Meet Our Board of Directors

Thomas Spalding, M.S

Multi-talented professional with experience as Geologist Supervisor and Oil and Gas Inspector, Commonwealth of Kentucky; Engineering Coordinator, Louisville, KY Air Pollution Control District; Manager, Jefferson County, Ky. Sewer District.

Mel Siegel

Mel Siegel has been a faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University, School of Computer Science, The Robotics Institute since shortly after the Institute’s founding. He created the department’s Master of Science in Robotics Technology program, delivered in collaboration with partner universities in China, India, and the UK. In 2017.

Thomas Potter

Researcher, research manager, teacher, and scientific consultant with more than 40 years of professional experience practicing environmental and agricultural chemistry. Accomplished author and public speaker with more than 110 peer-reviewed journal and government publications and leadership of symposia at national and international scientific meetings.

Meet Our Board of Advisors

Giles Hopkins Ed. D.

He has been coaching senior executives and teams of managers and staff in private and public enterprises of all sizes in business strategy and innovation for 35 years.  He is always looking for opportunities to work with new teams in new organizations who are faced with complex and interesting business challenges.  More than ever, he is convinced that the intersection of customer-centered experimentation, technology-based delivery innovation, and team-based learning is at the heart of the successful enterprise. If you are looking for more of his advice check out his blog at www.gileshopkins.com

Eleanora I. Robbins (Norrie) Ph.D.

Active “Pollution Detective”. Robbins is a biogeologist who has published her work in the fields of palynology, paleoecology, and microbial ecology. Her most recent work is on microbial precipitation of metals from natural sources and coal- and metal-mine discharge Now “retired,” she teaches outdoors-related science to children living on Indian reservations, and volunteers with the San Diego River Park Foundation to monitor the health of the San Diego River.

U.S. Geological Survey–retired 2001
San Diego State Univ. Dept. Geological Sciences–retired 2015     email: norrierobbins@cox.net

George P. Sartiano M.D., FCP

Dr. Sartiano’s research history and list of published papers is quite long. You can find them by first Googling “Google Scholar”  and once there, entering “George P. Sartiano, M.D., or G.P. Sartiano.” A comprehensive list of his contributions to medicine will appear. An additional list of his educational videos of protist organisms can be found on the Univ. of Ga. Server under the title “Protist Portal”.

Francis P. Koster, Ed.D.

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My life’s mission has emerged over time, shaped by some unique experiences. While serving in the Peace Corps in Africa, in a small village of grass-roofed huts, a 4-year-old neighbor girl who had shyly welcomed me a few days before died in my arms. I later learned that she had contracted a disease as a result of contaminated water. Although the village mourned, no one appeared surprised. But I was grief-stricken and angry. The fact that this death by pollution was accepted as almost normal upset me deeply.


Learn More About Fran Koster


We are eager to expand our circle of experts.   In particular, we need qualified advisors in two areas:
1) The environmental impact of pollution on fetal development and the general health of the public, and
2) Methane (natural gas) leak detection – both the technology to do detection, and the public health impact and climate change impact of those leaks.  We will be setting up a program to lend methane leak detection equipment as soon as we raise the needed funds ( +/- $50,000).
If you are interested, or want to nominate someone, please reach out to us at info@thepollutiondetectives.org