Addressing Tetrachloroethylene Exposure in an Impacted Community

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Project Summary This administrative supplement request will fund a summer research internship for one high school student to receive training in environmental health science and participate in a community-engaged Research to Action project funded by the NIEHS. The activities proposed for the internship program directly work towards research objectives of the parent R01 grant and comprise an environmental health science (EHS) training program tailored to high school students and a “self-contained” project that the student can see from start to finish over the summer. This design is important as it will allow the student to have a sense of ownership of their project, allowing them to understand the basic concepts underlying a community engaged EHS investigation. Thus, the goal of this request is to encourage a promising student to pursue future education and research opportunities. The student will first, learn basic principles and concepts in environmental health science and related disciplines and participate in research activities of the parent grant in the summer; and second, pilot use of a citizen science tool in their community, which is the study site of the parent grant, collect related environmental sampling data, and develop protocols on data collection and translational sharing. These activities will make a direct and significant contribution to the objectives of the parent grant, by quickening the pace of developing the citizen science component and initiating the testing and field deployment of the citizen science tool early in year 2 of the parent project. The proposed internship program will serve as one of the major engagement activities to advance the parent grant’s efforts in building a collaboration with the local high school and bridge the efforts promoting community engagement through citizen science and developing a high school environmental health science program. This internship opportunity will enable the student to devote full-time effort (40 hours/week) for eight weeks towards learning and conducting research activities, fostering the student’s EHS literacy and a passion for engaging in EHS research. The student is expected to discuss the project results as an oral or poster presentation at their school, a research team meeting (including community partners), and at a scientific conference.