Specialization
Environmental Toxicology, Environmental Chemistry, Air Quality and Pollution
Faculty in Environmental Studies
Education
- Ph.D., University of Rochester
Bio
Former UCSB ES Program Lecturer--now newly hired as the ES Program's first (LPSOE) Lecturer with Potential Security of Employment in the area of environmental chemistry, pollution and toxicology. Helene K. Gardner, received her Ph.D. in environmental toxicology from the University of Rochester in 1987. There she worked on projects involving the covalent binding of diethylstilbestrol (DES) to maternal and fetal tissues, the female reproductive effects of uranyl fluoride, the nephrotoxicity of inhaled uranyl fluoride, and the effects of inhaled nitrogen dioxide on vitamin E transport and tissue distribution.
Dr. Gardner has worked in integrated pest management, researched the presence of toxicants in human breast milk, analyzed the environmental impact statements of energy transportation development, evaluated the use of hazardous waste in recycled glass products, and developed applications for air permits and economic development funds. She has an extensive background in assessing the risk to human health of brown fields, landfills, and commercial sites, especially with respect to their impact on groundwater. Most recently she has commented on proposals for monitoring wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent for contaminants of emerging concern, water plans, recycled water initiatives, classification and contamination of beaches, and overall efforts to reduce contamination of the ocean. She has worked with numerous nonprofit organizations, engineering firms, and businesses.
Her background in teaching is as diverse as her scientific experience. She has taught courses in chemistry and/or biology at Simon’s Rock College (an experimental early liberal arts college), private secondary schools, in special education at Santa Barbara High School, in the credit-free program at Santa Barbara City College, and in the home setting. She enjoys being with her children, writing, paddle sports, beachcombing and tidepooling, drawing, and almost all genres of music, especially the blues.
Courses
ES 15: Chemistry of the Environment
ES 120: Toxics in the Environment
ES 147: Air Quality and the Environment