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About the Contributors

Paraskevi Papadopoulou is Professor of Biology at Deree -The American College of Greece. She holds Biology degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles and from the University of Athens and a PhD in Biophysics and Cell Biology from the University of Athens. She has served as Head of the department of Science, Technology and Mathematics at Deree -The American University of Greece for 6 years. Her research interests are focused in the fields of Structural Biology/Molecular Biophysics and Bioinformatics, on structural and self-assembly studies of fibrous proteins. She has also contributed to the development of genetic testing protocols for genetic diseases such as Tuberous Sclerosis and of Neurofibromatosis type 1. Her current research engagement is on environmental health issues, sexually transmitted diseases, Mediterranean biodiversity and green roofs, and innovative ways of teaching and learning in STEM disciplines plus on big data analytics in bioinformatics and . In addition, she teaches introductory and advanced courses in biology such as , human genetics and cell and molecular neurobiology and environmental studies courses such as natural sciences research methods for the environmental studies program.

Christina Marouli studied biochemistry, urban and environmental policy (M.A.) and sociology (M.A and PhD) in the USA – with a specialisation on the environment, health and social inequalities. Her present research interests include education for sustainability, sustainable, healthy, smart cities, en- vironmental behaviors and social change. She is teaching the Environmental Studies Program of Deree – American College of Greece (ACG) and she is the founder and ex-Director of the Center of Excel- lence for Sustainability at ACG. She is also a recipient of a Fulbright award in the context of which she did research on multicultural environmental education programmes in the USA in collaboration with a Turkish professor. She has extensive consulting experience on environmental and occupational health issues. She has also worked in NGOs on women’s and children’s issues as Director or expert and she was a co-founder of the Emergency Research Center.

Anastasia Misseyanni is Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at Deree – The American College of Greece (ACG). She holds a Chemistry degree from the University of Athens and graduate degrees in Biochemistry from the University of Paris 7 (DEA) and the University of Marburg (PhD). She has a long career in teaching during which she has developed and taught a significant number of undergraduate natural science and environmental studies courses with emphasis on chemistry, bio- logical chemistry, environmental science, ecology, water resources and methodology for environmental studies. She has conducted research in the fields of protein-DNA interactions and hormone-regulated gene expression. She has also been active in the scholarship of teaching. Her present research interests

  About the Contributors

include Mediterranean biodiversity and green roofs, environmental health issues, sustainability initia- tives in higher education, innovative teaching and learning strategies in STEM disciplines, active and experiential learning. She coordinated the development of the Deree Environmental Studies program and has served as its program coordinator since 2010. Since fall 2014, she has served as the Head of the Department of Science and Mathematics at Deree-ACG. She has contributed to efforts and initiatives to promote sustainability at ACG.

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Radostina A. Angelova (M.Sc., Ph.D., D.Sc.) is an associate professor at the Department of Textiles, Technical University of Sofia (Bulgaria). She also works at the Centre for Research and Design in Hu- man Comfort, Energy, and Environment (CERDECEN).

Anisah Bagasra, PhD teaches a wide-range of psychology courses and mentors students on un- dergraduate research projects. Dr. Bagasra works in the area of mental health disparities, focusing on perception of mental illness and barriers to help-seeking. Her research interests include mental health issues affecting religious and ethnic minorities in the United States, acculturation issues, and cross- cultural and interfaith dialogue. Much of her research has been conducted in the Muslim American and African American faith communities in the South. She established Claflin’s Psychology Major in 2013 and developed and taught the first fully-online courses at the University. As Interim Director of Online Education, she worked to launch four fully online undergraduate and two fully online master’s degree programs.

Omar Bagasra is a Pakistani-American Molecular Biologist, Biotechnologist and author, known for his innovations in the Polymerase Chain Reaction method and popular public and scientific talks in . He is also known for his role as an independent investigator in the HIV trial in Libya, an important event of international significance in , medical criminology and human rights. He is a researcher and Professor of Biology at Claflin University.

