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April 5, 2024 (Issue 243) |
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Save the Date! Wetterhahn Memorial Awardee Lecture
Molly Frazar Lahey is presenting her Karen Wetterhahn Memorial Awardee Lecture on April 15, 11 a.m. – Noon ET. The lecture will highlight her research as a trainee at the University of Kentucky (UK) SRP Center and her current position as a Materials and Process Engineer for Boeing for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Artemis Program. Frazar Lahey received the Karen Wetterhahn Memorial Award in 2021. If you are interested in attending, the Zoom link is now live.
Register for the Progress in Research Webinar Series
The NIEHS Superfund Research Program is hosting the 2024 Progress in Research webinar series on April 26, May 3, and May 17. The series will showcase SRP R25 researchers developing curricula and educational programs focused on emerging technologies in the sphere of occupational health and safety. Other speakers include an NIEHS Worker Training Program grant recipient and a representative from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The series, Emerging Technologies in Occupational Health and Safety, is now open for registration.
Webinar: NIH Simplified Review Framework for Research Project Grants
NIH is implementing several changes impacting the preparation and peer review of grant applications submitted for due dates on or after January 25, 2025. The Guide Notice, NOT-OD-24-084, provides the grant recipient community with a high-level overview of the changes and gives context to future guide notices NIH will be publishing throughout the spring. To learn more, please join the public webinar on April 17, 1 – 2 p.m. ET.
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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.
University of California Berkeley SRP Researchers Discuss Smoke, Arsenic, and Water
Rachel Morello-Frosch was featured in a Berkeley News article that describes how smoke disproportionately affects California’s Indigenous communities.
Researcher Andres Cardenas was quoted in an Environmental Health Perspectives article on epigenetic aging and the link between arsenic and cardiovascular disease.
David Sedlak was interviewed on The Water Entrepreneur Podcast about his book, titled “Water for All: Global Solutions for a Changing Climate.” Sedlak was also interviewed on WORT 89.9 FM to discuss global solutions for a changing climate.
Chiu Shares Climate Vulnerability Index
Texas A&M University (TAMU) SRP Center scientist, Weihsueh Chiu, was featured in a Grist article about the Climate Vulnerability Index and its uses. He noted that the index can help draw attention to risks that might otherwise have gone under the radar, such as a lack of Spanish interpreters and communication materials for survivors of environmental disasters.
Northeastern Researcher Discusses Phthalates
John Meeker, a project leader at the Northeastern University SRP Center, was interviewed as part of a recent CBS News story about the risks of phthalate exposure to human health after a January Consumer Reports study found the chemicals in multiple popular food products.
NCSU and SRP-Funded Small Business Featured About Removing PFAS From Water
North Carolina State University (NCSU) SRP Center researcher Detlef Knappe was featured in a Raleigh news story about a study that found PFAS in the tap water of certain North Carolina cities and the importance of filtering PFAS from drinking water. The at-home tests used in the study to detect PFAS in water were developed by Cyclopure, an SRP-funded small business.
Baby Teeth Study Underway at Harvard
Marc Weisskopf, a researcher at the Harvard School of Public Health SRP Center, was featured on Fox 2 Now in Missouri about the St. Louis Baby Tooth Survey. Weisskopf is analyzing the levels of metals in baby teeth from that project to determine if they are indicative of health effects later in life.
UK SRP in the News
UK SRP Center trainee, Jerika Durham, was featured in the UK College of Medicine News to discuss her career trajectory as a first-generation graduate student. Durham noted that she hit her stride in academia due to her tenacious knack for learning and support from her peers. Durham studies the links among Superfund chemicals, nutrition, and cardiovascular risk.
Hollie Swanson, a UK SRP Center researcher, was interviewed on WKYT to discuss how rapid temperature changes can affect the home and human health.
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Studying Uranium in New Mexico Soils
This month we spoke with Paige Haley, a trainee at the University of New Mexico (UNM) SRP Center who is mentored by Jose Cerrato.
