John Pichtel is a professor of Environment, Geology and Natural Resources at Ball State University in Muncie, IN, where he has been on the faculty since 1987. He received the PhD degree in Environmental Science at Ohio State University, the MS degree in Soil Chemistry/ Agronomy at Ohio State, and the BS degree in Natural Resources Management at Rutgers University. Dr. Pichtel's primary research and professional activities have been in remediation of contaminated sites, management of hazardous materials, and environmental chemistry. Dr Pichtel teaches courses in environmental site assessment, site remediation, emergency response to hazmat incidents, and management of solid and hazardous wastes.Dr. Pichtel is a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager. He holds memberships in the Institute of Hazardous Materials Managers, Sigma Xi Scientific Society, International Association of Arson Investigators, and the Indiana Academy of Science.

He was selected as a Fulbright Scholar in 1999 and again in 2005. Dr. Pichtel has written two books addressing waste management and cleanup of contaminated sites, and one book on response to weapons of mass destruction. He has been the author or coauthor of approximately 70 research articles. He has served as a consultant in hazardous waste management projects and has conducted environmental assessments and remediation research in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Finland, Italy, and Poland.Mathew Simpson is a PhD candidate in Environment, Geology and Natural Resources at Ball State University. He received the BS degree in Geology at Ball State University. Mr.

Simpson's PhD research focuses on the characterization and ecotoxicology of microplastics in freshwater ecosystems. He has conducted research on the presence of microplastics in high alpine aquatic environments in Nepal. Mr. Simpson has experience in water quality studies developing water, sanitation, and hygiene programs; and phase 1 and 2 environmental site assessments. He is certified in Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response. Mr. Simpson is an active member of the Geological Society of America, American Geophysical Union, and the National Science Policy Network.