In the wake of the Eaton and Palisades Fires, disaster recovery experts from multiple universities have come together to expedite and empower household and business recovery decisions. Their efforts, as part of a data-informed civic action, will enable household members and business owners to be proactive recovery partners.
CAP.LA (Community Action Project LA) is funded by the R&S Kayne Foundation and includes researchers from Loyola Marymount University, UCLA, and Purdue University.
For more details, or for the most up-to-date information, please visit CAP.LA.
Soil Sampling
We are asking owners of properties near the Palisades and Eaton Fires for permission to collect soil and water samples in their yards, gardens, and/or pools to test for possible wildfire pollutants. There is NO cost to the homeowner for the sampling or testing. To enroll, please fill out this form:
The results will be provided to the homeowner once testing is completed (~1-2 weeks after samples are collected). Additionally results, grouped and mapped by neighborhood, will be available and updated regularly, but no names or specific addresses will be listed with the results. Researchers will then use the deidentified data in publications and presentations.
Your participation is voluntary, and you are free to decline to answer any question, although not answering certain questions may result in us not being able to collect a sample. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Brianne Gilbert, Managing Director at the Center for the Study of Los Angeles, at studyLA@lmu.edu. Completion of this enrollment form does not ensure a sample will be taken. We will do our best to collect samples from every requested location, however, resources are limited. Homeowners will be emailed if their property is selected and will be informed which day a sample will be taken a few days in advance. Our team is actively working to secure additional funding for more samples.
Project Team
The project team consists of teams at Purdue University, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Purdue University, Loyola Marymount University (LMU), and the R&S Kayne Foundation.
Purdue University - Andrew Whelton and Caitlin Proctor
Andrew J. Whelton is a Professor of Civil, Construction, Environmental and Ecological Engineering at Purdue University and founder of the Center for Plumbing Safety. He has been called into some of the most significant U.S. wildfires and other disasters in recent history to provide public health and engineering support. His teams have assisted decision-makers, businesses, and households. He earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering, M.S. in Environmental Engineering, and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech. His prior work experience includes the U.S. Army, NIST, and the private sector.
Caitlin Proctor is a Professor of Agricultural, Biological, Environmental and Ecological Engineering at Purdue University. Her work covers drinking water holistically, although her emphasis is on microbiological issues like pathogens. She has helped in a variety of disasters to provide public health guidance, and often engages in community sampling efforts. She earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering, and M.S. in Environmental Engineering from Virginia Tech. She earned a Ph.D. in Life Sciences from ETH, Zurich in Switzerland.
UCLA - Sanjay Mohanty and Yifang Zhu
Sanjay Mohanty is an associate professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California Los Angeles. His research broadly focuses on enhancing environmental resilience and public health by studying contamination risks in vulnerable ecosystems. He investigates the fate and transport of pollutants in soil and water, particularly during climate extremes such as wildfires and flooding, and explores strategies to minimize exposure. He holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder, an M.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and a B.S. in Physics from Utkal University in India.
Yifang Zhu is a Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at UCLA. Her current research focuses on identifying key factors that influence air pollutant exposures by measuring and modeling emissions, transport, and transformation in both the atmosphere and various indoor environments. Her scholarship has been recognized with several prestigious awards, including the Rosenblith New Investigator Award from the Health Effects Institute, the CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation, and the Haagen-Smit Prize from Atmospheric Environment. Dr. Zhu holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Health Sciences from UCLA and a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from Tsinghua University in China.
Loyola Marymount University - Fernando J. Guerra and Brianne Gilbert
Fernando J. Guerra, in addition to his role as the founding director of StudyLA, is a full professor of political science and Chicana/o studies at LMU. He has served on standing commissions, blue-ribbon committees, and ad hoc task forces for the city of Los Angeles, the State of California, and regional bodies in Southern California. Fernando is published in the area of state and local government and urban and ethnic politics. He earned his doctorate in Political Science from the University of Michigan and his B.A. in Political Science from the University of Southern California.
Brianne Gilbert, in addition to her role as managing director at StudyLA, is also a senior lecturer at LMU in the department of political science. She is published in the fields of LA politics, geospatial techniques, and undergraduate research development, and is the author of Statistics in the Social Sciences: Inferential Statistics as Rhetoric in Sociology. Brianne received her B.A. in Sociology with an emphasis in Statistics from Wittenberg University and her M.A. in Comparative Sociology and Anthropology from Florida International University.
Cal Poly Pomona - Mónica Palomo
Mónica Palomo, P.E., BCEE, is a professor in the Civil Engineering Department at Cal Poly Pomona. Her research has focused on natural treatment systems for surface water remediation, wastewater treatment, sanitation in developing countries, urban soils quality, engineering outreach, service learning, and engineering education. She holds a Civil Engineering degree from the University of Guanajuato, México, and her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees (both in Civil Engineering with an environmental emphasis) from Kansas State University.
R&S Kayne Foundation - Saree Kayne and Sarah Ali
Saree Kayne is a cultural anthropologist (PhD, Stanford University 2020). Prior to that, she graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Chicago. In addition to her work at the Foundation, she also serves as Vice-President of the board of the KCRW Foundation, a leading NPR affiliate in Los Angeles that serves as a hub of culture, news and music for the community. Saree is interested in medicine and volunteers at the Venice Family Clinic, and formerly at the Telluride Medical Center in Telluride, CO.
Sarah Ali has a background in education, strategy, and leadership. She earned a B.A. in Political Science and M.A. in School Administration at Loyola Marymount University. Previous governance and leadership roles include: Board Chair and Interim Executive Director for Snap Foundation; Board Secretary for the SEED School of Los Angeles, a college-prep public boarding school; Advisory Committee, Los Angeles Postsecondary Funders Collaborative; and administrative roles at Camino Nuevo Charter Academy and Aspire Public Schools. She serves on the Boards of Dreamhaus and Crenshaw Dairy Mart, two L.A. based arts organizations.