|
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:
-
SRP Centers Partner to Address PCB Concerns: Researchers at the University of Iowa and the North Carolina State University (NC State) SRP centers partnered to address community concerns about polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) discovered in an NC State building.
Columbia SRP Arsenic Research Featured in the News
Research by the Columbia University SRP Center was featured in a news article on arsenic in drinking water among Indigenous communities, such as the Oglala Sioux Tribe, in the Northern Plains.
Ferguson Talks PFAS
Lee Ferguson, researcher at the Duke University SRP Center, offered insights into the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) establishment of the first national drinking water standard for PFAS compounds.
Ferguson was also featured in a YouTube video to discuss how his lab uses high-resolution mass spectrometry to detect PFAS in water, and to ultimately track these pollutants back to their sources.
Belcher Quoted About PFAS and Health
NC State SRP Center researcher Scott Belcher was interviewed about the cumulative health risks posed by PFAS exposure over time. He advocates for stricter limits of PFAS in drinking water to prevent accumulation and subsequent health effects.
Bhatnagar Interviewed About Green Heart Project
Aruni Bhatnagar, deputy director of the University of Louisville (UofL) SRP center, was featured in the Washington Post to discuss leading the Green Heart Louisville project. The project aims to study data generated from planting trees in urban neighborhoods of Louisville, Kentucky, and how such interventions affect human health.
Promoting Safer Fish Consumption
The Duke University SRP Center was featured in an NIEHS Translational Research Story about their efforts to promote safe fish consumption. The team is informing strategies, such as fish consumption advisories, to prevent exposure to contaminants in fish.
|
|
Reflecting on Studying Environmental Exposures as a Trainee
This month we spoke with Dillon King, a former Duke University SRP Center trainee mentored by Heather Stapleton. King is now a postdoctoral fellow at NIEHS.
What was the focus of your research at the Duke University SRP Center?
I studied how environmental exposures damage mitochondria — the organelle that makes energy for our cells. My work specifically focused on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and how mitochondria deal with mtDNA damage, particularly from chemicals like benzo[a]pyrene or UV irradiation.
|
|
 |
How did you become interested in this work?
As an undergraduate student majoring in marine science, I had taken an environmental toxicology course. I then wanted to know more about the health impacts of pollution, so I got an additional degree in biochemistry. I am passionate about protecting the environment and people, and I believe these fields allow me to study how the environment and humans impact each other.
Tell us about a recent accomplishment and what it meant to you.
I recently defended my dissertation and accepted a position as a postdoctoral fellow at the NIEHS. Finishing my dissertation and seeing the culmination of over five years of hard work was very rewarding. I am very proud of all the work I put into my graduate studies and research, and I am grateful to all of the people who helped me along the way.
What factors have contributed most to your growth as a researcher throughout your time as an SRP trainee?
The help and encouragement of my mentors, Joel Meyer and Susan Murphy. They encouraged me to be creative with my science, try out experiments, and explore hypotheses that I was really interested in. Being able to direct the trajectory of my research gave me confidence in my ability to lead projects and come up with ideas.
What is one piece of advice that you have for other SRP trainees?
Try as many new things as you can! Some of my favorite activities on campus during graduate school were collaborations that I had with other labs and non-science related activities that I did. You get to learn what you like and what you don’t like. Getting involved with science communication, outreach, mentorship, teaching, and science outside of your field will help you figure out what you want to do.
|
|
Analytical Solute and Heat Transport Model: Tool to Assist Superfund Oversight
EPA is hosting a live webinar on Monday, June 10, from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. ET. The webinar will focus on reviewing analytical modeling developed to simulate contaminant transport, a tool that can assist with Superfund oversight.
|
|
Disentangling Effects of PFAS on the Liver
Exposure to newer PFAS compounds, often assumed to be less toxic than their older counterparts because they accumulate less in the body, may still harm the liver, according to a study in mice from the NC State SRP Center. Newer PFAS compounds, like GenX and Nafion byproduct 2 (NBP2), are not well studied but are increasingly detected in the environment and in drinking water.
The researchers exposed male and female mice to GenX or NBP2 and evaluated changes in liver size. Then, they used an advanced laboratory technique to simultaneously evaluate PFAS accumulation in the liver and metabolic changes related to liver lipids — fats and fat-like substances that play crucial roles in various bodily functions.
Mice exposed to either PFAS chemical had enlarged livers compared to unexposed mice, with more pronounced changes in males. NBP2 accumulated more in the liver than GenX. While GenX did not significantly accumulate in the liver, exposure to either PFAS compound was linked with drastic changes to lipids — particularly those linked to inflammation, oxidative stress, and disrupted cell signaling — in both sexes. Interestingly, female mice exposed to GenX had more unique lipid changes than males, while mice of both sexes had similar lipid changes following exposure to NBP2.
According to the authors, these findings suggest that lower PFAS accumulation in the liver does not necessarily protect against harm. They emphasized the importance of combining different types of data to comprehensively evaluate the potential health effects of PFAS exposure.
|
|
MIT SRP Director Named AAAS Fellow
Bevin Engelward, director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) SRP Center, was named a 2023 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow.
