|
November 8, 2024 (Issue 250) |
|
SRP Risk e-Learning Webinar Series
SRP is hosting a Risk e-Learning webinar series focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) approaches to advancing environmental health research. If you missed the first session, the recorded archive will be available on the SRP website soon. We encourage you to register for the next two sessions in the series:
Save the Date! SRP Annual Meeting
The SRP Annual Meeting will be June 16-18, 2025, at the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland.
Upcoming Changes to the ePosted Release Schedule
We are adjusting the release schedule of the ePosted Notes to a bimonthly format. As a result, there will be no edition in December. Instead, look forward to our next newsletter in January. Stay tuned for continued updates and insights in the new year!
|
|
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.
TAMU SRP Researchers Receive Prestigious Awards
Erin Baker, researcher at the Texas A&M University (TAMU) SRP Center, was named among the 20 most-influential scientists innovating measurement instruments by The Analytical Scientist, which tells the stories of people and technology shaping measurement science.
For his book titled Landscape Architecture for Sea Level Rise: Global Solutions, Galen Newman received the 2024 Professional Honor Award for Research from the American Society of Landscape Architects.
Stapleton Recognized for Creativity by ACS
Duke University SRP Center Director Heather Stapleton received the American Chemical Society (ACS) Award for Creative Advances in Environmental Science and Technology.
UK SRP Trainee Celebrated for Accomplishments
Ariel Robinson, a doctoral student in civil engineering and trainee at the University of Kentucky (UK) SRP Center, was awarded the inaugural Lighthouse Beacon Foundation Graduate Fellowship, which provides up to $10,000 in research support for talented graduate students. Robinson was also honored as the most outstanding platform presenter at the Kentucky Water Resources Institute Annual Symposium.
UK SRP Trainee Links PFOS to Colorectal Cancer
Postdoctoral trainee at the UK SRP center, Josiane Tessmann, was featured in a UK news story a study that demonstrated that long-term exposure to PFOS can lead to changes in intestinal cells linked to colorectal cancer. Tessmann’s findings may help scientists discover new approaches to colorectal cancer prevention.
UNM SRP Director Appointed Vice President of AEESP
José Cerrato, director of the University of New Mexico (UNM) SRP Center, was recently appointed as vice president of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP).
Baylor SRP Affiliates Recognized for Leadership
Sara Denison, a doctoral student at Rice University and trainee at the Baylor College of Medicine SRP Center, was chosen for the Rice University Faculty Fellows Program. The program prepares future academic leaders through mentorship, workshops, and more.
Melissa Suter, a Baylor SRP researcher, received the Norton Rose Fulbright Faculty Excellence Award for Educational Leadership for her sustained and exemplary contributions to the Baylor College of Medicine.
Iowa SRP PCB Research Makes Headlines
Keri Hornbuckle, University of Iowa SRP Center Director, was interviewed by North Carolina news station WRAL about polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in K-12 schools. PCBs are linked to adverse health effects in children. Hornbuckle’s PCB research was also featured in a video discussing how plant-based diets may expose individuals to fewer industrial chemicals over time. The cited research, led by former trainee Panithi Saktrakulkla, investigated PCB concentrations in different sources of animal proteins.
Children’s Book About EPFRs Supported by LSU SRP
Dawn Vilcins, a researcher at the Louisiana State University (LSU) SRP Center, and colleagues helped develop a children’s book about environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) titled, “This is Eddie the EPFR.” Vilcins discussed the book with the Medical Journal of Australia, highlighting the importance of making research relevant to communities accessible and understandable.
Local News Covers NCSU SRP Community Meetings
Jane Hoppin, a researcher at the North Carolina State University (NCSU) SRP Center, led a community meeting to discuss blood-PFAS levels in Gray’s Creek, North Carolina. The meeting is part of the Gen-X Study, which aims to understand PFAS exposure and health effects by measuring PFAS in blood and water and empowering communities with data. The meeting was promoted by Cumberland County News.
TAMU SRP Researcher Interviewed About Disaster Communication
Jen Horney was interviewed by KBTX and U.S. News & World Report about the difficulties of communicating during disaster response. Horney noted that distrust in governments plays a crucial role, and that rural residents prefer information from friends and neighbors. Horney is the co-leader of the TAMU SRP Community Engagement Core.
|
|
Studying How PCBs Can Impact Metabolic Disease
This month we spoke to Riley Behan-Bush, a trainee at the University of Iowa SRP Center, who is mentored by James Ankrum.
