Emergency Response Research Webinar Series

Free webinars typically held on the second Wednesday of the month. Special webinars on COVID-19 research are conducted as research results become available. 

EPA's Office of Research and Development hosts this webinar series to share current research activities and results. This webinar series covers the latest information on research supporting EPA's response to chemical, biological, and radiological incidents, as well as natural disasters. This forum allows EPA to communicate directly with partners and stakeholders to foster collaboration and dissemination of information. 

NOTE: Attendees have the option of receiving a certificate of attendance. Acceptance of certificates is contingent on organization requirements—EPA cannot guarantee acceptance. Closed-captioned recordings of the webinars are provided below for later viewing and as a training resource; certificates cannot be provided for viewing webinar recordings. 

Webinar dates and topics are subject to change.

On this page:

• 2025 Schedule
• 2024 Webinar Recordings
• More Webinars by Topic Area

Upcoming Webinar

Cleaning Up Soil Contaminated with Pathogens

Wednesday, February 12, 2025, 2:00 - 3:00 PM ET

Registration Now Open

Soil may become contaminated with Bacillus anthracis spores, the bacterium causing anthrax disease, after their intentional release into the outdoor environment. Soil may also become contaminated with B. anthracis spores from animal carcasses that have died from the disease. Other pathogens may contaminate soil as well. Decontaminating the soil on-site would help minimize spread of the bio-contaminant. Emergency responders may face challenges in cleaning up soil as decontaminants prove less effective with depth and the more organic material (from decaying plants or other biomass) present in the soil.

This presentation will provide an overview of current research findings and technology available for sterilizing soil on-site. Information on soil treatment options that have been evaluated in the lab or in the field will be discussed, in terms of how well they work and how the decontaminant may be applied to the soil. Some background material on related issues, such as how far pathogens may disperse in the soil or how long they may survive in soil will also be presented.

About the Presenters

Joseph Wood is a Senior Research Engineer with EPA's Office of Research and Development, in the Homeland Security and Materials Management Division. He has been with the EPA since 1991 and has been conducting decontamination and waste treatment and disposal related research since 2004. His research primarily involves the testing, evaluation, and development of technologies that can be used to decontaminate materials and environmental matrices contaminated with biological agents. He is the primary author or co-author for 40 peer-reviewed journal articles and over 90 EPA published reports. He holds a master's degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) and is a licensed professional engineer.

Shannon Serre is currently with the EPA's Office of Emergency Management working in the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Consequence Management Advisory Team. He is focused on the response and recovery from a chemical, biological, or radiological incident. He has been involved in several field-scale projects including: the Bio-response Operational Testing and Evaluation (BOTE) project, Underground Transport Restoration (UTR) project, Operational Test and Evaluation of Chemical Remediation Technologies (OTECRA) project and is now involved with the Analysis for Coastal Operational Resiliency (AnCOR) project. Shannon has a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Utah.

2025 Schedule

If you are interested in being notified when new webinars are scheduled, please sign up to receive email notifications here: Receive emails for upcoming webinars.

Topic and presenters are subject to change. Additional information and registration links will be provided in advance of each webinar.

Date	Topic
February 12	Biological Decontamination
March 12	Drinking Water Decontamination
April 9	SWMM for Emergency Response Planning
May 14	Mobile Hot Zone Decontamination Cart
June 11	Emerging Technologies for Responder Training
July 9	Foreign Animal Disease Outbreak
August 13	Emergency Response Support from EPA
September 10	20 Years After Hurricane Katrina
November 12	Aerosol Treatment Testing Capability
December 10	Lithium Ion Batteries