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No Defense PFAS Symposium

No Defense PFAS Symposium is an interdisciplinary experience that explores the impacts of and creates awareness about PFAS.


About the Symposium

Register for the "No Defense" Screening

The University of West Florida is hosting the No Defense PFAS Symposium on Oct. 25-26, 2023. This symposium is an interdisciplinary experience that explores the impacts of and creates awareness around PFAS, "forever chemicals" found in many commonly used products.

The symposium includes a student art exhibit, the screening of the "No Defense" documentary film followed by a panel discussion on Wednesday and discussions with experts on Thursday. It is a featured event during UWF's Research Week.

What to Expect

Through the symposium, presenters and partners seek to raise awareness of how PFAS impacts the Pensacola Community and empower citizens to protect themselves and the environment. View the event flier  No Defense Flier.

The No Defense PFAS Symposium will feature a film screening of the "No Defense" documentary film and discussions with experts. The symposium will include an informational fair on Wednesday, Oct. 25.

When: Wednesday, Oct. 25, and Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023

Where: University of West Florida, Pensacola Campus, Commons Auditorium

Parking at the Symposium

All vehicles on campus must have a parking permit. Please access the event parking permit to register your vehicle for parking on the UWF campus. The parking permits used for events are printable and connected to the event and your vehicle license plate. The permit is only good for Wednesday, October 25 and Thursday, October 26, 2023.

When you arrive on the UWF campus, please park in Lot H or G for this event which is being held in the Commons Auditorium.

Should you require a digital map of campus, please visit our interactive map.
 
For your next visit to campus at any time in the future, please visit the UWF Visitors Center in building 81 to obtain a visitor parking hangtag.

There is no charge for this temporary permit.

What is PFAS?

PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances)  is a “forever chemical” found in many commonly used products. These products include firefighting foam, Teflon (TM), water-resistant fabrics such as rain jackets, personal care products such as cosmetics, dental floss and shampoo and  stain-resistant coatings used on fabrics. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, these chemicals “are found in water, air, fish and soil locations across the nation and the globe.

Schedule

 The schedule presented here is a tentative listing and subject to change, as plans are currently underway. 

Schedule of Events
Day  Time  Event
Wednesday, October 25  2-7 p.m.  Informational Fair and Student Art Exhibit
Wednesday, October 25 7-8:30 p.m.  "No Defense" Documentary Screening (Free Registration Required)
Wednesday, October 25 8:30-9:15 p.m.  Expert Panel
Thursday, October 26 9 a.m.-1 p.m.  Discussions with Experts

On Thursday, October 26, UWF Faculty will lead discussions with PFAS Experts. Students and the community are encouraged and welcome to attend. 

Thursday, October 26, Schedule
Time Discussion Topic PFAS Expert Speaker UWF Faculty/Staff Speaker
9-9:50 a.m. Filmmaking Sara Ganim Professors Will Kennedy and Paul Pilger
10-10:50 a.m. Government Policy Anthony Spaniola Professor Dr. David Ramsey
11-11:50 a.m. Impacts of Ingesting PFAS and Public Health

Cathy Wusterbarth

Professors Dr. Jill Van Der Like and Dr. Justice Mbizo

12-12:50 p.m. PFAS Poisoning Impacts on Families and Veterans

Craig Minor

Professor Dr. Joseph Herzog, Behavioral Health Coordinator, Gary Holloway and UWF Military and Veterans Resource Center Director, Lori Milkeris

"No Defense" Documentary Screening

"No Defense" is an award-winning documentary by director Sara Ganim, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, and executive producer Lennart Bourin. Bourin also serves as the director of photography and both Ganim and Bourin are the film's writers.

The film shines a light on the 650+ towns and millions of Americans adversely impacted by PFAS water pollutants and the regulator that has failed to act. To learn more about the filmmakers, visit nodefensedoc.com. 

A child is standing on a dock by the water.

Watch the "No Defense" trailer, here. 

*Page photos are screen shots that have been taken from the "No Defense" trailer

Registration

Register to attend the screening of the "No Defense" Documentary. The event is free, however, registration is required due to limited seating.

Register for the "No Defense" Screening

Sponsorship Opportunities

Do you want to make a difference in your community? Join us by participating in a co-beneficial sponsorship opportunity that will make the UWF community aware of your services and that you support research efforts that will help to change the world. For more information, contact Robin Zimmern at RZimmern@uwf.edu

Sponsorship Opportunities

About the PFAS Experts

Sara Ganim

Sara Ganim

 Sara Ganim is the Director and Writer of the “No Defense” documentary. She started her career as a newspaper reporter and won a Pulitzer Prize at age 24 for breaking and covering the investigation into former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky’s sexual abuse of young boys. In 2018, Ganim’s first documentary, a 30-minute investigative piece on drinking water in rural America titled “Dirty Water”, aired on CNN. Ganim spent seven years with CNN as a correspondent and reporter and is currently a journalist-in-residence at the University of Florida and the James Madison visiting professor for First Amendment Issues at Columbia University.

Tony Spaniola

Anthony Spaniola

Anthony M. Spaniola is an Attorney and National advocate for PFAS-impacted communities. He has delivered PFAS presentations at conferences across the country and is frequently quoted in state and national media coverage of PFAS issues. In 2021, he testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs about PFAS contamination at U.S. Military installations. Spaniola is the founding partner in the commercial law firm of Ufer, Spaniola & Frost, P.C. in Troy, Michigan.

Cathy Wusterbarth

Cathy Wusterbarth

Cathy Wusterbarth is Co-Leader and a founder of NOW (Need Our Water). She is a member of the local Restoration Advisory Board in Oscoda, Michigan and community leader in the Great Lakes PFAS Action Network with a mission to prevent and clean up toxic PFAS contamination in the Great Lakes region.  

In 2019, Congressman Dan Kildee invited her to the State of the Union as a representative of communities affected by PFAS contamination and to support the congressional PFAS Task Force and testified at a U.S. Senate hearing addressing efforts to Improve Interagency and Intergovernmental Coordination on PFAS for Michigan Communities. 

She is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and is a native of Oscoda where she currently lives and works.

Craig Minor

Craig Minor

Craig Minor is Mitchell Minor's dad and married to Carrie Minor (40-Years) as cast in the "No Defense" documentary. Co-author of "OVERWHELMED, A Civilian Casualty of Cold War Poison" OVERWHELMED is available on Amazon.com as an Audiobook, paperback, and Kindle.

Minor is a retired United States Air Force Lieutenant Colonel; Wurtsmith Air Force Base B-52 Aircraft Commander and Wright Patterson Air Force Base NT-39A Instructor Research Pilot and Senior Acquisition Manager. 

Symposium Contact

Contact

For questions regarding the No Defense PFAS Symposium, please email Patti Spaniola, Director of Conferences & Events, at universityevents@uwf.edu.  

Thank you to our Sponsors!

CASSH Logo

OCCA Logo

Funded, in part, by Pace Symposiums

 

Enviro health

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Watershed Protections Committee Logo

Joe and Patti Spaniola