Inspiring Conversations with Laurie LaPat-Polasko of Matrix New World Engineering

Today we’d like to introduce you to Laurie LaPat-Polasko.

Hi Laurie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I am the middle child of seven kids, and there was never a dull or quiet moment in our house. However, my childhood was fairly typical until my senior year in high school, when I was in a motorcycle accident, which resulted in my skull being fractured and numerous broken bones—that night forever changed my life. After my neurosurgeon had removed part of my brain, I remained in a coma for more than 3 weeks. When I finally woke up, I had regressed to a baby. Over the next few months, my cognitive abilities began to return. During my year-long recovery, I remember people telling me every day that it was a miracle I was alive, and I quickly realized that I had been given a second chance at life and needed to seize the moment.

After going to college, I thought about what I’d been through the past year and realized that I could do anything if I put my mind to it. It was time to be fearless! As a child, I loved spending time in the water and was fascinated by marine life. Each time I visited the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and watched the diver in the coral reef tank describe the sea creatures, I was mesmerized by their beauty and grace. After becoming a certified scuba diver, I wrote a letter to the Director of the Shedd Aquarium asking about the opportunity to perform an internship at the aquarium. A few months later, I was the person diving in the coral reef tank giving the lecture. Although I was terrified the first time I got into the tank and encountered one of the sharks face-to-face, after several weeks of getting to know the diverse coral reef family, I looked forward to jumping into this underwater world and sharing information about these fantastic animals.

There are only a few days in the year when the aquarium is closed, including Christmas Day. I came to work the day after Christmas and was excited to dive into the coral reef tank because some friends were visiting the aquarium. After I donned my scuba gear and placed the Green Sea Turtle into the holding tank, I began hand-feeding the angelfish and tangs. Halfway through the lecture, I watched the visitors through the glass while feeding one of the sharks some shrimp when he suddenly bit down on my hand, and blood spurted out. That was the end of that day’s lecture. I’m happy to say that there was no permanent damage to my hand and no hard feelings between me and the shark. A few weeks later, I was back in the tank, feeding him again.

Over the years, I realized how the power of the pen opened up new and exciting opportunities for me. So, one day, I sat down and wrote a letter to my marine biology idol, Jacques Cousteau, and asked him about the opportunity to work at the Oceanographic Institute in Monaco. My mom thought I was nuts but knew I was crazy enough to do it. More than six months went by before I heard back from Captain Cousteau, and I was overcome with joy when he informed me that he would be happy to have me join his team. I could even live in one of the small apartments for visiting scientists on the lower level of the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco. Every morning, when I would wake up and look out my window at the Mediterranean Sea, I would pinch myself and say, “I am so fortunate to be here!” I was part of a team that studied water pollution in the Mediterranean Sea. Every week, we would take out one of Cousteau’s research boats and collect Mediterranean Sea water samples along the coast of Monaco, France, and Italy. We would then return to the laboratory and analyze the samples for chemical pollutants and microbial pathogens. Through this research effort, Jacques Cousteau’s team demonstrated the negative impacts of not including secondary wastewater treatment on marine life, leading to many small coastal cities implementing these treatment systems.

After working with Jacques Cousteau, I headed west to pursue an MS and engineering degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University. While I was at Stanford, my best friend sent me a National Geographic magazine, and on the front page was Dr. Sylvia Earle, who was talking about studying Humpback whales around the world and would soon be doing an expedition to Glacier Bay, Alaska, where the Humpback whales feed during the summer season. So, my next step was to write a letter to Dr. Earle asking about the opportunity to join her team on the Regina Maris, a barquentine ship used for the science expedition. Within a few months after I sent the letter to Dr. Earle, I interviewed her, and she told me she would recommend me for this expedition. The following summer, I took a three-month sabbatical from pursuing my environmental engineering degree. I headed to Glacier Bay, Alaska, where I studied the migration paths, feeding habits, and songs of the humpback whales. The humpback whales’ graceful movements and incredible songs further motivated me to focus my career on cleaning up environmental pollutants worldwide, especially in our oceans and groundwater.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Throughout my career in marine biology and environmental engineering, my journey has been like a winding river where I would encounter massive rapids and, at the next turn, calm, smooth waters. The following episode was certainly one of these challenging experiences. While at Chatham College, the students could perform independent studies and receive college credit. During my sophomore year, I wrote a letter to the head of the Marine Biology Department at the University of Florida Gainesville inquiring about the possibility of doing independent research at their Seahorse Key Marine Laboratory. A few months later, I received a letter from Dr. Maturo informing me that I could conduct an independent study at their marine lab. The following January, I was heading out to the marine lab, where I was going to study a small fish that lived in relatively high and low salinity environments. Upon arriving on the island, I quickly learned some key information about living there; first of all, there were Water Moccasin snakes all around the island, which are poisonous, and secondly, all of the graduate students were conducting their research back in Gainesville. Therefore, I would be all alone on the island for the month. As one of seven children, I truly did not understand the concept of silence. During the first few days on the island, I was incredibly lonely and would walk around talking to myself and the animals.

