As part of our mission to promote knowledge transfer, collaboration, and professional development related to the remediation of complex sites, we host technical seminars on a wide-ranging set of topics. To reach our broad international network, these seminars are offered online. We welcome suggestions for future seminar topics. Search Seminars by Year 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 Sign up here for RemPlex News

2025 Seminar Series

Subsurface Sensing: Advancing Electrical Geophysical Techniques for Non-Invasive Characterization and Monitoring at Complex Sites

• Tuesday, June 3, 2025

• 8:00 – 9:30 a.m. PDT | 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. EDT | 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. CEST

• Zoom registration is open

This seminar will explore the application of geophysical techniques for understanding, characterizing and monitoring complex remediation sites, with a special focus on the Spectral Induced Polarization (SIP) method. SIP is an exciting emerging geophysical technology that can offer unique non-invasive information on both the physical and geochemical conditions of the subsurface—particularly in environments where contamination and heterogeneous geological conditions pose significant challenges to collecting data at relevant spatial and temporal scales. The presenters will highlight recent advancements in both lab-scale analysis of SIP signals and their field-scale applications, including several case studies. This session will provide environmental scientists, engineers, and practitioners with an understanding of how SIP might be used to enhance the understanding of subsurface processes and improve remediation outcomes at complex sites.

• Dr. Lee Slater, Distinguished Professor Rutgers University-Newark. A brief introduction to the spectral induced polarization geophysical method.

• Dr. Adrián Flores-Orozco, Head of Geophysics Institute, TU Wien (Vienna, Austria). Geophysical imaging for the design and evaluation of groundwater remediation strategies. 

• Dr. Hilary Emerson, Research Scientist and Environmental Engineer, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Advancing our laboratory-scale understanding of spectral induced polarization for remediation monitoring.

2024 Seminar Series

Sustainable Remediation and Decommissioning in Practice

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

• Panel of four international speakers

• Find the video, presentations, and more details on the seminar web page.

“Sustainable Remediation and Decommissioning in Practice” explored how to incorporate sustainable outcomes into the planning phases of remediation and decommissioning projects, how these outcomes are measured and vary across the breadth of activities, and specific approaches and initiatives that can provide confidence in reaching sustainable goals.

Much emphasis is placed on the need for remediation and decommissioning projects to be sustainable, with a general understanding that this means the outcomes of such projects balance environmental, economic, and social considerations. Conceptually, the linkages between these considerations are well-defined and broadly endorsed. In practice, however, achieving sustainable solutions can be a significant challenge—particularly when measured across the many discrete activities that may be undertaken across typically protracted project life cycles. In addition, identifying and implementing sustainable solutions often requires extensive engagement across all stakeholder groups and resolution of sometimes-competing objectives and priorities.

This seminar was hosted by RemPlex in collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Network of Environmental Remediation and NORM Management (ENVIRONET). 

 

Workforce Development in the Environmental Remediation Field

Tuesday, August 13, 2024

• Panel of six international speakers
• Find the video, more details, and resources on the seminar web page

Access to a trained workforce is one of the biggest challenges facing implementation of technically sound, cost-effective, timely, and sustainable remediation projects. Even in sectors and countries with robust remediation-support infrastructure, workforce development can be a significant constraint that threatens to worsen as the current workforce ages towards retirement. This seminar engaged panelists with direct experience as STEM education program managers, university-level educators, and agency and industry leaders who are facing shortages of trained staff. Centered on a discussion of workforce development challenges and opportunities, topics explored included: building effective multidisciplinary teams that integrate physical sciences, engineering, health risk management, information technology, cost estimation and budgeting, project management, stakeholder engagement, and more; growing a pipeline of professional development that spans the recruitment of students through providing continuing education for the existing workforce; making sure the expertise and experience of senior practitioners is retained through knowledge management; and developing a diverse workforce and maximizing its value. The seminar was jointly hosted by RemPlex and the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Network of Environmental Remediation and NORM Management (ENVIRONET).

 

Optimizing Remediation Outcomes Through Integration of Geologic and Geophysical Data

 April 23, 2024

• Presented by Rick Cramer and Mike Shultz, Burns & McDonnell; Judy Robinson, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
• Learn more here, including the seminar recording, presentation slides, full abstract and speaker bios

The most challenging element of any remediation project, particularly those with groundwater contamination, is the uncertainty and potential heterogeneity of subsurface conditions. Subsurface heterogeneity has confounded the progress, delayed remediation goals, and caused budget overruns for many groundwater restoration efforts. Conceptual site models (CSMs) need to provide a reasonably accurate and complete representation of the subsurface in order to successfully guide groundwater remediation activities. This seminar will discuss best practices for integrating geologic and geophysical data to enhance CSMs and optimize remediation outcomes. Read more.

 

End-State Driven Performance-Based Management of P&T Remedies

February 20, 2024 

Performance-based optimization and/or management of pump and treat (P&T) remedies is a critical strategy for maintaining contaminant removal effectiveness throughout the remedy’s lifetime and for managing systems toward a certain end-state for site completion or a remedy transition. This seminar will present a pre-screening tool developed to conduct end-state-driven P&T performance evaluations. Inci Demirkanli and Xuehang Song from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will discuss how the tool presents a systematic and adaptive approach that couples a simplified field-scale model with optimization algorithms to assess the potential impacts of various P&T management strategies and specific site features on multiple remedy objectives.

