Introduction
Johns Hopkins University's Whiting School of Engineering, in partnership with the Bloomberg School of Public Health and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, has created the Center for Contaminant Transport, Fate, and Remediation (CTFR). This Center will study the effects of contamination in Maryland's urban environments and make these findings known and understood by public officials, groups, and the media.
The Center will call upon the wide range of skills and knowledge from its members. Professors of environmental, chemical, and mechanical engineering will all play a part in meeting the goals of the CTFR. This collaborative effort will be more fruitful than any individual scientist would be on his own, and will use a variety of new and exciting techniques to attain its objectives.
The Northeastern United States has a long history of heavy industry including shipbuilding, steel production, chemical production and manufacturing. This has taken its toll on the environment in the form of polluted waterways, smog filled air, and contaminated soil. People in urban environments are potentially exposed to hazardous and life endangering chemicals and pollutants. The scientific knowledge developed by the CTFR will help find ways to prevent exposure to contaminants and control environmental contamination. The information gained from the CTFR's activities will be available for use by government, communities, and individuals.