What is the focus of your research at the University of Iowa SRP Center?
My research focuses on the impact of PCBs exposure on the development of metabolic conditions, such as diabetes and obesity. My work investigates how PCBs influence immune system cells called macrophages. My ultimate goal is to uncover new mechanisms driving PCB-induced metabolic disease.
|
How did you become interested in this work?
As an M.D.-Ph.D. trainee, I had the unique opportunity to complete some of my clinical training before starting my Ph.D. This experience allowed me to witness firsthand the significant impact of metabolic dysfunction on individuals’ health. I became interested in the factors driving these conditions, particularly those beyond an individual’s control, such as exposure to environmental toxicants. Unfortunately, most medical providers don’t consider environmental exposures, so I was motivated to pursue a project that would fill this gap and provide more information about how the chemicals in our environment impact human disease.
Tell us about the recent NIH Kirschstein-NRSA (F-30) award you received and what it meant to you.
The process of preparing my F-30 grant application was one of the most important and rewarding experiences of my graduate training. I am deeply honored to have received this award, and I am confident that the training it will facilitate over the next three years will help me achieve both my short-term research goals and long-term goals of becoming a well-rounded physician-scientist.
What factors have contributed most to your growth as a researcher throughout your time as an SRP trainee?
I attribute so much of my success and growth to my lab, particularly my mentor, James Ankrum, and the graduate and undergraduate students I work with daily. I feel incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by such talented scientists and supportive individuals who inspire me to improve and strive for excellence every day.
What is one piece of advice that you have for other SRP trainees?
Keep an open mind and let your project guide you. SRP work is inherently multidisciplinary, which often means stepping outside your comfort zone to explore areas of science you may not have considered before. Embrace the journey, even if it feels non-linear, because every experience contributes to your growth.
|
|
Heavy Metal Exposure Alters Function of Specialized Lipids in the Lungs
SRP-funded researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) found that heavy metal exposure disrupts a network of lipids in lung and airway cells called sphingolipids. Nestled in the cellular membrane, sphingolipids are one of the most abundant and complex types of lipids found across the human body, playing a role in cell growth, stress response, signaling, and survival.
“Although previous studies have linked sphingolipid dysregulation with asthma and other respiratory diseases, the effects of high-dose heavy metal exposure on the lungs needs further exploration,” said Mohammad Athar, professor of dermatology at UAB.
In the lab, the scientists exposed both human lung cells and human lung tissue to arsenic, manganese, and cadmium, which are heavy metals found in fine particulate matter in polluted air. As the cells and tissue were treated with increasing levels of the metals, cell viability waned and sphingolipid metabolic pathways were increasingly altered.
When looking at human lung tissue exposed to heavy metals, the scientists noted that the exact method of sphingolipid disruption was distinct, which the team attributed to different heavy metals having specific mechanisms for dysregulation.
The study confirms that environmental exposure to fine particulate matter is a major risk factor for the development of lung diseases, including asthma, according to Athar.
“These observations have important implications for asthma,” he said. “Injury to lung cells from environmental exposures and consequent dysregulation of sphingolipid metabolism may exacerbate inflammatory responses and impair lung function.”
|
|
|
EPA: Developing and Demonstrating Nanosensor Technology to Detect, Monitor, and Degrade Pollutants
What: Through the Science to Achieve Results program, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking applications for research to develop and demonstrate nanosensor technology with the potential to detect, monitor, and degrade PFAS in groundwater or surface water that may be used as drinking water sources. When: Applications are due November 13.
EPA: Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program
What: Funds 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. When: Applications are due November 21.
NIH: NIH Research Software Engineer
What: Provides salary support for exceptional research software engineers who contribute their skills to the development and dissemination of biomedical, behavioral, or health-related software, tools, and algorithms, as well as the training of prospective users of these tools. When: Applications are due December 4.
NIH: Building Sustainable Software Tools for Open Science
What: Enhances the sustainability and impact of research software tools by enabling the use of best practices and design principles in software development and by leveraging continuing advances in computing. When: Applications are due December 4.
NIH: Quantum Sensing Technology Challenge
What: Funds the development of innovative applications of quantum-enabled sensing technologies in biomedical research and clinical settings. The challenge aims to address limitations in the development and adoption of quantum-enabled sensing for translational biomedical problems. When: Submissions are due April 4, 2025.