One afternoon, I decided to walk around the whole island, which was only a few miles. I threw on my waders and began walking in the surf when, after a few steps, I started sinking in this mud-like material. The more I tried to pull my feet out of the mud, the deeper I sank. As the sun set and the tide came in, I stopped moving for a few minutes and reflected on my situation. I decided that squirming my feet around or trying to pull them out would not work, so instead, I leaned forward and laid down into the ocean until water filled up my waders. I wiggled out of my waders and swam over to an area where the beachfront was solid ground. That evening, as I sat alone and ate my peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I took a few deep breaths and realized how lucky I was to have each of these experiences that pushed me to my limits. More importantly, I began recognizing and appreciating the many people who have positively impacted my life.

One of the greatest challenges I faced during my career was identifying the source of a pathogen that caused the death of two young boys in Arizona. The pathogen that impacted the boys was Naegleria Fowleri, which causes amebic meningoencephalitis. I led a team of scientists to discover the potential sources of the pathogen. My team’s investigation and research involved collecting and testing various water sources for N. Fowleri using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Our team showed that N. Fowleri was drinking water from unchlorinated groundwater. As soon as the discovery was made, the drinking water source was changed to chlorinated.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk about work. What should we know?
For nearly three decades, I have designed remediation systems worldwide for various contaminants in water and soil. My area of expertise is identifying and developing microbes that can biodegrade harmful pollutants, such as fuels, chlorinated solvents, explosives, and emerging contaminants, such as perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), the forever chemicals. One minimal claim to fame is that I have a bacterium named after me, Pseudomonas LP, that biodegrades methylene chloride, a probable human carcinogen. My first major project after my Ph.D. was designing a cleanup strategy for the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Approximately two decades later, I was working on cleaning up the Deepwater Horizon oil release in the Gulf of Mexico. Throughout my career, I have collaborated with numerous universities worldwide, from UCLA to the University of Lyon. Through these partnerships, I was at the forefront of implementing pioneering remediation approaches for complex contaminated sites. During this period, I have applied the power of tiny microbes to biodegrade these harmful compounds.

Water and soil pollution is a challenge that we will face throughout eternity. As scientists and engineers, we must focus on our ingenuity and creative thinking to develop innovative solutions to address current and emerging pollutants. Throughout my career, I have realized that it is critical to design effective remediation systems. Still, it is equally important to effectively communicate with the environmental regulators and the local community about what technology will be used at the site and any potential impacts it may have on the community.

OTHER FACTS ABOUT DR. LAPAT-POLASKO:
Dr. LaPat-Polasko has been the recipient of several prominent honors. In 2020, Laurie received the Prism Award from the Society of Women, Engineers for Outstanding Leadership in STEM. 2018, she received the GOLD International Stevie Award for Women in Business, Woman of the Year – Technology. She was also selected as Outstanding Business Woman of the Year – 2018 by the Phoenix Business Journal for her community leadership, professional accomplishments, and personal achievements.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
What was your favorite childhood memory? Some of my favorite childhood memories involved driving to our local swimming pool with my dad to participate on the Penguin swim team. This was a special time because I had my dad’s undivided attention. When we got to swim practice, my dad would hop in the deep end to ensure that any younger, weaker swimmers could make it the total distance of the pool. He was always there for me! My passion for water and the oceans started in the swimming pool when I was only 7.

Contact Info:

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurie-lapat-polasko-b9149347/