What is the focus of your research at the UNM SRP Center?
My research is focused on the impact of the Jackpile Mine on the village of Paguate, New Mexico. Specifically, I am working to learn more about the fine particles of the soil that have high levels of uranium and are carried easily by wind.
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How did you become interested in this work?
I have always been passionate about environmental research. I grew up near Chesapeake Bay in Virginia, and I was exposed to the idea of using scientific research to help the earth from a young age. As for uranium specifically, some of my family lives in an area of Virginia with high concentrations of uranium in the soil, so I have a personal connection to the subject.
Tell us about a recent publication or award you received and what it meant to you.
I recently received the award for Best Graduate Poster at the SRP Annual Meeting. I think the award meant a lot to me because it shows how special the UNM SRP Center really is. I feel so lucky to do research in a community like Paguate. My project would not be possible without community members’ help, so winning the award hopefully draws more eyes to the problems they face and highlights their achievements.
What factors have contributed most to your growth as a researcher throughout your time as an SRP trainee?
One factor is the mentorship from my advisors, Jose Cerrato and Eliane El Hayek. They have helped me develop my scientific knowledge and critical thinking, and I am so grateful to them for their dedication to their students and the center. The other factor is the UNM SRP Center community. I have learned much from participating in events with community members from Laguna Pueblo, Red Water Pond Road, Cameron Chapter, and Tachee-Blue Gap. Events such as community meetings and cultural trainings have really helped me put my research into perspective.
What is one piece of advice that you have for other SRP trainees?
My advice would be to say yes to as many opportunities as you can. The worst thing to do would be to focus solely on your project. I’ve gained a lot of experience from collaborating with different projects at the center. Not only does it make you a better candidate for future jobs or faculty positions, but it makes you a better researcher in general.
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ITRC Environmental Data Management: Best Practices for Exchanging Environmental Data Training
The Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council (ITRC) Environmental Data Management Best Practices Team is hosting trainings on April 16 and April 25, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. ET, about managing large environmental datasets.
EPA Superfund Remedial Program's Approach for Addressing Radioactive Contamination
EPA’s Superfund program is hosting a webinar to discuss new regulations and guidance for remediating radioactively contaminated sites. The event will provide an overview of EPA's recommended guidance documents on risk assessment, models for conducting risk and dose assessments, and community involvement tools for engaging in meaningful involvement with the public. The webinar will be held April 17, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. ET.
ITRC PFAS Beyond the Basics Trainings
The ITRC PFAS Beyond the Basics training series provides in-depth information on PFAS sampling and analysis, preparing for and implementing sampling events, human health effects, ecological toxicity and ecological risk assessment, and PFAS regulations. The Sampling, Analysis, Surface Water, and Air Occurrence Training will occur April 18, 1 – 3 p.m. ET, and the PFAS Human Health, Ecological Effects and Regulations Training will occur April 23, 1 – 3 p.m. ET.
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New Organ-on-Chip Model Reveals Effects of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals on Placenta
In a new study, researchers at the TAMU SRP Center developed a three-dimensional cell culture model of a placenta and gained insights into the effects of certain endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs)–compounds that mimic hormones in the body–on maternal and fetal health. The team adapted a new technology called organ-on-chip (OOC), which is interconnected human cells grown inside a small device, to represent the tissues of a second-trimester placenta.
Historically, scientists have used mice to study the placenta. However, they are often poor representations of human pregnancy because their placentas are structured differently to accommodate their litters. OOCs may be a more accurate representation of human organs and organ systems.
The team designed and produced an OOC consisting of six chambers, each containing one type of placental cell. The chambers were stacked on top of each other, mimicking the layers of the placenta, and connected with miniature channels to allow molecules to move around the system. The scientists also added a seventh chamber at the bottom of the OOC as a fetal circulation chamber, to measure if chemicals can pass through the placenta to the fetus.
