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Dounia Elkhatib, Ph.D

Civil Engineering,Lecturer Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Dr. Elkhatib received her Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Rhode Island and her M.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Cincinnati. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Environmental Protection Agency in Narragansett, RI. Her research focused on studying microplastic contamination in water and marine environments, developing extraction methods to identify microplastics, and analyzing their polymer composition using spectroscopy. Research objectives included electrocoagulation and flocculation as removal solutions, to prevent adverse health impacts of microplastics. Before joining the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in August 2022, Dr. Elkhatib taught various civil and environmental engineering courses at Roger Williams University and Webb Institute. Her research interests include Water and Wastewater Technologies, Sustainable Engineering, and Microplastic contamination.

Education

  • Ph.D., University of Rhode Island, May 2020
  • M.S., University of Cincinnati, December 2010
  • B.S., Lebanese University, May 2007

Courses Taught

  • Environmental Engineering, Lecture
  • Mechanics of Materials, Lecture
  • Environmental Engineering Design Capstone Advisor

Selected Publications and Presentations

  • Elkhatib, Dounia, and Oyanedel-Craver, Vinka. “A Critical Review of Extraction and Identification Methods of Microplastics in Wastewater and Drinking Water.” Environmental Science & Technology 54.12 (2020): 7037-049.
  • Elkhatib, D.; Carissimi, E.; Craver, V. (2020). “Removal of Microplastic at Wastewater Treatment Plants using Electrocoagulation Process.” Elsevier B.V. Separation and purification technology, 2021, Vol.276, p.118877
  • Elkhatib, Dounia; Cashman, Michaela A.; Ho, Kay T.; Burgess, Robert M. “Assessment of Microplastics contamination in Estuary and Marine Sediments.” SciCon2 2020 SETAC North America 41st Annual Meeting – November 2020.
  • Assessment of Filter Subsampling and Extrapolation for Quantifying Microplastics in Marine Sediments using Raman Spectroscopy. D El Khatib, TD Langknecht, MA Cashman, RM Burgess, KT Ho. North Atlantic Chapter 28th Annual Meeting and Short Course- June 2022
  • Carissimi, E.; Elkhatib, D.; Rodrigues, C. and Craver, V. (2019). Flocculation: Mechanisms and Applications for Wastewater Treatment. Chemistry Research and Applications.
  • Cashman, Michaela A; Langknecht, Troy; El-Khatib, Dounia; Burgess, Robert M; Boving, Thomas B; Robinson, Sandra; Ho, Kay T (2022). Quantification of microplastics in sediments from Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, the USA using a novel isolation and extraction method. Marine pollution bulletin, 2022-01, Vol.174, p.113254-113254
  • Hannah De Frond, Win Cowger, Sebastian Primpke, Susanne Brander, Violet Renick, Suja Sukumaran, Amy Lusher, Bridget O’Donnell, Dounia Elkhatib, Steve Barnett, Florian Vollnhals, Wenjian Lao, Maria Navas-Moreno, Keith Rickabaugh, Eunah Lee, Gaurav Amarpuri, Silke Christiansen. “What determines the accuracy of chemical identification using microspectroscopy for microplastic pollution?” SETAC North America 42nd Annual Meeting- November 2021
  • Langknecht, T,W. Lao,C. Wong,D. El Khatib,S. Kotar,S. Robinson,R. Burgess and K. Ho. “A Multi-Laboratory Method Comparison for Quantifying Microplastics in Sediments: The Roles of Visual Microscopy and Spectroscopy”. Chemosphere (2022).

Contact Information

Sponsor Family Application

Thank you for submitting your application to be part of the Sponsor Family Program. Your application will be processed in the upcoming week. Coast Guard Academy’s policy on background screening now requires all adults (everyone 18 and older living in the home) who volunteer to mentor, teach, coach or sponsor cadets, whether on or off Coast Guard Academy grounds, to be screened every 5 years. They are required to provide personal information (name, birth date and social security number) for the purpose of conducting a criminal background check.

The Security Officer at the Coast Guard Academy, CWO2 Gina Polkowski, is overseeing this process. Her email is: Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.

Sponsor Family designations fall into several different categories. Below are the guidelines to help you determine how best to meet the background screening requirement:

  1. If you are Coast Guard active duty you do not need to apply for an additional Background Check. You will be vetted through the Coast Guard system by CWO2 Polkowski.
  2. If you are a Civilian working for the Coast Guard you do not need to apply for an additional Background Check. You will be vetted through the Coast Guard system by CWO2 Polkowski.
  3. If you are non-Coast Guard Active Duty, you are required to provide proof of your current security clearance or National Agency Check that is to be emailed by your Command Security Officer (CSO)/ Security Office to CWO2 Polkowski at  Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.
  4. If you are non-Coast Guard civilian who has a current security clearance or National Agency check, you are required to provide proof of your current security clearance or National Agency Check that is to be emailed by your Command Security Officer (CSO)/ Security Office to CWO2 Polkowski at  Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.
  5. All civilians in the families who are 18 years or older and do not have a security clearance or a National Agency Check are required to be vetted through Mind Your Business, the third party vendor hired by the Coast Guard Academy for the vetting process.

After you complete your application, please e-mail the Sponsor Family Program Coordinator at CadetFamilySponsorProgram@uscga.edu. In your e-mail, you must include the e-mail address and phone number of every adult living in the home. The Sponsor Family Coordinator will then initiate the background check process and you will receive an email with further instructions.

Important things to note:

There is a Sponsor Family Training that is a one-hour training which we ask sponsors to attend once every four years. This training is designed to give you an overview of the program, what is expected of you as a sponsor, and what you can expect from your cadets. This training will also help familiarize you with the cadet regulations onboard CGA. You will be notified via e-mail once the training is scheduled.

The matching process of swabs to families will occur during July and August. Please bear with us and remain flexible through this process. There will be a meet and greet scheduled on Campus, typically in late August. This will give families an opportunity to formally meet their cadet if they have not already done so. Details on this will also be via email.

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