NIH: Innovative Technologies for Research on Climate Change and Human Health
What: Supports research to develop tools, resources, and approaches to capture the effects of climate change and the associated impacts of extreme weather events on human health, and to support adaptation or mitigation strategies to minimize health hazards and impacts from climate change. When: Applications are due January 5, 2025, and April 5, 2025.
NIH: New Small Business Funding Opportunity for Emerging Entrepreneurs Released
What: Aims to support career development, and research and development, under a new entrepreneur’s direction. Will provide support for preparing and executing a career development plan to successfully navigate the entrepreneurial process, develop and commercialize products, or operate a small business. When: Applications are due January 5, 2025, and April 5, 2025.
NIH: Support for Research Excellence (SuRE) Award (R16 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
What: Supports research capacity building in baccalaureate and graduate degrees in biomedical sciences with a research focus on exposure-health-related responses from environmental agents within the mission interests of NIEHS. When: Applications are due May 28, 2025.
|
|
Using Machine Learning to Predict PFAS Albumin Binding
Researchers from the NCSU SRP Center built machine learning algorithms to predict the binding of various PFAS to human serum albumin. They used 65 PFAS with known albumin affinities to build the model, which was then able to predict albumin binding for 430 PFAS compounds.
Developing a Model for Remediation
In a recent study, NCSU SRP researchers developed a machine learning model to predict the effectiveness of using granular activated carbon (GAC) in removing organic micropollutants from water. The researchers used 400 data points to develop the model, which can be used to select GAC based on matrix characteristics.
Predicting Coronary Heart Disease
Columbia University SRP Center researchers used the data from two prospective cohort studies to demonstrate their machine learning model that can predict coronary heart disease based on clinical risk factors with accuracy.
|
|
 TAMU SRP Center researcher Garrett Sansom leads a citizen science event in Houston, where community members and trainees collected soil samples. (Photo courtesy of TAMU SRP Center)
|
|
- The University of Maryland is looking for a senior researcher and leader for the position of Professor & Clark Leadership Chair in Global Health in their Department of Global, Environmental, and Occupational Health.
- Baylor College of Medicine is seeking a postdoctoral associate, focused on environmental epidemiology, to support their Center for Precision Environmental Health.
- Los Angeles County has an opening for an environmental health training coordinator to plan and coordinate programs, providing specialized training to industries regulated by the Environmental Health Program.
- The U.S. EPA has a fellowship opportunity within the Office of Research and Development's Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure in North Carolina.
- The Duke University Program in Environmental Health, part of the Integrated Toxicology and Environmental Health Program, is looking to fill two T32-supported postdoctoral positions.
- The Department in Earth and Environmental Science at the University of Texas at Arlington is accepting applications for a new professor in environmental exposomics.
- The School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley, is inviting applications for a tenure-track assistant professor position in the Division of Environmental Health Sciences.
- New York University’s Department of Global and Environmental Health is seeking applicants for a three-year, renewable, non-tenure track, fully-funded clinical assistant professor.
|
|
User-friendly Technology Detects NDMA in Water
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).
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
NIH Grants Process Primer: Application to Award
November 13-14, 2024 Virtual
|
|
 |
|
Advancing Environmental Health Research with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: Session II — ML & AI Applications to Environmental Engineering & Bioremediation
November 20, 2024 Virtual
|
|
|
 |
|
Advancing Environmental Health Research with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: Session III — Understanding Omics, Metabolomics, & Immunotoxicity and Optimizing Bioengineering
November 22, 2024 Virtual
|
|
 |
|
EPA Tools and Resources Training Webinar Series: ECOTOX Knowledgebase and PFAS Updates
December 5, 2024 Virtual
|
|
|
 |
|
ITRC: Introduction to Hydrocarbons
December 5, 2024 Virtual
|
|
 |
|
ITRC PFAS Introductory Training
January 28, 2025 Virtual
|
|
|
 |
|
2025 Toxicology and Risk Assessment Conference
May 12-15, 2025 Cincinnati, Ohio
|
|
 |
|
Association for Advancing Participatory Sciences: 2025 Conference for Advancing Participatory Sciences
May 27-30, 2025 Portland, Oregon
|
|
|
 |
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|