Nathan Phillips, PhD, is a Professor of Earth and Environment at Boston University. He was awarded for his non-violent protest in response to the ongoing construction of the Weymouth Compressor Station in Weymouth, MA.The Weymouth compressor station is being built as part of the expansion of a natural gas pipeline from the Northeastern States to Nova Scotia. Once built, Weymouth will be the most densely populated county in Massachusetts to house a compressor station, posing a health and safety risk to the community from fugitive and non-routine emissions (i.e., leaks and blowdowns). After actively engaging with the community over several years to oppose the construction of the compressor station, Dr. Phillips went on a two-week hunger strike in solidarity with local residents, to protest the public health and safety violations during pre-construction clean-up of the site. His three demands were: decontaminate the clean-up trucks leaving the site, test old burner bricks for asbestos, and install permanent air monitors near the site. Dr. Phillips ended his hunger strike on February 11th. The only demand to have gone into effect was the installation of an air monitor and temporary air monitoring by the Massachusetts Department of Health. His Science for the Benefit of Environmental Health award was given to celebrate his courage and commitment to advocate for Environmental Justice and protect public health.

Bindu Panikkar, PhD, is an Assistant Professor for the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont. She was awarded for her exceptional work on engaging with Merrimack Citizens for Clean Water to understand local responses to per and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAFS) contamination in public water and well water supplies in Merrimack, NH. Bindu studies environmental threats and works to uplift community voices to combat environmental injustices.

Lindsey Carmichael, is an environmental health educator and advocate. She was awarded for her work to stop her community's PFAS exposure from the Pease International Airforce Base in New Hampshire. This includes working as a member of the Community Assistance Panel convened by the US Agency for Toxics Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) on health studies due to exposure to PFAS in drinking water, and strengthening the engagement of affected communities. She has also been a member of New Hampshire Safe Water Alliance, working to strengthen drinking water and chemical regulations in New Hampshire.

Curt Nordgaard, MD, is a pediatrician at a Dorchester health clinic and environmental health advocate who has worked tirelessly to shine a light on the health effects of fracking and support community efforts to stop it. From giving presentations to public officials, to assisting residents living near a proposed compressor station test their air for pollution, Dr. Nordgaard has been an outspoken advocate for community health and environmental justice.

The Massachusetts Association of Health Boards (MAHB) is awarded for advancing public health across the state. MAHB provides support to local Boards of Health to ensure safe drinking water, regulate food and housing safety and protect against polluting industries. In recent years, MAHB and board members supported Community Action Work's campaign to keep the statewide moratorium on incinerators, played a critical role in closing a hazardous waste facility in Framingham, and stopped plans to build an asphalt plant next to homes.

Ethan Mascoop, former Health Department Director for the town of Framingham, MA, and Wendy Heiger-Bernays, BUSPH Associate Professor of Environmental Health, awarded for several years of work, including with community resident group Framingham Action Coalition for Environmental Safety (FACES) around the clean-up of the General Chemical Corporation site in Framingham. Wendy used her expertise in toxicology and public health to advise the town and community on the risks and closure process for the polluting hazardous waste transfer facility. Ethan went above and beyond to engage the community and oversaw hearings to review General Chemical’s permits. As a result, General Chemical voluntarily closed its doors.

David Brown, Sc.D., MS, Director of Public Health Toxicology, Environment and Human Health, Inc., dedicated to protecting human health from environmental harm. David spent years working in government as chief of environmental epidemiology in Connecticut and running the public health practice at Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). Today he is focused on uncovering health risks hidden by industry from the impacts of fracking, to the hazards of using ground-up tires in synthetic turf, to the dangers of wood smoke.

Harlee Strauss, PhD, President, H. Strauss Associates, Inc., initiated and, for its first year, lead a multi-million dollar study to investigate the potential links between the environment and breast cancer on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Harlee was the founding director of Silent Spring Institute, an organization that has served as a pioneer in environmental health research. In recent years, she has helped a community group in Somerville better understand the hazards posed by a toxic spill underneath their homes that was vaporizing and contaminating indoor air.

Julia Brody, PhD, Executive Director, Silent Spring Institute, leader in research on breast cancer and the environment and in community-based research and public engagement in science. Her work connects breast cancer advocacy, scientific research, and environmental justice. Julie’s current research focuses on methods for reporting to people on their own exposures to emerging contaminants.

Jim Luker, MS, LSP, CPG, Vice President of Environmental Services, Green Seal Environmental Inc., works on Public Involvement Participation sites and has managed over 100 remediation projects achieving closure. Whether assisting a town in their assessment of impacts of a polluting landfill, or ensuring safe and proper cleanup of contaminated soil on schools, Jim has worked tirelessly to provide his expertise to communities who truly need it.

Marco Kaltofen, MS, PE (Civil, MA), President, Boston Chemical Data Corporation, provides technical support for environmentally-related organizations and for litigation. Marco has supported citizen groups in pollution prevention and cleanup activities for decades.

Dick Clapp, D.Sc., MPH, Professor Emeritus, Boston University School of Public Health, founder of the Massachusetts Cancer Registry and epidemiologist. Dick has gone above and beyond the call of duty in his research, testimony, and broader assistance to communities and workers across New England and across the country, and for this reason we subtitled the award, “The Dick Clapp Award.” Whether assisting Vermont residents with an epidemiological study to investigate why so many children in town have leukemia or flying to California to defend the rights of IBM workers poisoned by their work environments, Dick is constantly working to create the world in which we all want to live.