Core D: Research Experience and Training Coordination Core

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT – RESEARCH EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING COORDINATION CORE N-Nitrosamines are a family of chemicals that include some of the most potent mutagens known. N-Nitrosamines are a major concern for people who live near the Olin Chemical Superfund Site, and they are also a concern of the Passamaquoddy Tribe, because the water treatment methods used for their drinking water are known to lead to formation of N-nitrosamines. The mission of the Research Experience and Training Coordination Core (RETCC) is to recruit, train, and engage the best and the brightest students for careers in Biomedical Research (BMR) and Environmental Science and Engineering (ESE) with a focus on public health. With support from the RETCC, trainees will participate in all of the proposed research, engagement, and translation activities, and they will contribute data to and benefit from the Data Management and Analysis Core (DMAC). As such, trainees fuel the entire MIT SRP program. By fostering and enabling interactions among trainees and between trainees and leaders, the RETCC supports an innovative Systems Approach of inter-dependencies among subsystems (Projects and Cores). Via a Systems Approach, all trainees impact and are impacted by all of the Projects and Cores via a network of connections that are fostered by the Administrative Core and the DMAC. Data generated by trainees will be managed by the Data Management and Analysis Core and will be integrated with data from other parts of the program to contribute to risk evaluation. Innovative aspects of the RETCC include cross- disciplinary research opportunities, training in how research can be leveraged to impact policy, and a new “MIT SRP Exploration Program” that enables trainees to spend time in other MIT laboratories. In addition, there will be several approaches to support pipeline development so as to increase the number of top students with diverse backgrounds and expertise pursuing careers in environmental health sciences and engineering. This work will include creating an MIT undergraduate research opportunity that focuses on SRP research, a new “Public Health Democratization” Pipeline Project to connect URM SRP Trainees with younger URM students. Specific Aim 1 is to provide opportunities to trainees for research, translation, community engagement, and data analysis that will help protect human health from hazardous chemicals. Specific Aim 2 is to strengthen and create programs to promote professional development. Specific Aim 3 is to recruit and promote diverse students and postdocs. Specific Aim 4 is to provide formal training to ensure that MIT SRP trainees have successful and responsible careers in biomedical research and environmental science and engineering. The Administrative Core will foster opportunities for trainees to participate in research translation, which includes interactions with stakeholders. Furthermore, the Community Engagement Core (CEC) will open doors for trainees to work with community members, including helping to deploy sensors and a filtration device that will destroy N-nitrosamines. Taken together, the RETCC provides the foundation upon which trainees thrive and enables the collective impact of the entire program.