Alka Bali, Dr., is working as an Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), Panjab University, Chandigarh. She did her B. Pharm., M. Pharm. (Pharmaceutical Chemistry) and Ph. D. from the same institute. She has a rich academic and research experience spanning more than 21 years of undergraduate and postgraduate teaching. She has expertise in the fields of pharmaceutical analysis and medicinal chemistry. Her research areas of inter- est include pharmaceutical analysis with focus on method development and validation, spectroscopic characterization of impurities in drugs and drug products, synthetic medicinal chemistry encompassing computer-aided drug designing (CADD), QSAR, synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of new chemical entities in the area of antipsychotics, anti-inflammatory agents and angiotensin II antagonists. She has two books, three book chapters, over 40 research and review articles in reputed international and national journals and 60 conference papers to her credit. She is an avid participant in many national and international conferences and is on reviewer panel of several reputed international journals.

441 About the Contributors

Reyhan Cafri is an Assistant Professor in Economics at Iskenderun Technical University. Her re- search interests include development economics, spatial econometrics, and panel data econometrics. Her publications have appeared in such journals as Social Indicators Research, Tourism Economics, Journal of Applied Sciences, Inte’rnational Journal of Management Economics and Business.

Arpitha Chikkanna works on the study of microbial roles in bio-mineralization and bio-weathering of rocks. Research area includes microbiological cultures and their applications in bio-geochemistry.

Ashok Kumar Ghosh, Dr., is working as Professor and HoD, Research at Mahavir Cancer Institute and Research Centre since 1st July 2016. He is the Professor-in-Charge of Department of Environment and Water Management, A.N. College, Patna, India on 30th June after 44 years of active service. He is an adviser of East Zone Water partnership, an affiliate of Global Water Partnership (GWP). Currently he is working on a DST supported research project on bioremediation of arsenic sludge, and also a multinational (Indo-Dutch) research project DELTAP for arsenic mobilization in Gangetic floodplains of Bihar supported by NWO-Wotro – The funding agency of The Netherlands Government. Dr. Ghosh is also working on DST-UKIERI supported project Nutri-SAM jointly with University of Salford, UK and another Indo-German project INNOWATER supported by DST, Government of India. In October 2017, Dr. Ghosh was awarded another international project from Newton-Bhabha Fund in collabora- tion with the University of Manchester, UK. Dr. Ghosh has published more than 50 research papers and presented his research findings in international seminars/conferences in India and abroad (USA, UK, Australia, Ireland, Bangladesh, Spain, Germany, Turkey, The Netherlands and Sweden). He has also authored five book chapters published by international publishers. Dr. Ghosh is one of the coordinators of European Commission sponsored project “Erasmus Mundus Eurindia and India4EU II Program” - a worldwide cooperation and mobility that aims to enhance quality in higher education and promote in- tercultural understanding. Dr. Ghosh has been awarded Erasmus Mundus Fellowship in 2010,2 014 and 2015 for collaborative research with University of Applied Sciences, Karlsruhe, Germany and Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden. Dr. Ghosh has been nominated as Chairman of SEAC, Bihar (State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority) by Government of India in 2014.He is also Chairman of Bihar State Pollution Control Board since January 2018 and member of Regional Empowered Commit- tee of MoEF&CC, Government of India since 2015.He was awarded for Excellence in Water Showcase Final at 7th World Water Forum in 2015 held at Daegu, South Korea for his research related to arsenic mitigation in rural Bihar.

Devanita Ghosh is a biogeochemistry enthusiast, fascinated by the microbial diversity and their interaction, participation in various biogeochemical cycles, evolution of life and biodiversity on Earth. Her research is based on studying the role of arsenite oxidizing bacterial assemblages in arsenic con- taminated aquifers and to understand how the sedimentary organic matter that leaches into the aquifers during recharge, and what shapes those indigenous microbial populations.

Maria-Eleni Giota was born in Athens, Greece, in 1996. From a very young age, she had an interest in life and earth sciences, and the universe. In 2015, she started studying Chemistry at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. In the meantime, she completed a Minor in Biology at Deree-The American College of Greece.