Ankrum Receives Faculty Award
James Ankrum, a researcher at the University of Iowa SRP Center, was selected for the Iowa Mid-Career Faculty Scholar Awards for 2024, celebrating his research in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. The award provides funding and development opportunities for outstanding professors who are exceptional teachers.
NC State SRP Researcher is Service Award Finalist
NC State SRP Center researcher, Scott Belcher, was an award finalist for the Jackson Rigney International Service Award. This award recognizes NC State faculty or staff who work to better the university through promoting international understanding. Belcher’s research at NC State focuses on studying PFAS accumulation in aquatic food webs.
Alvarez Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Researcher at the Baylor College of Medicine SRP Center, Pedro Alvarez, was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS), acknowledging his research in engineering and technology, specifically in mathematical and physical sciences.
Harvard SRP Trainee Selected as Research Scholar
The Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Foundation, Phoenix Chapter, honored Emily Briese with the Theresa F. Jennings Memorial Scholarship. The award is open to researchers across life sciences and engineering, and offers a monetary prize to help fund future endeavors. Briese, a doctoral student in environmental engineering at Arizona State University (ASU), works with Julie Zimmerman at the Harvard University SRP Center.
TAMU Trainees Recognized for Research Advances
TAMU SRP Center trainees, Lucie Ford and Kelly Rivenbark, received the George T. Edds Award for their academic achievements in the field of toxicology.
The School of Public Health at TAMU acknowledged trainee Xiara (Day) Favorite with the Dean’s Excellence Award. The award recognizes students who have demonstrated excellence in research stemming from projects during their time at school.
|
|
Pilot Projects Enhancing Utility and Usage of Common Fund Data Sets
What: Demonstrate and enhance the utility of selected NIH Common Fund data sets, including generating hypotheses and catalyzing discoveries. The proposed research plan must substantially leverage data from at least two eligible Common Fund programs.
Funder: NIH
When: Applications are due June 27.
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.
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.
Funder: EPA
When: Applications are due November 21.
|
|
Columbia Publishes Package for Omics Feature Selection
Researchers from Columbia University SRP Center recently published an SIS R package for omics feature selection. They used blood DNA methylation data from the Strong Heart Study to compare the performance of various methods to identify DNA change signatures associated with body mass index.
Single Cell Transcriptomic Analysis Review from Michigan State
Michigan State University SRP Center researchers published a review on single cell transcriptomic analysis challenges and best practices.
DataWorks! Prize Symposium
NIH is hosting a symposium to feature the seven award winners from the 2023 DataWorks! Prize. The virtual symposium will be June 25 at 11:00 am ET.
Center for Clinical Observational Investigations Launches New Dataset Profiles
The National Library of Medicine announced that its Center for Clinical Observational Investigations now features dataset profiles for the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Program, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Clinical Practice Research Datalink Aurum, and the United Kingdom Biobank.
AI Code of Conduct Principles and Commitments
A new commentary outlines a framework for stakeholders from various disciplines and industries to align and harness the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI), while also safeguarding against potential harms.
|
|
|
From left to right: Juan Zhai, Yilang Sun, George Hana, and Manish Kumar, students from Yuexiao Shen’s group at Texas Tech University, conduct groundwater sampling. They collected samples to test for potential contamination of micropollutants such as PFAS, arsenic, and other heavy metals and compounds. Shen is funded by an SRP individual research grant. (Photo courtesy of Florida State University R01 SRP)
|
|
NIOSH Fellow Opportunity
CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Health Effects Laboratory Division has an opening for a T42 GS-11 Associate Service Fellow in Morgantown, West Virginia. Please send a CV to Todd Stueckle (CDC, NIOSH, HELD, ACIB) at jux5@cdc.gov.
Training Grant from the University of Rochester
A postdoctoral fellowship, funded by an NIEHS T32 training grant, has opened in the Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology at the University of Rochester.
Professorship at UTHealth Houston
The School of Public Health at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) is hiring full-time faculty members to grow their environmental and occupational health sciences multidisciplinary program.
Baylor Postdoctoral Associate Opportunity
The Center for Precision Environmental Health and the Department of Medicine, Section of Epidemiology and Population Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine is seeking postdoctoral fellows to join the Program in Population and Environmental Health Disparities.
USC Seeking Professor
The Department of Population and Public Health Sciences at the University of Southern California (USC) is seeking a professor in the Environmental Health Division to research environmental determinants of human disease.
|
|
|
High Seafood Diet May Lead to Increased PFAS Exposure
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).
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
FEMA Risk Communications, Crisis Communications, and Community Engagement Summit
June 10, 2024
Washington, D.C.
|
|
|
|
Complementary and Integrative Interventions to Prevent and Mitigate the Effects of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals
June 10-11, 2024
Virtual
|
|
|
|
|
National PFAS Conference
June 10-12, 2024
Virtual
|
|
|
|
ITRC PFAS Beyond the Basics: PFAS Treatment Technologies Training
June 13, 2024
Virtual
|
|
|
|
|
National Environmental Health Association’s Annual Educational Conference and Exhibition
July 15-18, 2024
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Virtual
|
|
|
|
2024 Central and Eastern European Conference on Health and the Environment (CEECHE)
July 15-19, 2024
Thessaloniki, Greece
|
|
|
 |
|
Need to get in touch with an NIEHS SRP staff member? Check out our Contact Staff page. |
|
|
 |
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
