Sam Rosolina on Southern Appalachia and Environmental Chemistry

In this episode I speak with Sam Rosolina, an environmental chemist currently serving as Vice President of Applied Innovation at Microbial Insights, a laboratory that uses microbes to clean up environmental contamination. We discuss:• How growing up in rural Northeast Tennessee shaped his love of nature.• How witnessing the devastating 2008 Kingston coal ash spill motivated his pursuit of environmental chemistry research.• His path from academic heavy metal detection to leading isotope analysis at Microbial Insights, tracking microbial breakdown of contaminants.• The compelling parallels between microbial and human communities, particularly in their reliance on specialization and mutual support.• His perspective on the balance between voluntary and compliance-driven environmental action, noting regulation's historic role in driving improvements.• How finding stability in place and career has enabled broader thinking about research while maintaining deep regional connections. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit discernearth.substack.com