442 About the Contributors

Alberto Gotti, Dr., is a physicist of the University of Milan with over 25 years of experience in en- vironment and health impact assessment, data assimilation and exposure modelling. In the last fifteen years, he has worked for the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (EC-DG-JRC), for the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH). From 2013 he is a scientific associate of the Laboratory of Environmental Engineering of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, focusing mainly on exposure to environmental hazards and their impact on health, and since 2015, he works as a researcher at the Eucentre Foundation - European Center for Training and Research in Mechanical Earthquakes (Centro Europeo di Formazione e Ricerca in Ingegneria Sismica) in Pavia, Italy. Dr. Gotti has extensive experi- ence on environments and health impact assessment, exposure modelling including biologically-based toxicokinetics/dynamic models (PBTK/PD), development of dose-response relationships based on both mechanistic Biology-Based Dose Response (BBDR) modelling, uncertainty in human health risk assess- ment, data fusion comprising the assimilation and integration of data from different information sources and air quality assessment using satellite data. He is co-author of 35 papers and has participated in the implementation of 15 European projects related to environmental quality and human health.

Ike Iyioke has an extensive work experience both at MSU and abroad that spans almost two decades. His multidisciplinary backgrounds include a BPhil. in Philosophy from Pontifical University, Rome; a teaching certificate from University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN); a Master of Science in International Relations from UNN; a Master of Art in Environmental Science Writing from Michigan State Univer- sity (MSU); and a PhD in Health Ethics from MSU. He likes to explore questions pertaining to moral philosophy, particularly bioethics. His research interests include issues about research subject/participant selection; biomedical research partnerships between Africa & the West; environmental science and pub- lic policy; environmental justice/racism; eugenics; science of life extension; and morality in primitive cultures. Iyioke has authored several publications including a book titled, Clinical Trials and the African Person: A Quest to Re-Conceptualize Responsibility.

Spyros Karakitsios, Dr., is specialized in environmental pollution, environmental risk, data synthesis and validation and health impact assessment. Dr. Karakitsios is involved in the analysis of environmen- tal pollution data in order to more accurately map the exposure (and the relative internal dose) of the population to a large number of pollutants that end up in humans with multiple exposure mechanisms. Since 2011 he has been a scientific collaborator at the Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Engineering School of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, with the main object of chemicals risk assessment. From 2008 to 2011, he worked as a post-doctoral researcher at the Joint Research Center of the European Commission in Ispra, Italy, on issues related to chemical risk assessment, and from 2002 to 2008 Postgraduate and Ministry Doctoral researcher at the University of Ioannina on issues related to human exposure. He is the co-author of 66 papers and he has participated in the implementation of 11 European projects related to environment and health, including NEUROSOME, HBM4EU, HEALS, CROME, CheRRIE, BlueHealth, TRANSPHORM, URGENCHE, INTEGRA, INTERA and TAGS. In 2017 he won the Innovation Award for Chemical Risk Analysis by the European Chemical Industry Council.

443 About the Contributors

Pınar Kaya Samut, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in Quantitative Methods at Atılım University, Ankara, Turkey. Her research interests include fuzzy logic, uncertainty, Multi-Criteria Decision Making Techniques, mathematical programming, project management, total factor productivity. Her publications have appeared in such journals as Social Indicators Research, Journal of Business Economics and Man- agement, Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, International Journal of Applied Decision Sciences.

