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November 3, 2023 (Issue 238) |
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SRP Tools for PFAS Site Characterization Webinar Series
SRP is hosting the Risk e-Learning webinar series focused on research efforts to develop tools for sampling, monitoring, detecting, and characterizing PFAS contamination. More information, including presentation descriptions, a link to register for the last session, and recordings for the previous sessions, are on the SRP website.
HHEAR Exposomics Webinar Series
The Human Health Exposure Analysis Resource (HHEAR) is hosting a series of webinars on several topics important to exposomics, a rapidly evolving area involving characterizing the totality of exposures and their effects on health. The next webinar, “Development of Biomedical Knowledge Bases for Exposomics,” will take place on Thursday, November 9 at 3:00 p.m. ET.
National Priorities: Research for Understanding PFAS Uptake and Bioaccumulation in Plants and Animals in Agricultural, Rural, and Tribal Communities Request for Applications
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking applicants for research to better understand PFAS uptake in agricultural plants and animals and to help agricultural, rural, and Tribal communities mitigate and manage the impacts of PFAS exposure. More information is available on the EPA website. Applications are due December 6.
Collaborative Research Experiences and Training Forge Scientific Careers
The latest Public Health Impact Story reflects on the legacy of SRP’s K.C. Donnelly Externship Awards, which have enabled over 80 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to learn from experts across institutional lines.
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NIEHS SRP News Stories
Take a moment to read about some of our colleagues' latest activities in this month's Environmental Factor, the NIEHS newsletter:
Visit the SRP page for more stories about the program.
Redlining Still Drives Neighborhood Health Inequities
Rachel Morello-Frosch, researcher at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) SRP Center, was quoted in an article regarding redlining and its impacts 50 years after being outlawed. Her work highlights how this racially driven historical practice still contributes to neighborhood health inequities.
UNC Researcher Interviewed by American Thoracic Society
Meghan Rebuli, of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) SRP Center, was interviewed on the American Thoracic Society Who’s Who page. She discusses her work on how biological and hormonal sex can interact with inhaled toxicants to alter respiratory health.
Eating Broccoli Sprouts Can Enhance Benefits of Breast Milk
Natalie Johnson, a scientist at the TAMU SRP Center, was interviewed by Texas A&M News about her research on how sulforaphane – a compound found in broccoli sprouts – may be transferred through breast milk and protect against respiratory syncytial virus infection in newborns.
Tighter Regulations Put in Place for Forever Chemicals
Rainer Lohmann, director of the University of Rhode Island (URI) SRP Center, was interviewed by WPRI regarding PFAS distribution in the environment. He mentioned the URI SRP Center, the history of PFAS chemicals, and how high levels of exposure have been linked to testicular and cancer.
Tanguay Receives a $7.5 Million Grant for Zebrafish Research
Kezi News interviewed Robyn Tanguay, director of the Oregon State University (OSU) SRP Center, about the recent $7.5 million NIH award to modernize her lab. Tanguay uses zebrafish to address pressing human health challenges. She plans to automate fish rearing and screening practices to produce high throughput data.
Lewis Comments on Mining Impacts on Water
Johnnye Lewis, director of the University of New Mexico (UNM) SRP Center, was interviewed by Idaho Mountain Express on water contaminated with mine tailings consisting of arsenic, manganese, and lead. Lewis highlighted the uncertainty in predicting how metal mixtures affect human health. She also emphasized the potential of human exposure through contaminated fish or plants.
Ilona Jaspers Highlighted in UNC Article
Ilona Jaspers, Research Experience and Training Coordination Core leader of the UNC SRP Center, was highlighted by Rooted UNC for her research contributions over the past 26 years. Currently, her lab studies wildfire smoke, military burn pits, and cannabinoid vaping products.
TAMU Researcher Interviewed About Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning
Galen Newman, researcher at the TAMU SRP Center, was interviewed on a podcast as part of the TAMU 100 Years of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning celebration. Newman explained how landscape architecture and urban planning can shape how people interact with their environment and provide protection from environmental insults.
