{"id":13392,"date":"2020-09-22T22:17:41","date_gmt":"2020-09-23T02:17:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/steep\/?page_id=13392"},"modified":"2026-03-06T15:53:02","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T20:53:02","slug":"newsletter","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/steep\/news-events\/newsletter\/","title":{"rendered":"Newsletter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Stay in the loop on the latest research, events, and who’s crushing it in the lab: signing up for our STEEP Pathways Newsletter is easier than pronouncing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\nsubscribe to STEEP newsletter<\/a>\n\n\n

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STEEP Newsletter 2025 Issue 1<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Voices from STEEP<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Watch the U.S. Senate Committee Hearing: Examining the Public Health Impacts of PFAS Exposures<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re putting Teflon in our mouth<\/em>,” Laurel Schaider, PhD, STEEP Community Engagement Core co-lead and Project 4 lead, discussing dental floss as an example of PFAS in everyday products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On December 5, 2024, Schaider gave expert testimony to the Subcommittee on Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice, and Regulatory Oversight of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works at the hearing, Examining the Public Health Impacts of PFAS Exposures. Schaider was joined by other witnesses Sue Fenton, PhD, Director of the Center for Human Health and the Environment, Professor of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University; and Michael D. Larra\u00f1aga, PhD, PE, President and Managing Principal, R.E.M. Risk Consultants.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n

Research Feature<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Developed Models Expand Understanding of PFAS Bioaccumulation<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n
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Co-authored by STEEP trainee Jennifer Sun, this publication was featured as the NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) Research Brief for January 2025<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Community Engagement<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>Lohmann Contributes to PFAS Fact Sheet for CT Sea Grant<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

STEEP Director Rainer Lohmann, PhD recently contributed to a fact sheet, PFAS in New England Shellfish<\/em><\/a>, for Connecticut Sea Grant at the University of Connecticut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Research Highlights<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

STEEP Director Lohmann Co-Authors Award-Winning Paper<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n
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\u201cConflicts of Interest in the Assessment of Chemicals, Waste, and Pollution\u201d was recently selected as the second joint runner-up in the category Feature, Viewpoint, or Perspective<\/strong> in the 2023<\/em> Environmental Science & Technology Best Paper Awards<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Wastewater Discharge Impacts Drinking Water for ~23M Americans<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n
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Research from former STEEP trainee Bridger Ruyle, PhD, and STEEP collaborators, finds large amounts of organofluorine in discharged wastewater, a critical concern for the quality of downstream drinking water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Research Finds Fish Contamination Far from PFAS Source<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n
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STEEP scientists discover PFAS in fish nearly 5 miles downstream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read More\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kidney Transport and Elimination Across 14 PFAS<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n
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STEEP Project 3 examines permeability and other properties to predict PFAS movement to and from the kidneys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read More\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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PFAS and the Pandemic: Connecting COVID-19 Deaths with PFAS in Drinking Water<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n
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Lohmann joined scientists and regulators from 18 countries to discuss progress made from 2017-2022, highlighting the need to expand collaboration, communication, and diversity within the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read More\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Research Links PFOS and Coronary Heart Disease<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n
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In a study examining 101 participants for seven PFAS, PFOS is found to have a significant association with the disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read More\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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STEEP Research Collaboration: A Review of PFAS in the Arctic<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n
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Existing studies show clear PFAS contamination of remote waters and animals; a panel of international scientists call for stricter regulations and community engagement to combat a crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read More\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Drinking Water Ferries Unregulated Contaminants to More than 97 Million US Residents<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n
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STEEP collaborates on research looking at relationships between unregulated contaminants and socioeconomic disparities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read More\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What Can Whale Baleen Tell Us About PFAS in the Ocean?<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n
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A study co-authored by STEEP researchers found baleen may be able to detail PFAS exposure over time, and provide information about a whale\u2019s life history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read More\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Other Related Publications<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

STEEP Director Lohmann Leads International Effort on Pollutant Passive Sampling<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n
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When not researching PFAS, Lohmann collaborates with AQUA-GAPS\/MONET, an international passive sampling effort assessing persistent organic pollutants in global waters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read More\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Program Updates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

