Emergency Response Research Webinar Series

Free webinars typically held on the second Wednesday of the month. Special webinars on COVID-19 research are conducted as research results become available. 

EPA's Office of Research and Development hosts this webinar series to share current research activities and results. This webinar series covers the latest information on research supporting EPA's response to chemical, biological, and radiological incidents, as well as natural disasters. This forum allows EPA to communicate directly with partners and stakeholders to foster collaboration and dissemination of information. 

NOTE: Attendees have the option of receiving a certificate of attendance. Acceptance of certificates is contingent on organization requirements—EPA cannot guarantee acceptance. Closed-captioned recordings of the webinars are provided below for later viewing and as a training resource; certificates cannot be provided for viewing webinar recordings. 

Webinar dates and topics are subject to change.

On this page:

• 2025 Schedule
• 2024 Webinar Recordings
• More Webinars by Topic Area

Upcoming Webinar

Animal Carcass Disposal for a Foreign Animal Disease Outbreak

Wednesday, July 9, 2025, 2:00 - 3:00 PM ET

Registration Open

Foreign animal diseases (FADs) such as African Swine Fever and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (bird flu) can be devastating to the food and agricultural sectors. An outbreak could potentially lead to the need to dispose of a large number of animal carcasses. For example, the 2014 - 2015 bird flu resulted in the deaths of about 7.4 million turkeys and 43 million chickens according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). In order to prevent environmental contamination and spread of disease, emergency managers and responders need to understand methods for effective management of animal mortalities during a FAD outbreak.

This presentation will provide an overview of EPA's role in a FAD outbreak, as well as carcass disposal options such as composting. It will discuss a series of field tests funded by, and in collaboration with, the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. These tests evaluated methods that could be utilized for the disposal of animal carcasses following a FAD outbreak. This vital information will help decision-makers in preparing for and mitigating future FADs.

About the Presenter

Joseph Wood is a Senior Research Engineer with EPA's Office of Research and Development, in the Homeland Security and Materials Management Division. He has been with the EPA since 1991 and has been conducting decontamination and waste treatment and disposal related research since 2005. His research primarily involves the testing, evaluation, and development of technologies that can be used to decontaminate or dispose of materials and environmental matrices contaminated with biological agents. He is the primary author or co-author for 40 peer-reviewed journal articles and over 90 EPA published reports. He holds a Master's degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) and is a licensed professional engineer.

Shannon Serre is currently with EPA's Office of Emergency Management working in the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Consequence Management Advisory Team. He is focused on the response and recovery from a chemical, biological, or radiological incident. He has been involved in several field scale projects including: the Bio-response Operational Testing and Evaluation (BOTE) project, Underground Transport Restoration (UTR) project, Operational Test and Evaluation of Chemical Remediation Technologies (OTECRA) and is now involved with the Analysis for Coastal Operational Resiliency (AnCOR) project. Shannon has a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Utah.

2025 Schedule

If you are interested in being notified when new webinars are scheduled, please sign up to receive email notifications here: Receive emails for upcoming webinars.

Topic and presenters are subject to change. Additional information and registration links will be provided in advance of each webinar.

Date	Topic
Postponed	Mobile Hot Zone Decontamination Cart
July 9	Foreign Animal Disease Outbreak
August 13	Emergency Response Support from EPA
September 10	20 Years After Hurricane Katrina
November 12	Aerosol Treatment Testing Capability