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Using Passive Sampling and Zebrafish to Understand PAH Toxicity
This month we spoke with Christian Rude, a trainee at the OSU SRP Center, who is mentored by Robyn Tanguay.
What is the focus of your research at the OSU SRP Center?
My work at OSU is centered around polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs occur in fossil fuels and are formed naturally during combustion. One of my current projects uses new technologies to measure RNA in zebrafish exposed to PAHs, and another is building a model to predict the dose of PAH that enters the zebrafish from their water.
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How did you become interested in this work?
I'm a bit of a boundary pusher. If someone tells me not to do something because it is dangerous, I want to know how dangerous it is, because that boundary might be worth adjusting. I’m interested in toxicology because it helps us understand the dangers of various chemicals so we can make informed decisions about them.
Tell us about your recent publication and why it is important to your field.
Contaminant mixtures are tricky, and we're still building our knowledge of how to approach them. Our recent publication addresses this by using passive sampling devices and experiments with zebrafish to characterize hazards of environmental mixtures from the Portland Harbor Superfund Site. Our analysis suggested toxic modes of action we wouldn't have expected, or even known to look for, given our knowledge of the chemicals in the area.
What factors have contributed most to your growth as a researcher throughout your time as an SRP trainee?
It's all come down to the people around me. My mentor, Robyn Tanguay, is excellent. I also receive a lot of support from other researchers in the program, fellow trainees, and my spiritual communities at my church and the Graduate Christian Fellowship.
What is one piece of advice that you have for other SRP trainees?
Make good friends and get good at failing. We all need to know and be known and to love and be loved. If we do all the best science in the world but are completely alone, it's still a bummer. As for failing, being a trainee is about learning and growing. The best way to learn and grow, whether we like it or not, is to fail and learn from those failures.
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NIH Seeking Comment on Draft Resource Informed Consent for Research Using Digital Health Technologies
NIH is seeking comments on a draft resource, Developing Consent Language for Research Using Digital Health Technologies, which is intended to assist the research community in developing and reviewing informed consent documents involving digital health technologies.
Comments will be accepted until December 12, 2023, and must be submitted through the online form.
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New Methods Optimize Lab Studies of EPFRs
Researchers from the Louisiana State University SRP Center reported sophisticated methods to improve how environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) are generated in the lab and used to study potential health consequences.
Particulate matter containing highly reactive EPFRs can be formed when organic waste or contaminated soils are burned as a remediation strategy, and the chemical components of EPFRs can vary based on their source. Inhaling these particles has been associated with inflammation and oxidative stress in the lungs; however, studying the potential health effects relevant to humans has been challenging in laboratory settings.
The team sought to develop and validate laboratory-based methods to generate EPFRs that are like those in urban environments, more closely mimic exposure conditions relevant to humans, and assess impacts on the heart and lungs as an understudied target of EPFR exposure.
The researchers used a novel two-stage combustion reactor to generate two groups of EPFRs with specifically controlled radical compositions at different concentrations. They verified that both groups of EPFRs had similar properties and estimated that the pollutants would deposit similarly within the lungs when inhaled. The chemical composition of the EPFRs were also similar to those found in particulate matter air pollution in the environment.
The team compared mice exposed to filtered air with those exposed to aerosolized EPFRs with either high or low concentrations of free radicals. Mice exposed to EPFRs with higher free radicals had reduced lung function and increased markers of vascular dysfunction. These mice also showed increased gene expression related to aryl hydrocarbon receptor activation – known to play an important role in detecting and responding to pollutants – and increased expression of genes involved in antioxidant response.
The approach will enable other researchers to produce consistent EPFR aerosols and explore more refined dose-response relationships, according to the authors. They added that their work could inform studies investigating how the source of EPFRs influence health outcomes.
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Tanguay Recognized as 2023-2024 Hager Fellow
Tanguay was honored by the Hager institute for her pioneering work in the use of zebrafish as toxicology models. Her recent research led to the development of high throughput instruments to refine accelerated phenotyping – characterizing observable characteristics or traits of an organism.
