In the News
April 13, 2021 | Duke Graduate School
Ph.D. Student Investigating Potential Cause of Mysterious Kidney Disease
Jake Ulrich, a Ph.D. candidate in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department on the Environmental Health Engineering track, has been working to identify potential contaminants in rural Sri Lanka well water that might be related to a mysterious kidney disease.
March 25, 2021 | Duke Graduate School
Ph.D. Student, Graduate School Collaborate on Guide for Reporting Misconducts
The interactive guide, based on the work of Ph.D. candidate Kirsten Overdahl, helps graduate students better understand the options and processes for reporting harassment, discrimination, and other concerns
December 8, 2020 | Center for Biological Diversity
Plastic Pollution Activist Heads to Washington (Virtually)
Imari Walker Karega joined a panel of advocates and experts to discuss how petrochemical expansion is worsening both pollution and the climate crisis, and what meaningful actions could be taken immediately by the President-elect. The virtual event was sponsored by The Center for Biological Diversity and Break Free From Plastic.
November 18, 2020 | WHQR
CoastLine: Water Contamination By PFAS Still Plagues NC And The Cape Fear Region
PFAS, a class of manmade chemicals in the drinking water supply of the Cape Fear region, are unregulated, likely carcinogenic and otherwise toxic to humans
October 22, 2020 | Duke Nicholas School of the Environment
New Project Aims to Combat Toxic Power Dynamics and Enhance Equity in PhD Education
Developed with support from the Nicholas School Dean’s Office and the Duke-wide Re-imagining Doctoral Education (RiDE) initiative, a new project empowers and protects students by establishing standards for productive and respectful relationships between students and their faculty advisors, mentors [...]
October 5, 2020 | San Francisco Estuary
Match Points in Stormwater Soup
Regional Monitoring Program (RMP) finds urban stormwater runoff is major source of some less-studied chemicals in San Franciso Bay waters
September 2, 2020 | Duke Today
Imari Walker Is on a Mission to Protect Our Health From Microplastics
Imari Walker hosts a YouTube science education series, and she has a message: These microplastics are ubiquitous in our environment, and they have an impact on our health and bodies.
June 26, 2020 | Pratt School of Engineering
Water Bottles: Canceled
CEE PhD student Imari Walker Karega wants the public to understand why environmental engineering research is important to daily life
March 16, 2020 | Duke Today
Microplastic Fibers Linked to Respiratory, Reproductive Changes in Fish
Anna Lewis and Lee Ferguson collaborate with Nicholas School colleagues to show that exposure to microplastics causes cellular changes in fish and may disrupt endocrine systems
February 10, 2020 | Duke Today
What's in North Carolina Drinking Water?
Faculty report on potential contaminants in the state's drinking water—and how they are helping us get a handle on the problem
February 5, 2020 | Duke Research Blog
Contaminated Drinking Water in Our Backyard
Ferguson and his research team have tested more than 400 sites in North Carolina for PFAS compounds. Efforts were presented at a Duke SciComm Lunch-and-Learn.
November 25, 2018 | Environmental Factor, NIEHS News
Researchers respond quickly after Hurricane Florence
After Hurricane Florence devastated southeastern North Carolina, NIEHS grantees hit the ground running to test for contaminants.
November 25, 2018 | Environmental Factor, NIEHS News
PFAS contamination spurs university research collaboration
North Carolina researchers gathered to discuss a group of chemicals called PFAS that contaminate some of the state’s drinking water.
October 29, 2018 | Port City Daily
Scientist says GenX legislation based on his work is good start, but limited by lobbyists
The scientist behind the general assembly’s attempts to deal with GenX and other polyfluorinated chemicals has called the legislation “visionary” and a model for future studies, but he also says it’s not what scientists or legislatures initially intended.
October 18, 2018 | StarNews Media
OPINION, Dr. Lee Ferguson: Legislature’s visionary effort to safeguard drinking water
Consortium of water-quality researchers from universities across state tackling emerging-contaminants threat.
September 20, 2018 | Newsy
Florence Risks Worse Pollution Than Previous Hurricanes
North Carolina, which is the second-largest producer of pork in the nation, has been drenched with rain from the storm, causing pollution concerns.
August 28, 2018 | Environmental Factor, NIEHS News
Environmental chemistry goes high-tech
Lee Ferguson develops sophisticated environmental chemistry methods to discover chemicals in drinking water and inside homes.
August 16, 2018 | StarNews Media
Is GenX in the water? NC research project aims to find out
The NC Policy Collaboratory will help utilities find out is there are man-made contaminants in their drinking water supplies.
August 8, 2018 | Duke Today
Duke Expert Helps Spearhead State's New Water-Testing Program
Screening program hopes to avoid the next GenX contamination problem.