Learn more here (including video and presentation)

 

2023 Presentation Highlights

Assessing Environmental Remediation Technologies: Groundwater and Soils May 23, 2023, and August 15, 2023 This two-part seminar series, jointly hosted by RemPlex and the IAEA, uses case studies to provide an analysis on remedy efficiency, effectiveness, sustainability, availability, complexity, long-term requirements, and more. The groundwater remediation technologies seminar was held May 23, 2023. The soil remediation technologies seminar was held August 15, 2023. Read more here
Environmental Behavior and Remediation of Contaminated Sites with Cationic Radionuclides: The Cases of Cs and Sr February 14, 2023 A discussion of the current understanding of cesium and strontium behavior in complex contaminated sites, including data on the deposition, distribution, fate, and transport; permeable reactive barriers; and emerging remediation strategies. Read more here   2022 Presentation Highlights
From the Classroom to Cleanup: Internships in Environmental Science December 14, 2022 Learn about research being done to address environmental challenges and how you could be part of that through internship programs such as SULI, CCI, MSIPP, SRAP, and YWIS. Read more here
Chlorinated Solvent Remediation at the Petro-Processors Superfund Site in Louisiana October 25, 2022 Remediation is underway at the Petro-Processors, Inc., Superfund site north of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Past practices at the site involved the disposal of liquid wastes that were a mixture of hydrocarbons and chlorinated organics. Read more here
Using Risk Assessment to Guide Environmental Remediation Decisions July 26, 2022 The primary objective of environmental remediation is to reduce potential exposures to hazardous substances to acceptably safe levels. The determination of cleanup objectives frequently involves the adoption of existing standards, such as... Read more here
Climate Resilience in Remedial Design and Implementation April 26, 2022 Environmental remediation of complex sites typically involves the implementation and operation of remedial actions over long time frames. The process of selecting and integrating effective remediation and treatment technologies based on... Read more here
Source Area Remediation in Complex Subsurface Conditions At Joint Base Lewis-McChord January 25, 2022 Learn the strategic monitoring approaches and remedy design work to address subsurface contamination from trichloroethene (TCE), which was inadvertently released from deteriorating drums in a Joint Base Lewis-McChord landfill.  Read more here

2021 Presentation Highlights

Visual Sample Plan: Spatial Sampling and Analysis Capabilities July 20, 2021 The Visual Sample Plan is a geospatial software tool that supports the development of a defensible sampling plan for environmental remediation. Based on statistical sampling theory and the statistical analysis of sample results... Read more here
Development of Options to Limit Groundwater Impacts from Silo Leakage May 19, 2021 The Magnox Swarf Storage Silos is a legacy waste storage facility at the Sellafield Nuclear Site in northwest England. Sellafield Ltd is removing the wastes from the building and exporting them to a modern storage system, but... Read more here
Moving Beyond Subjectivity: Informed Optimization Concepts in Enhancing Groundwater Extraction and Recirculation Remedy Performance April 28, 2021 A team of experts from environmental consulting firm Arcadis (Chief Hydrogeologist Scott Potter, Vice President Kelly Houston, and Project Hydrogeologist Jennifer Wahlberg) discussed contaminant plume restoration data. Read more here
Web-Based Data Access and Analysis Workbench to Support Environmental Restoration Decision-Making March 31, 2021 PNNL Senior Development Engineer Chris Johnson and Data Scientist Patrick Royer discussed how web-based tools offer an improved approach for working with large environmental data sets.  Read more here
Modeling and measuring the transport of foam in porous media in the presence of nanoparticles February 23, 2021 Dr. Valentina Prigiobbe with the Stevens Institute of Technology explains a numerical model developed for the analysis of the removal of a contaminant (trichloroethylene, or TCE) from low permeability porous media and provides examples of... Read more here
Hanford 200-PW-1 Operable Unit Soil Vapor Extraction Endpoint Evaluation January 26, 2021 Chris Johnson, PNNL senior development engineer, and Mark Byrnes, CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Company project manager, discuss following Soil Vapor Extraction guidance and assessing performance data to present lines of evidence to... Read more here

 2020 Presentation Highlights

Calcium carbonate minerals as scavengers of metals and radionuclides for natural attenuation and remediation December 1, 2020 Calcium carbonate interactions affect contaminant fate and transport in the subsurface environmental systems. Earth Scientist Amanda Lawter and Lab Fellow Nik Qafoku provide insights on the use of calcium carbonate natural attenuation mechanisms and... Read more here
Integrating Key Capabilities for the Remediation of Complex Sites October 27, 2020 PNNL integrates a range of capabilities in multi-scale experimentation, modeling and simulation, and characterization and monitoring to translate science innovation into practical, cost-effective solutions for field implementation. Read more here
Evaluation Approaches for Transitioning from Active to Passive Remediation September 23, 2020 In the context of managing complex sites and phased remedies, there is a need to defensibly support decisions to transition between remediation elements, in particular for transitioning from active to passive remediation.  Read more here
Understanding Environmental Site Conditions: What do we need to know to select and implement effective remedies? August 11, 2020 Technical information about contaminants, exposure pathways, and factors that affect how candidate remedies perform at a specific site are used to support selecting and implementing environmental remedies. How do we determine the type and extent of... Read more here
Implications of Uranium Behavior in the Subsurface for Environmental Remediation June 18, 2020 Environmental Engineer Jim Szecsody and Earth Scientist Hilary Emerson share insights gathered from uranium characterization and remediation efforts at the Hanford Site in Washington and at the Rifle Mill Site in Colorado. Read more here
Introducing the Center for the Remediation of Complex Sites May 15, 2020 Director Dawn Wellman discusses how RemPlex fosters technical stewardship, builds partnerships, and advanced the R&D needed to translate science and engineering innovation into practical, adaptive, operational solutions to address complex site remediation. Read more here

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