Sheldon Krimsky is a Lenore Stern Professor of Humanities and Social Sciences in the Department of Urban & Environmental Policy and Planning and Adjunct Professor in Public Health and Community Medicine in the School of Medicine at Tufts University. He received his bachelors and master’s degrees in physics from Brooklyn College, CUNY and Purdue University respectively, and a masters and doc- torate in philosophy at Boston University. Professor Krimsky’s research has focused on the linkages between science/technology, ethics/values and public policy. He is the author of 16 books including: Genetic Alchemy: The Social History of the Recombinant DNA Controversy (MIT Press) and Biotech- nics and Society: The Rise of Industrial Genetics (Praeger). He is co-author of Environmental Hazards: Communicating Risks as a Social Process (Auburn House), and Agricultural Biotechnology and the Environment: Science, Policy and Social Values (Univ. Illinois), and co-editor of a collection of papers titled Social Theories of Risk (Praeger). Professor Krimsky has published over 100 essays and reviews that have appeared in many books and journals. His current book is about endocrine disrupters and is titled Hormonal Chaos: The Scientific and Social Origins of the Environmental Endocrine Hypothesis (Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 1999). Professor Krimsky served on the National Institutes of Health’s Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee from 1978-1981. He was a consultant to the Presidential Com- mission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedical and Behavioral Research and to the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment. He participated on a special study panel for the American Civil Liberties Union that formulated a policy on civil liberties and scientific research. Professor Krimsky was chairperson of the Committee on Scientific Freedom and Responsibility for the American Association for the Advancement of Science for 1988-1992. Currently he serves on the Board of Directors for the Council for Responsible Genetics and as a Fellow of the Hastings Center on Bioethics. Professor Krimsky has been elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advance- ment of Science for “seminal scholarship exploring the normative dimensions and moral implications of science in its social context.”

Arun Kumar, Dr., has received his PhD in August 2008 from Patna University, Patna, Bihar, India. Currently, he is working as Scientist - I in Mahavir Cancer Institute & Research Centre, Patna, Bihar, India since August 2007. His research has been in the field of Environment Toxicology, Animal Toxi- cology, Medicinal Chemistry and Cancer biology. Based on this research and fellowship training he has received several awards and honors, such as: Prof. G.P. Talwar Gold Medal, New Delhi, Shradha Suman Award -2013, Patna, etc. He has authored and co-authored 98 peer-reviewed research articles and 3 books and one book chapter. He is serving as an editorial member & expert reviewer of several reputed journals. He has co-supervised 5 PhD students and supervised 92 M.Sc. dissertations. He is a member of the Indian Science Congress & Association, India. He has been principal investigator of a major project granted from Department of Science & Technology, New Delhi, Government of India and co-PI in the International bilateral DST- UKIERI Project.

444 About the Contributors

Danielle McKain is a High School Mathematics Teacher at Beaver Area High School. She has taught a variety of courses including Algebra I, Algebra II, Integrated Math, Probability and Statistics, Trigo- nometry, and Computer Assisted Algebra. Additionally, she has years of experience preparing students for the SAT. Dr. McKain earned her PhD in Instructional Management and Leadership from Robert Morris University. She holds a Master of Science degree in Instructional Leadership with a concentration in Mathematics Education and a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Mathematics. Her research interests include real world math, test preparation, math anxiety, remedial math, and preparing future teachers.

Luv Mehan has a B.Tech in Biochemical Engineering, an M.Tech in Earth Sciences. She works on microbial cultivation and applications. Her research area includes carbon sequestration, wastewater treatment, and biofuels.

Matthew Chidozie Ogwu is a doctoral researcher in the School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Korea Republic. Matthew holds a master’s degree in Plant Diversity and Conservation with distinction as well as a bachelor’s degree in Plant Biology and Biotechnology (First Class Honours). He is a Lecturer at the University of Benin, Nigeria. His research focusses on sustainable development issues arising from various scales of biogeographical interactions. Matthew has published over 50 peer- reviewed scientific works and have presented his results at different international conferences. He has received many awards and scholarships.

Sarath P. K. is currently a master’s student at Biological Science, Indian Institute of Science. She works on paleo-ecology and microbial metabolism and environmental proxies.

Jaanvi Sant is an undergraduate at Tufts University majoring in Biopsychology. She has an interest in the pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental disorders, especially autism. She wants to be a part of the movement toward finding a cure, so that people of all abilities can lead more joyful and empowered lives.