STEEP Beyond the Lab<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
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In December, trainee Asta Habtemichael<\/strong> prepared plankton tissue samples for PFAS extraction as part of his work with STEEP Project 4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Taylor Elpers<\/strong>, trainee in STEEP Project 4, deploys DGTs (passive samplers) developed by fellow trainee Jarod Snook. Elpers is collecting data from the Woonasquatucket River, an urban river in Providence, Rhode Island, to understand PFAS concentrations in the water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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STEEP Trainee Accomplishments<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Congratulations, Jahred Liddie, PhD!<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
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Congratulations to STEEP trainee Jahred Liddie, Harvard University, for successfully defending his Ph.D. dissertation, Trends and Disparities in Contamination by PFAS in United States Community Water Systems.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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SERDP ESTCP Highlights Snook<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
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On LinkedIn, STEEP trainee and PhD candidate Jarod Snook was highlighted for his poster<\/a> at the 2024 DoD Energy and Environment Innovation Symposium. Snook, working within STEEP Project 4 at the University of Rhode Island, presented his Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) project focusing on the evaluation and validation of passive samplers capable of quantitatively pre-concentrating a wide range of PFAS from surface water, groundwater, and porewater. Learn more on the SERDP & ESTCP website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Op-Ed Features<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

FLUOROS Global: A Story of Subtle Evolution from Scientific Conference to Discourse Community<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n
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Written by Asta Zerue Habtemichael, STEEP trainee and PhD candidate, University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scientific conferences are a critical forum to network, communicate research and new findings, and engage in debate toward the advancement of science. We examine FLUOROS Global as a discourse forum, exploring its evolution from a chemical science platform to a distinctly transdisciplinary approach to research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read More\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Merits of an Externship<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n
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Written by Justin Sankey, STEEP trainee and PhD candidate, University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are a graduate student, like me, you may find yourself wondering about externships: what they are, how to find labs to work with, how they will benefit your research\/career development, etc. Having the benefit of belonging to a NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP), I had the unprecedented opportunity to talk to senior Ph.D. candidates about experiences with externships, from where they worked to the skills and experiences gained through them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read More\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Soundbites from STEEP<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUltimately, we need to do a better job at protecting source waters and reducing discharges of pollutants into water bodies that feed into our drinking water supplies.\u201d \u2013 <\/strong>Laurel Schaider, PhD, Project 4 and Community Engagement Core Co-Lead, in response to press coverage of a recent STEEP research collaboration<\/a>. This research was widely publicized, featured in Newsweek<\/em><\/a>, New York Post<\/em><\/a>, and Phys.org<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can look for flosses that say PTFE, that\u2019s the chemical name for Teflon, as another clue.\u201d \u2013 <\/strong>Schaider was also recently featured on Houston\u2019s Fox 26<\/a> to talk about PFAS in dental floss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have a better understanding of the vast scope of the problem.\u201d \u2013 <\/strong>STEEP Director Rainer Lohmann, PhD, in the recent feature article, POINT OF ORIGIN: Researchers are profiling the sources and movement of \u2018forever chemical\u2019 contamination<\/em><\/a>, from the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[It\u2019s] chemical whack-a-mole.\u201d<\/strong>\u2014Elsie Sunderland, PhD, STEEP Project 1 Lead, describing the rapid development and yet unknown health impacts of new PFAS compounds, as quoted in an article for France 24<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Stay in the loop on the latest research, events, and who’s crushing it in the lab: signing up for our STEEP Pathways Newsletter is easier than pronouncing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. STEEP Newsletter 2025 Issue 1 Research Feature Developed Models Expand Understanding of PFAS Bioaccumulation Co-authored by STEEP trainee Jennifer Sun, this publication was featured […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4688,"featured_media":0,"parent":950,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-13392","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/steep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13392","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/steep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/steep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/steep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4688"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/steep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13392"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/steep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13392\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18234,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/steep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13392\/revisions\/18234"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/steep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/steep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}