The goal of this virtual conference, “Converging COVID-19, environment, health, and equity,” is to bring together different disciplines of environmental engineering and science (water, wastewater, air, food, waste, built environment) plus equity and climate change to discuss actions needed to form “a healthy, just and equitable society.” 

This conference will be held weekly from 12-1:30 pm ET over 6 weeks beginning on October 16^th, 2020 and ending on November 20^th, 2020. It will combine asynchronous ~3 minute videos produced on each speaker’s research, and shared on the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors’ (AEESP) YouTube Channel, and a professionally hosted synchronous 90 minute moderated, interactive webinar that is streamed live via YouTube. 

The six different synchronous sessions will feature a session chair, and the presenters who will be asked to give short introductions on the main takeaways showing how their research relates to the given interdisciplinary session topic. The session chair will then guide the discussion based on questions developed prior to the conference with the conference committee. While Q&A will be made available during the session, attendees will also be encouraged to Tweet their questions, and comments with the #AEESPConvergingCOVID19. Once finished, the video for each session will be uploaded to the AEESP YouTube channel where comments will be allowed.

Faculty from the University of South Florida (Drs. Katherine Alfredo, James Mihelcic, Amy Stuart, and Maya Trotz) and the University of California Merced (Dr. Colleen Naughton) are pleased to host this virtual conference with support from the Association of Environmental Engineering & Science Professors (AEESP) and a National Science Foundation grant #2037862: “Collaborative Research: Converging COVID-19, environment, health, and equity,” awarded through the Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport Systems (CBET) program.

The conference themes align with the National Academies of Science Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) Grand Environmental Engineering Challenges, and are:

• October 16th @12 pm ET: COVID-19, systemic biases, and environmental engineering education
• October 23rd @12 pm ET: COVID-19 and fostering informed decisions and actions
• October 30th @12 pm ET: COVID-19 and the creation of efficient, healthy and resilient cities
• November 6th @12 pm ET: COVID-19 and sustainably supplying food, water, and energy
• November 13th @12 pm ET: COVID-19 and designing a future without pollution and waste
• November 20th @12 pm ET: COVID-19 and climate change mitigation, and adaptation

Each session, as much as possible, will look at convergence around air, water, food, and people fostered by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the unfolding realities of the need to address inequities in our communities. The meeting presents a new model of participation for environmental engineers and scientists in a combined asynchronous, and synchronous multimedia online learning platform integrated with social media.