Department of Earth, Environmental & Planetary Sciences

On Friday, Associate Justice Brian P. Stern authorized Special Master Rick Land to guide Rhode Island Recycled Metals through the environmental permitting process. During and after the July 10th fire at Rhode Island Recycled Metals, Brown University’s Breathe Providence project detected significant spikes in a particulate matter called PM2.5 in South Providence, Fox Point, Hope Street, and Pawtucket. Meredith Hastings, DEEPS Chair and director of Breathe Providence, commented on the court's decision, writing that it's “a step in the right direction. Industries in the Port of Providence really do need to be held accountable and make changes that will protect the health, well being and quality of environment for the surrounding communities and their workers.”

A recent Brown Daily Herald poll found that female students are less likely than their male counterparts to study the physical sciences at Brown. DEEPS Chair, Professor Meredith Hastings discussed how representation and the “leaky pipeline" contribute to this issue, and highlighted ways it is being addressed. “We definitely have seen the numbers go up across the board,” Hastings said, adding that more work is yet to be done, such as addressing exclusionary behaviors.

The Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences is proud to welcome Professor Meredith Hastings, the George Ide Chase Professor of Physical Sciences, as the new Department Chair. Hastings has been a member of the Brown faculty since 2008 and steps into this new role as the first woman to chair the department.

Rhode Island Superior Court Associate Justice Brian Stern has issued a temporary restraining order after a fire at Rhode Island Recycled Metals LLC. The fire released smoke and potentially harmful chemicals detected throughout the city and into Pawtucket by Breathe Providence sensors, according to expert testimony from Meredith Hastings, DEEPS Chair and project lead for Breathe Providence.

Weeks after a massive fire at a metal recycling business on Allens Avenue in Providence sparked environmental concerns, the NBC 10 I-Team discovered dozens of complaints made against businesses on that same street. Professor Meredith Hastings spoke with investigators about Breathe Providence and her ongoing research on local air quality. “Our project is really dedicated to try and understand patterns of air pollution across the city,” Hastings said.

NBC 10's Mark Searles and Dan Jaehnig were joined by a panel of experts, including DEEPS Professor Meredith Hastings, to talk about climate change's impact in Rhode Island and possible solutions.