TAMU Trainees Receive Awards
Hasan Nikkhah and Zahir Aghayev are trainees with the Data Management and Analysis Core at the TAMU SRP Center. Nikkhah received a Teaching Assistant Award and was named as a Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Teaching Fellow. Aghayev’s contributions were recognized in the ACS Fall meeting, ESCAPE-33 conference and Engineering Poster Competition.
UNM Researchers and Trainees Recognized
UNM SRP researchers were featured in “Exposure: Native Art and Political Ecology,” which recently won a New Mexico Book Association Award. The book by Manuela Well-Off-Man features an introduction compiled through interviews with UNM SRP researchers Lewis, Chris Shuey, and Mallery Quetawki.
Andreanna Roros, a UNM trainee, won third place at the Pacific Northwest Association of Toxicologists conference for her presentation entitled “Impacts of Uranium-Bearing Particulate Matter Associated with the Jackpile Mine on the Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico.”
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Exploratory Grants for Climate Change and Health Research Center Development
What: Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to solicit P20 planning grant applications for Climate Change and Health Research Centers. This program will support the development of a transdisciplinary research environment to examine the impacts of climate change on health and develop action-oriented solutions.
Funder: NIEHS
When: Applications due November 7.
Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup Grant Guidelines
What: Grants offered by the Brownfields Program may be used to address sites contaminated by hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants (including hazardous substances co-mingled with petroleum) and petroleum. These grants allow more vacant and abandoned properties to be turned into community assets that will promote economic revitalization in communities.
Funder: EPA
When: Applications due November 13.
PFAS Uptake and Bioaccumulation in Plants and Animals in Agricultural, Rural, and Tribal Communities RFA
What: As part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, EPA is seeking applicants for research to better understand PFAS uptake in agricultural plants and animals and to help agricultural, rural, and Tribal communities mitigate and manage the impacts of PFAS exposure.
Funder: EPA
When: Applications due December 6.
Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Predoctoral Fellowship
What: The purpose of the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Predoctoral Fellowship (Parent F31) award is to enable promising predoctoral students to obtain individualized, mentored research training from outstanding faculty sponsors while conducting dissertation research in scientific health-related fields relevant to the missions of the participating NIH Institutes and Centers.
Funder: NIH
When: Applications due December 8.
HHS Environmental Justice Community Innovator Challenge
What: HHS is seeking community-led strategies and tools to address health disparities in communities disproportionately impacted by environmental risks and hazards including those related to climate change, and the cumulative impacts of other stressors.
Funder: HHS
When: Applications due January 30.
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Machine Learning for Groundwater Level Monitoring Network Design
Researchers from Wayne State University combined groundwater models and machine learning algorithms to locate observation wells and design optimal Groundwater Level Monitoring Networks (GLMNs). The study proposed three GLMNs, compared them with existing observation wells, and investigated their effects on the accuracy of groundwater modeling and running time.
NIH Build UP Trust Challenge
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has unveiled the NIH Build UP Trust Challenge, an initiative offering up to $1.25 million in awards. This challenge seeks groundbreaking solutions that enhance research participation and advance the adoption of innovative tools and techniques to detect, treat, and monitor diseases among minority health populations and those facing health disparities. Partnered with cosponsors across NIH, including the All of Us Research Program and more, this endeavor aims to bridge gaps in healthcare equity. Register by November 14. Learn more here.
White House Year of Open Science Recognition Challenge
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), in collaboration with federal agencies participating in a Year of Open Science, invite researchers, community scientists, educators, innovators, and members of the broader public to share stories of how they’ve advanced equitable open science.
Submissions Close November 22. Learn more here.
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Participants of the Environmental Health Sciences Research for Techers and High School Students (EARTH) Program celebrate the completion of the inaugural year. This program, which is a collaboration between the Columbia SRP Center, Columbia's Department of Environmental Health Sciences, and Missouri Breaks, hosted six students and three high school teachers who conducted environmental health research under the mentorship of Columbia faculty members. (Photos courtesy of Yoshira Ornelas Van Horne of Columbia University).
