Department Chair Earth and Environmental Sciences

Associate Professor Environmental Science and Technology

Mark Shepherd Journal

Conservation Photography on Instagram

EDUCATION

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER – Omaha, Nebraska

• Ph.D., Environmental Health, Occupational Health and Toxicology, May 2015
• Dissertation: Community, Environmental & Occupational Health Risks Associated with Electrical Power Generation

BAYLOR UNIVERSITY – Waco, Texas

• MES, Environmental Studies
• Graduate Minor, Biology
• Master’s Thesis: The Relationship between Ozone and Nitrogen Oxide Concentration in the Atmosphere over El Paso, Texas

BAYLOR UNIVERSITY – Waco, Texas

• BA, Political Science, August
• BA, French, August

 

CERTIFICATIONS

Board Certified Qualified Environmental Professional (QEP); Air Pollution Control Specialty (Certificate Number 10060027) – Issued by the Institute of Professional Environmental Practice (10/17/2006).

Board Eligible Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology

ASSOCIATIONS, HONORS, AND ACTIVITIES

• Editor, Journal of Marine Science, Research and Technology (2016 – to present)
• Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
• American Association for the Advancement of Science

 

PROFESSIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERIENCE

XBIOTECH USA, INC. – Austin, Texas (March 1, 2016 – Present)

8201 East Riverside Drive, Bldg 4, Suite 100, Austin, TX 78744

Senior Environmental Health and Safety Specialist

Responsible for environmental and occupational health & safety (EH&S), permitting and sustainability-related functions for manufacturing and research facilities.

WCM ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANTS – Austin, Texas (September 1, 2015 – February 29, 2016)

Director, Technical Services

• Phase I environmental site assessments
• Air and wastewater permitting

TOPAZ POWER MANAGEMENT, LLC – Austin, Texas

Vice President Environmental Health and Safety (October 2010 – August 31, 2015)

• Responsible for environmental and occupational health & safety (EH&S), permitting and sustainability-related functions at a 10 gas-fired power plants, 3 coal-fired power plants and one biomass-fired (wood) power plant.

PRAIRIE STATE GENERATING COMPANY, LLC – Marissa, Illinois

Corporate Director of Environmental Health and Safety (February 2009 – September 2010)

• Responsible for all environmental and occupational health & safety (EH&S) and sustainability-related functions at a 1600 MW mine-mouth power plant; reporting directly to the President/CEO.
• Directing feasibility studies including CO₂ sequestration and a 600 acre, 4 million ton per year coal combustion waste landfill.

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA, LINCOLN – Lincoln, Nebraska

Assistant Director for Occupational Health and Safety (September 1, 2005 – February 6, 2009)

• Developing, implementing and maintaining a comprehensive occupational health, industrial hygiene, safety and life safety program at a large research university and extension centers throughout the state.
• Overseeing the university Biosafety Officer and Biosafety program and managing biosafety staff support for BSL 1-3 and select agent use facilities.
• Providing guidance to and serving as a member on the Chancellor’s University Health and Safety Committee, the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) and various departmental and divisional safety committees.

Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. – Newark, New Jersey; Fort Collins, Colorado

Environmental, Health and Safety Manager (October 15, 2002 – August 22, 2005)

• Developing environmental health policies, standards and guidance documents for 1,100 acre brewery and research agricultural center ~ 1,000 employees and contractors.
• Environmental compliance for 4.5 million gallon per day Biological Energy Recovery wastewater plant.

HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL, INC. – Richardson, Texas and Juarez, Mexico

Principal Environmental, Health and Safety Coordinator (September 2000 – October 11, 2002)

• Managed environmental health and safety programs at semiconductor manufacturing plants in Texas and Mexico and a research facility in Minnesota.

RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS

Shepherd, MA. Shea, P. Labay, A. Rautiainen, R. Achutan, C. (2016) Operational, water quality and temporal factors affecting impingement of fish and shellfish at a Texas coastal power plant.  Global Ecology and Conservation: 5, 48-57. doi: 10.1016/j.gecco.2015.11.006

Shepherd, M. A., Haynatzki, G., Rautiainen, R., & Achutan, C. (2015). Estimates of community exposure and health risk to sulfur dioxide from power plant emissions using short-term mobile and stationary ambient air monitoring. Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 65(10), 1239-1246. doi:10.1080/10962247.2015.1077174

 

 AUTHORED ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH REPORTS

• Occupational Exposure to Hexavalent Chromium Generated during the Arc Welding Stainless Steel – September 2008
• Occupational Exposure to Xylene in the Aerosol Can Crushing Operation – August 2008
• Occupational Exposure to Mold Particles and Spores Resulting from Past Water Incursions in A Nebraska Meat Packing Plant – April 2008
• Occupational Exposure to Ammonia Generated in the Refrigeration Process – April 2008
• Occupational Exposure to Sodium Hypochlorite (as chlorine) Generated in the Equipment Sanitation Process -April 2008
• Occupational Exposure to Hexavalent Chromium Generated during Stainless Steel Arc Welding – April 2008
• Occupational Exposure to Hydrogen Sulfide Generated in the Wastewater Treatment Process – April 2008
• Occupational Exposure to Methyl Ethyl Ketone Generated during the Maintenance, Operation, and Calibration of Video Jet Labeling Equipment – April 2008
• Occupational Exposure to Noise in Production Areas at in a Nebraska Meat Packing Plant – March and April 2008
• Occupational Exposure to Airborne Arsenic in the Microautomation Process – March 2002
• Occupational Exposure to Silica (Cristobalite, Quartz, Tridymite) in the Semiconductor Wet Saw Process – June 2002
• Occupational Exposure to Hydrofluoric, Nitric, Phosphoric and Sulfuric Acid in the Wet Etch Operations – June 2001
• Occupational Exposure to X-Rays from the Scanning Electron Microscope Station – April 2001
• Occupational Exposure to Aluminum, Chromium, Copper, Iron, Nickel, Palladium, Platinum and Tin in the Sputtering Process – April 2001
• Occupational Exposure to Radio Frequency (Non-Ionizing) Radiation in the Sputtering Process – April 2001
• Occupational Exposure to Xylene; N-Butyl Acetate; 1,2,4-Trichorobenzene; Isopropyl Alcohol and Acetone in the Diaphragm Etch Process – April 2001
• Occupational Exposure to Aluminum Oxide during the Bead Blasting Process – March 2001
• Occupational Exposure to Arsenic in the Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition Process – December 2000
• Occupational Exposure to Lead in Semiconductor Glassing Area – April 2000
• Occupational Exposure to Nickel in the Nickel Plating Process – March 2000
• Occupational Exposure to Lead in Semiconductor Glass Make and Reflow Solder Areas – April 2000
• Occupational Exposure to Lead in Semiconductor E-Glass Area- March 2000, March 1999
• Occupational Exposure to Xylene, Ethyl Benzene and Total Hydrocarbons in Semiconductor Photolithography Area – March and February 2000
• Occupational Exposure to Hydrofluoric, Nitric and Sulfuric Acid in Semiconductor E-glass 6th Mask and Wet Chemistry Areas – June 1999
• Biological Monitoring for Blood lead Concentration in the E-Glass Contact Area – March 1999 (Biological Monitoring Study)