The researchers added bisphenol A, an EDC, into the topmost chamber and measured its concentration in each chamber, as well as the concentrations of certain hormones and antioxidants. This process was repeated for three other EDCs: bisphenol S and polybrominated diphenyl ethers 47 and 99.
The scientists found that the EDCs could flow throughout all the chambers of the OOC placenta model, and the chemicals affected the placenta similarly. All EDCs mildly disrupted hormone regulation and suppressed antioxidant production. However, the team also found that immune cells migrated between chambers in an anti-inflammatory response. Additionally, nutrient transport to the fetal circulation chamber was unaltered. This may indicate that the placenta is protecting the fetus from EDC-related damage, said the researchers.
According to the authors, the results demonstrate the utility of their OOC as a human-relevant, non-animal model of the second-trimester placenta.
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Iowa Trainee Wins 3-Minute Thesis Competition
David Ramotowski, a trainee at the University of Iowa SRP Center, won the University of Iowa 3-Minute Thesis Competition for his research using bacteria to clean up polychlorinated biphenyls in sediments. This competition challenges students to communicate their research in only 3 minutes or less.
LSU SRP Director Recognized at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Meeting
Stephania Cormier, director of the Louisiana State University (LSU) SRP Center, was recognized with the John W. Yunginger MD American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Foundation (AAAAI) Memorial Lectureship at the AAAAI Annual Meeting. Cormier has been working for the past 20 years to understand the mechanisms between respiratory syncytial virus infection and asthma.
UNM Trainee Receives a Student Leadership Award
Robyn Turner, a trainee at the UNM SRP Center, received a Student Leadership Award from the American Pharmacists Association. Turner was recognized for her accomplishments in academic and leadership positions.
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Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Predoctoral Fellowship
What: Enable promising predoctoral students to obtain individualized, mentored research training from outstanding faculty sponsors while conducting dissertation research in scientific health-related fields. The proposed research training must reflect the candidate’s dissertation research project and is expected to clearly enhance the individual’s potential to develop into an independent research scientist.
Funder: NIH
When: Applications are due April 8.
Data Informed, Place-Based Community-Engaged Research to Advance Health Equity
What: Stimulate community-engaged research that leverages geospatial data to probe the influence of geographic factors on disease development and health outcomes. Its goal is to use place-based research to help advance health equity in different communities.
Funder: NIH
When: Applications are due June 5.
Advance Data Science Approaches Through Secondary Data Analysis to Reveal Scientific Insights of COVID-19 Testing Technologies
What: Support secondary data analysis to address questions and advance scientific inquiry related to SARS-CoV-2 through the existing data resources in the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics Data Hub (RADx DataHub), including and in conjunction with other data resources.
Funder: NIH
When: Applications are due July 16.
Multi-Sectoral Preventive Interventions that Address Social Determinants of Health in Populations that Experience Health Disparities
What: Supports projects to test prospective multi-sectoral preventive interventions that address social determinants of health in populations that experience health disparities. These research projects will be part of the Multi-Sectoral Preventive Interventions Research Network, which will also include a Coordinating Center.
Funder: NIH
When: Applications are due August 5.
Intervention Research to Improve Native American Health
What: Supports research on interventions to improve health in Native American populations, including research that will directly inform interventions or adaptations and research that develops, adapts, or tests interventions for health promotion, prevention, treatment, or recovery. The inclusion of Native American investigators serving on the study team or as the program director or principal investigator is strongly encouraged.
Funder: NIH
When: Applications are due October 1.
Clinical and Translational Science Award Program: Collaborative and Innovative Acceleration Award for Advancing Recruitment through Trial Innovation Network
What: Invites applications to design, develop, demonstrate, implement, and evaluate innovative tools and resources that will (1) transform, increase, and improve the recruitment of participants in clinical trials and (2) improve the use of participant-based information that will inform safety and efficacy for improving participants recruitment in clinical trials.
Funder: NIH
When: Applications are due October 18.
Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program
What: Environmental and climate justice activities to benefit disadvantaged communities through projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity to address environmental and climate justice challenges. These place-based investments will be focused on community-driven initiatives to be responsive to community input.
Funder: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
When: Applications are due November 21.
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Automated Ion Mobility Metabolomic Fingerprinting Platform
Research funded by the TAMU SRP Center developed a platform for automatically running, processing, and analyzing high-throughput mass spectrometry experiments. AutonoMS enables automated software agent-controlled end-to-end measurement and analysis runs from experimental specification files that can be produced by human users or upstream software processes.
HealthCast podcast: New NIH Strategic Plan Drives Fair Data Ecosystem
The director of the NIH Office of Data Science and Strategy, Susan Gregurick, was featured in the GovCIO HealthCast podcast. The HealthCast team interviewed Gregurick about the updated NIH Strategic Plan for Data Science and about the future of data science at NIH.
NLM Dataset Catalog Beta Launch
The National Library of Medicine (NLM) launched the Dataset Catalog, a new online tool to help users connect with multiple repositories through a single, user-friendly, “all-in-one” resource to search, find, and retrieve datasets. NLM is also seeking user feedback (via the vertical blue “Give Feedback” button along the right-hand side of the Dataset Catalog website) to inform future product development, establish a community of users, gather usage analytics, and assess scalability and sustainability of the corpus.
Proposed Use of Common Data Elements for NIH-Funded Clinical Research and Trials
The NIH Office of Data Science Strategy is soliciting public input on 1) a set of minimum core common data elements (CDEs) that would be used across all NIH funded/conducted clinical studies/trials and community-based research involving human participants; 2) additional CDEs for social determinants of health and clinical domains including autoimmune diseases and immune-mediated diseases; and 3) technologies, tools and policies that could facilitate the use of NIH CDEs. Responses are due April 20.
April Data Sharing and Reuse Seminar
Andrew Smith will be presenting on ELIXIR, a life science data research infrastructure, for the April Data Sharing and Reuse Seminar. He will speak about their new Scientific Programme and vision for the next five years, including their focus on capacity building and increased participation across member countries. The webinar will be April 12 at Noon ET.
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 UNM trainees change particulate matter collector filters at one of the passive monitoring sites within the main pit of the Jackpile uranium mine, Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico. (Photo courtesy of UNM SRP Center)
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California EPA Opportunities
California Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment is hiring three scientists (research scientist IV, research scientist III, and senior environmental scientist) to support the development of the Extreme Heat Ranking Development Section — creating the nation’s first statewide system to warn Californians about the severity and health effects of extreme heat.
Tenure Track Position at the University of Cincinnati
The Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences at the University of Cincinnati is seeking candidates to fill a tenure track position. The candidate’s research program should focus on mechanisms of toxicity or mode of action of environmental toxicant exposures.
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Tracking Mercury Conversion and Distribution in Aquatic Environments
Watch the latest Research Brief video!
Past Research Briefs are available on the SRP website. To receive the monthly Research Briefs or to submit ideas, email Brittany Trottier (brittany.trottier@nih.gov).
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Data Science and Environmental Health Science Research Symposium
April 5, 2024
Raleigh, North Carolina
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ITRC 2024 Annual Meeting
April 8-11, 2024
Long Beach, California
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10th Annual Women's Health Awareness
April 13, 2024
Durham, North Carolina
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Progress in Research Webinar Series: Emerging Technologies in Occupational Health and Safety
April 26, May 3, and May 17, 2024
Virtual
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18th International Congress on Combustion By-Products and Their Health Effects
May 19-22, 2024
Durham, North Carolina
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National PFAS Conference
June 10-12, 2024
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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National Environmental Health Association’s Annual Educational Conference and Exhibition
July 15-18, 2024
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Virtual
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2024 Central and Eastern European Conference on Health and the Environment (CEECHE)
July 15-19, 2024
Thessaloniki, Greece
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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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