The Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry

Hudson-Delaware Regional Chapter

Spring Meeting

April 13, 2026 | Princeton, New Jersey

The Hudson-Delaware (HDC) Regional Chapter of SETAC held its annual spring meeting on Monday, April 13^th 2026, at Manhattan University in Riverdale, New York. Nearly 70 registrants from academia, industry, and government attended the in-person meeting in the beautiful 4^th floor conference room of the Kelly Commons Building. Industry attendees included representatives from Eurofins Environment Testing, ExxonMobil, Geosyntec, GHD, HDR Engineering & HDR Inc, Mutch Associates, LLC, Normandeau Associates, Inc., Pennoni Associates, Terraphase Engineering Inc., Wetlands & Ecology, Inc., WSP, and WSP USA Solutions, Inc. Government agencies represented included US EPA Region 2, US EPA Region 3, NJDEP, NYCDEP, NYSDEC, and the Delaware River Basin Commission. Academic attendees came from Columbia University, Drexel University, Manhattan University, New York University, Rowan University, Rutgers University, Stevens Institute of Technology, Temple University, Thomas Jefferson University, University of Delaware, University of Marland Baltimore Country, and University of Michigan. The meeting provided free registration for 24 students, most of which presented platform or posters highlighting their research.

The one-day event featured a diverse range of scientific presentations, including 10 platform presentations and 14 poster presentations, covering a wide range of environmental and toxicological research topics. Highlights included an invited technical keynote by Dr. Dibs Sarkar (former HDC President) from Stevens Institute of Technology on emerging and our meeting keynote presenter, Margie Turrin, Director of Educational Field Programs at Lamon-Doherty Earth Observatory.

The event began at 8:00 a.m. with doors opening for registration, breakfast, poster setup, and networking, followed by a welcome address and chapter update by HDC-SETAC President Joy McGrath. The morning platform presentations commenced with a talk from Dr. Upal Ghosh on in-situ sequestration and degradation of PCBs in sediments, followed by presentations on adaptive management as part of the upper Hudson River monitoring and an overview of urban waterway improvements in New York City. The mid-morning session included our student platform presentations covering topics related to PFAS, biofilms on activated carbon, and comparative effects of thermal and chemical stress to Atlantic tomcod. A buffet-style lunch was served at noon which led directly into a rapid fire poster session where students shared very brief summaries of their work.

The poster session highlighted the work of twelve students and two professionals, covering topics such as PFAS treatment, PFAS occurrence, fate, & transport, urban environmental contamination, microplastics transformation, and heavy metal occurrence and chemistry in environmental media. All student poster presenters gave a 2-minute rapid-fire presentation on their research. The afternoon session featured our two keynote speakers, Dr. Dibs Sarkar and Margie Turrin, as well as professional presentations on data management, 1,4-dioxane treatment, and PFAS fish consumption advisories.

The meeting was a resounding success, with engaging presentations and discussions. We recognized the outstanding work of eight students through our prestigious student awards program.

The three platform presentation awards were given to:

1^st Place: Renee Heller, NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Presentation Title: A comparison of the effects of thermal stress and chemical exposure on Atlantic tomcod from the Hudson River and Downeast Maine

2^nd Place: Daniel Doron Nelson, Drexel University
Presentation Title: Developing Methods to Promote Bacterial Growth on Activated Carbon

3^rd Place: Akinola Ayoola Ewuola, Temple University
Presentation Title: Effects of pH and dissolved organic matter on PFAS accumulation at air–water interfaces in groundwater

Four poster awards were given to:

1^st Place: Lisa Lomax, Thomas Jefferson University
Presentation Title: Preliminary Assessment of Lead in Dried Herbs from Online and Market Sources

2^nd Place: Jada-Zara Agyare-Twun, Thomas Jefferson University
Presentation Title: Concentration Levels of Lead in Honey Brands from Supermarkets in Lancaster County, PA

3^rd Place (Tie): Mahnoor Sultan, Manhattan University
Presentation Title: Dual-Phase Assessment of Fluoridone: Detection by Fluorescence Spectroscopy and Degradation by Conventional Water Disinfection Methods

 3^rd Place (Tie): Khalid Mustafa, Stevens Institute of Technology
Presentation Title: Reuse of Drinking Water Treatment Residuals for Stabilizing PFAS in Biosolids

The top platform winner is also eligible to receive a registration waiver for the SETAC North America October meeting. The day concluded with an evening social event that was well attended.

The meeting was made possible by generous donations from our sponsors, including ExxonMobil, FMC, GHD, Pace Analytical, The ELM Group, Anchor QEA, Aqua Survey, Inc., ERM, Normandeau Associates, Terraphase Engineering, WSP, and Yates Environmental Sciences, Inc.

We look forward to having you join us next year.