Dr. Schug has expertise in sample preparation, chromatography, and mass spectrometry analysis of small molecules. He is the corresponding author on the recent article published in the Environmental Science and Technology (Fontenot et al. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2013) describing groundwater quality in the Barnett shale. Dr. Schug oversees study design, coordination of analyses, coordination of personnel and projects, data interpretation, and manuscript writing in all ongoing projects. Dr. Schug can be contacted directly (kschug@uta.edu) for those interested in being CLEAR Affiliates.
Dr. Carlton has considerable knowledge and experience with GC-MS, HS-GC-FID, ICP-MS, ICP-OES and TOC/TN analyses, having performed all of the advanced chemical characterizations for the 2011 study of groundwater quality in the Barnett Shale. Dr. Carlton contributes to study design, data interpretation and manuscript writing, in addition to coordinating a majority of the chemical analyses.
Dr. Hildenbrand has expertise in groundwater quality having collected thousands of samples throughout the major shale plays in Texas. He is one of the co-principal investigators on studies of groundwater quality in the Barnett, Cline and Eagle Ford shale plays where he contributes to study design, sample coordination, basic water quality analyses, data interpretation and manuscript writing. Dr. Hildenbrand contributes heavily to participant relations and dissemination for CLEAR projects
Dr. Fontenot is a quantitative biologist and is one of the co-principal investigators on current studies of groundwater quality in the Barnett, Cline and Eagle Ford shales. Dr. Fontenot contributes to the design and application of statistical analyses, as well as data interpretation and manuscript writing for all ongoing research studies.
Dr. Dasgupta has extensive experience with the detection, quantification, and characterization of trace elements and compounds, especially utilizing ion chromatography and spectroscopy. Dr. Dasgupta and his team specialize in major ion analyses and ICP-MS, particularly the quantification and speciation of arsenic.
Dr. Dias is an inorganic chemist and an expert in catalysis. His team designs materials-based methods for active water remediation, and investigates fundamental aspects of chemical reactions and alterations relevant to removal of contaminants from drinking and waste water.
Dr. Foss is an organic chemist who specializes in the design of organic frameworks that mimic natural systems. His team is working on the design of organic catalysts that can act in concert with other materials/processes or photoactivation to actively degrade chemical contaminants in aqueous systems.
Dr. Pierce is a biochemical inorganic chemist who specializes in the study of metal-containing enzymes. He is cultivating and applying biochemical enzymes, specifically from extremophiles, that can act in concert with other materials/processes to actively degrade chemical contaminants in aqueous systems.
Dr. Meik has considerable expertise in data analysis using various platforms including R and SAS, and specializes in model selection and multivariate statistical analysis. Dr. Meik contributes to the design and application of statistical analyses as well as to data interpretation and manuscript writing.
Ms. Walton is an expert in GIS geospatial analyses and has been a contributing scientist since her involvement in the 2011 study of groundwater quality in the Barnett Shale.
Dr. Roelke is an expert in field biology and has considerable experience in coordinating sampling excursions with participating land owners.
Dr. Payne has over 35 years experience in multi-disciplinary work in research and applied soil and environmental science. His work has been focused on management of residual and industrial wastes and soil, water and air quality impacts of fossil fuel mining and utilization. Since 2011 his work has focused on methane emissions, especially from natural gas development and infrastructure, and the air and water quality impacts of such emissions.
Dr. Habib is a social scientist and strategic communication expert. Her research is focused on mass media coverage of High Volume Hydraulic Fracking, as well as the personal experiences of community members who live in heavily drilled shale plays.
Mr. Williams is a seasoned director, producer, and strategic communication professor. He currently collaborates with affiliates at CLEAR to assist in research and content creation for CLEAR's marketing communication.
The goal at Inform Environmental is to provide comprehensive groundwater analyses and monitoring services to inform concerned citizens, municipalities, groundwater conservation districts and industrial colleagues about the potential effects of anthropogenic processes like unconventional drilling; as to facilitate greater environmental stewardship. Inform Environmental has managed research efforts in all of the major shale formations in the state of Texas and also has operations in other regions of the United States, Canada, South America and Europe that are currently engaged in unconventional drilling
American Water Recycling (AWR) specializes in the fabrication of thin-layer graphene membranes for separation of chemical constituents from waste products, specifically produced water from unconventional drilling operations. AWR also recycles unwanted waste products from the unconventional drilling process to be converted in biofuels.