Zoe Eleni Demitrack

Zoe Eleni Demitrack is a PhD student in Environmental Health Science at the UArizona College of Public Health, and her advisor is Dr. Frank von Hippel. Her research entitled “Pollution originating from formerly used defense (FUD) sites on Unalaska Island with the Qawalangin Tribe” sits at the nexus of contaminant chemistry, eco-toxicology, and subsistence food use, incorporating data sovereignty and one-health principles. In particular, Ms. Demitrack’s research explores subsistence food contamination on Unalaska Island, AK. Ms. Demitrack employs ecotoxicology principles to determine the role of formerly used defense (FUD) sites in local PCB contamination. The project remains grounded through a collaborative relationship between the Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska and both social and environmental scientists at the University of Alaska, University of Nevada, and UArizona. Funding from the Haury Program will support summer field research collecting fish species on and off FUD Sites, and a follow-up trip to Unalaska Island to report findings and provide data directly to the Qawalangin Tribe, and a presentation of research to the scientific community. Ms. Demitrack is especially interested in FUD site contamination of subsistence foods given the cultural and economic significance of subsistence lifestyles in the Aleutian Bering Sea Island region, as well as the ecological importance of the Aleutians. Ms. Demitrack is grateful for the opportunity to work with, and learn from, local Unalaskans who care deeply for their home and for the animals they live in close partnership with.