Dimosthenis Sarigiannis is a Professor of Environmental Engineering at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece, Associate Professor of Environmental Health Engineering at the Institute for Advanced Study (IUSS) in Pavia, Italy, and Director of the PhD program on Environmental Chemical Risk at the Institute of Advanced Studies (IUSS) of Pavia in Italy and visiting Professor at the Univer- sity of Paris Descartes. He is President of the Mediterranean Scientific Association for Environmental Protection, Vice-President of the Hellenic Society of Toxicology, member of the Expert Committee on Air Pollution of the Greek Ministry of Health and advisor to the WHO European Centre for Environment and Health. In 2015 he received the Bo Holmstedt award from EUROTOX and the Bo Holmstedt Foun- dation for his contributions to the safety of drugs and chemicals. His research focuses on the unraveling of the human exposome to improve the health risk assessment of industrial and environmental toxicants and on internalizing health aspects into cyclical economy strategies. He is the author or co-author of more than 110 scientific papers published in the peer-reviewed literature and has led or contributed to 40 international research projects in the above areas.

445 About the Contributors

Richa Saxena, Dr. is working as an Asst. Prof., Chemistry, ITM University, Gwalior for eight years. She is actively involved in academics and research activities for almost 10 years. Her field of research is organometallic and coordination chemistry and has published research papers in journals of national and international repute. She is an avid participants in many national, international conferences and workshops and is a reviewer of few reputed journals.

Theoharis Theoharides, Dr., is Professor of Pharmacology and Internal Medicine, as well as Di- rector of Molecular Immunopharmacology and Drug Discovery, in the Department of Immunology at Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA. He was born in Thessaloniki, Greece, and graduated with Honors from Anatolia College. He received all his degrees with Honors from Yale University, and was awarded the Dean’s Research Award and the Winternitz Price in Pathology. He trained in internal medicine at New England Medical Center, which awarded him the Oliver Smith Award “recognizing excellence, compassion and service.” He also received a Certificate in Global Leadership from the Tufts Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and a Fellowship at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He has been serving as the Clinical Pharmacologist of the Massachusetts Drug Formulary Commission continuously since 1986. In Greece, he served on the Supreme Advisory Health Councils of the Ministries of Health and of Social Welfare, as well as on the Board of Directors of the Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Technology. He Chaired an International Committee appointed by the Hellenic Ministries of Education and Health for the establishment of an independent medical school in Greece, and he is a member of the International Advisory Committee for the University of Cyprus School of Medicine. He is a member of 15 academies and scientific societies. He was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha National Medical Honor Society and the Rare Diseases Hall of Fame. He has received the Tufts Excel- lence in Teaching ten times, the Tufts Distinguished Faculty Recognition Award twice, the Tufts Alumni Award for Faculty Excellence, Boston Mayor’s Community Award, and the Dr. George Papanicolau Award, as well as Honorary from Athens University, Honorary Doctor of Sciences from Hellenic-American University., and the 2018 Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award (Marquis Who is Who) and the 2018 Albert Nelson Marquis Distinguished Humanitarian Award. He is “Archon” of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. He first showed that mast cells, known for causing allergic reactions, are critical for inflammation, especially in the brain, and are involved in a number of inflammatory conditions that worsen by stress such as allergies, asthma, eczema, psoria- sis, migraines, multiple sclerosis and most recently autism spectrum disorder. He has also shown that corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), neurotensin and substance P, peptides secreted under stress, act together, and with the cytokine IL-33, to trigger mast cells and microglia to secrete inflammatory molecules. These processes are inhibited by the novel flavonoids, luteolin and tetramethoxyluteolin that he has helped formulate in unique dietary supplements and a skin lotion. He has published over 410 scientific papers (JBC, JACI, JPET, NEJM, Nature, PNAS, Science) and 3 textbooks with 30,274 cita- tions (h-factor 86) and he is in the top 5% of authors most cited in pharmacological and immunological journals. He has received 37 patents and trademarks, including three patents covering the use of luteolin in brain inflammation and autism: US 8,268,365 (09/18/12); US 9,050,275 (06/09/15); US 9,176,146 (11/03/15). He is also the President of Theta Biomedical Consulting and Development Co., Inc., of BiomedAdvice, LLC, of Algonot, LLC and of the nonprofit Brain-Gain.org.

Emmanouil Velonakis, M.D., Occupational physician, Professor of prevention and environmental Hygiene Department of Nurse. Faculty of Health Sciences. National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

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