built around the virtual site datasets (VSDs) and simulated investigation tools developed in SERDP project ER-2313, as well as additional VSDs generated for this project. The GUI will allow users to select one of two training modules (Site Investigation and Long Term Monitoring), select from the 7 VSDs, and then be presented with a map interface that uses Geographical Information Systems (GIS) technology. TEMPO will load or generate “pop-up” reports that provide users with VSD data. These reports, along with images of “deployed” items, can be exported and saved for future use.

All short courses are offered at no cost to Symposium registrants, but do require registration. You can register for these short courses at the SERDP & ESTCP Symposium web site as part of the Symposium registration process.