Speaker Date: February 27, 2026

Microplastics and Other Contaminants of Emerging Concern

The talk will focus on microplastics and other contaminants of emerging concern, such as PFAS, plasticizers, pharmaceuticals, flame retardants, etc. I will discuss where they come from in the environment, where we encounter them in our daily lives and the latest research discoveries.

Video Presentation

Olya Keen

Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director, UNC Charlotte

BIOGRAPHY

Olya Keen received her BS and MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of South Florida and her PhD in the same discipline for University of Colorado at Boulder. She has been a faculty member in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UNC Charlotte for 13 years. She has published over 30 peer-reviewed articles on contaminants of emerging concern and ways to treat them in water.