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University of Michigan Opportunities
The University of Michigan has two research associate openings, one for a chemical biologist and the other a productive chemist, in the College of Osteopathic Medicine. Based in East Lansing, Michigan, the roles will involve research on recently funded projects of early drug discovery and chemical biology.
University of Rhode Island SRP Center Seeking Postdoctoral Research Associate
The URI SRP Center has an opening for a postdoctoral research associate. The primary responsibility of this position will be to develop and implement data management practices based on the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) principles for data collected from experiments, simulations, field research, and clinical studies. Inquiries should be directed to Harrison Dekker at hdekker@uri.edu.
Senior Level Position at University of Pennsylvania
The Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology at the University of Pennsylvania has an opening for a senior environmental health scientist. The primary appointment will be in Systems Pharmacology & Translational Therapeutics, but appointments in other departments are possible depending on expertise.
Postdoctoral Opportunity at Wayne State
The Institute of Environmental Health Sciences/Center for Urban Responses to Environmental Stressors at Wayne State University is recruiting a postdoctoral position to support Melissa Runge-Morris’ laboratory. Work will support an NIH grant-supported project to study the mechanisms controlling developmental expression of liver genes.
Mount Sinai Seeking Data Analyst
The Institute for Health Equity Research at Mount Sinai is seeking a data analyst to support research focusing on health and health care disparities using survey and health systems data. The ideal candidate will have strong quantitative data analysis skills and experience working with SAS, SPSS, STATA, Oracle, Python, R, or a similar statistical software package.
Multiple Positions at Silent Spring Institute
Silent Spring Institute is seeking an Executive Director, who will be charged with providing direction for all aspects of the organization, setting a forward-looking agenda for advancing the institute’s mission. Responsibilities include advancing Silent Spring’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, sustaining the vital public and private sponsorships while securing additional revenue streams, and leading a diverse and experienced staff.
Silent Spring Institute is also seeking a research study coordinator to contribute to environmental health studies in a community-engaged context. The candidate will direct day-to-day implementation of two federally funded health and exposure studies in communities with PFAS-contaminated drinking water. The role includes coordinating activities of project staff and collaborators, managing and analyzing study data, and organizing community engagement.
Faculty Positions at University of Iowa
The University of Iowa invites applications for multiple tenure-track faculty at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health. Each position is a full-time, 12-month appointment to start around August 1, 2024.
EPA Epidemiological Mixtures Research Participant Fellowship
EPA is seeking a fellow to conduct high impact, policy-relevant research that may inform science assessments in support of EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment. The research participant will have the opportunity to learn approaches for the evaluation, analysis, and integration of epidemiologic evidence on the health effects of environmental pollutant exposures that can inform EPA’s scientific assessments.
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Online Briefing on NIH's Simplified Peer Review Framework for NIH Research Project Grant (RPG) Applications
November 3, 2023
Virtual
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Risk e-Learning Session III — Standards, Passive Sampling, Libraries PFAS
November 8, 2023
Virtual
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American Public Health Association’s Annual Meeting and Expo: Creating the Healthiest Nation – Overcoming Social and Ethical Challenges
November 12-15, 2023
Atlanta, Georgia
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Conducting Climate Vulnerability Assessments at Superfund Sites: Lessons Learned
November 14, 2023
Virtual
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2023 SRP Annual Grant Recipient Meeting
December 4-6, 2023
Albuquerque, New Mexico
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TAMU Disaster Research Training Workshop
December 14-15, 2023
College Station, Texas
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Need to get in touch with an NIEHS SRP staff member? Check out our Contact Staff page. |
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JOIN THE @SRP_NIEHS KNOWLEDGE NETWORK!
NIEHS uses X (formerly Twitter), a popular social media tool, for information sharing through tweets. Many SRP Centers also have accounts, and it would be great if all participated! Follow @SRP_NIEHS to instantly hear news about the program, noteworthy publications, events, and job opportunities for trainees.
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