Wednesday, August 19 @ 9:30-11 a.m.
ES1. Student Research Presentation Session
The invited Student Scholarship finalists will present their research, with time for Q&A, and will be moderated by Scott Anderson, Haley & Aldrich, GEC Scholarship Committee Chair. Each Finalist will also present their research throughout the conference near the main stage in the Exhibit Hall and be available for your rapid-fire questions as you give your assessment and cast your vote for winners.
Student Scholarship Finalists:
TBA
ES2. Breaking Down Brownfields with Brunswick and Glynn County
Join an annual GEC Early Session Tradition where local Glynn County and Brunswick Brownfields Redevelopment needs and concerns have been discussed with a mix of local government, nonprofit, academic and state agency partners who collaborate and create local community success. This year the US EPA New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) will facilitate a Breaking Down Brownfields Workshop where each step of the Brownfields Redevelopment process is discussed in facilitated groups. Georgia Conservancy, UGA Marine Extension Sea Grant Office and GEC Steering Committee members and volunteering consultants will support the Workshop. Specific Brunswick Brownfields will be evaluated as part of this workshop.
ES3. Brownfield Challenges in Coastal Georgia
A roundtable panel discussion will feature several case studies addressing the challenges associated with the remediation and redevelopment of Brownfields in Coastal Georgia. Key obstacles that often complicate remediation and construction efforts on the coast include the presence of wetlands, shallow groundwater, floodplain limitations, unsuitable soils, and the need for dewatering. The session will highlight the importance of using site-specific approaches under the Georgia Brownfield Program to both mitigate environmental risks and manage costs to facilitate the redevelopment of contaminated properties within the coastal region. The panel will also discuss the use of the Brownfields tax benefit to mitigate costs.
ES4. AI Powered Field Data Collection & Implementation: Live Demos
This live demonstration walks through how AI is changing environmental field work—from real-time, GNSS-backed data capture in the field to automated, regulatory-ready reporting back in the office. Using wetland delineation as a working example, we’ll show how structuring and standardizing field data at the point of collection is what makes it both compliance-ready today and AI-ready for tomorrow’s predictive tools. The takeaway for any environmental professional: better field data is the foundation everything else is built on—models and reports only know what your field data taught them.