The Environmental Behavior of the Flame Retardant Decabromodiphenyl Ether: Understanding the Risk of a New Class of Pollutant
Joel Baker
Port of Tacoma Chair in Environmental Science
Science Director, Center for Urban Waters, UW Tacoma
8 April 2008
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About the speaker
Joel Baker has led water and air quality assessments in a variety of complex ecosystems, including the Great Lakes, the Hudson River and Chesapeake Bay. In January, Dr. Baker joined the University of Washington Tacoma as the first Port of Tacoma Chair in environmental science. He is also on the Puget Sound Partnership's Science Panel. Dr. Baker leads UWT's environmental research, advises the Port and City of Tacoma and other local groups, and serves as science director for the Center for Urban Waters.
Dr. Baker's research focuses on pollutant transport and fate in natural waters and the accumulation of chemicals in aquatic food webs. His goal is to learn how pollutant sources and cycling mechanisms can be controlled to protect the health of humans and the ecosystem.
Before coming to UWT, Dr. Baker was a professor at the University of Maryland's Chesapeake Biological Laboratory. He led a research group studying the flow of contaminants from the atmosphere and surface water to the marine environment. He received his bachelors degree from SUNY College of Environmental Sciences, and his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in Civil Engineering.