Near-Peer Mentoring in Environmental Health: Chemical Exposures and Disease Risk

项目摘要 此R25应用程序的总体目标是为不同的高中和本科生提供培训 学生将与支持性的教师导师合作，了解环境化学物质是如何 接触有助于非传染性疾病，以及如何减少危害和/或接触 改善健康状况。项目教员来自不同的学科：毒理学、内分泌学、细胞学和 分子生物学、兽医和动物科学、化学、流行病学、化学工程、民用和 环境工程和科学交流。我们将重点招聘女性和个人 来自代表性不足的群体参加这个暑期计划，该计划包括三个目标： 1)让高中年龄的年轻女性参与初级暑期研究体验，并招募那些 有兴趣参与研究项目或科学交流项目。通过与 当地女孩公司组织，我们将为九年级女孩提供为期一周的入门培训计划 马萨诸塞州西部的多样化但服务不足的社区。每年有24-26个女孩参加，我们将使用这个 招募10年级和11年级女孩参加目标2和3的计划。 2)创建一个学习社区，专注于了解环境中的化学品暴露如何 为非传染性疾病作出贡献，并制定科学战略，为这些疾病创造解决方案 具有挑战性的问题。高中生和本科生将与马萨诸塞州大学的教职员工一起理解 环境化学品暴露如何促成非传染性疾病，以及危害和/或 暴露是可以减轻的。研究将集中在以下领域之一： ·与环境化学品暴露有关的疾病的分子和细胞模型； ·确定化学品暴露及其与人类疾病的关系； ·了解环境化学品对癌症和新陈代谢等疾病的影响 疾病； ·制定暴露于危险环境化学品的解决方案，包括使用绿色化学 完全避免危害的原则和在暴露时无法避免的污染补救措施。 3)培训不同的参与者，使他们了解如何在 我们的学习社区和更广泛的社区的背景。高中生和本科生 致力于创建科学传播工具，旨在教育非专业受众了解一个或多个主题 在AIM 2的实验室中解决。通信工具可以包括静态或动画信息图表， 信息性视频、播客或其他社交媒体工具。

Project Summary The overarching goal of this R25 application is to provide training to diverse high school and undergraduate students who will work with supportive faculty mentors to understand how environmental chemical exposures contribute to non-communicable diseases, and how hazard and/or exposure mitigation can improve health. Program faculty come from a diverse range of disciplines: toxicology, endocrinology, cell and molecular biology, veterinary and animal sciences, chemistry, epidemiology, chemical engineering, civil and environmental engineering, and science communication. We will focus on recruiting women and individuals from underrepresented groups to participate in this summer program, which includes three aims: 1) To involve high school age young women in introductory summer research experiences and recruit those with an interest in participating in research projects or science communication projects. By partnering with the local Girls Inc. organization, we will offer week-long introductory training programs for 9th grade girls from diverse but underserved communities in Western MA. With 24-26 girls participating every year, we will use this program to recruit 10th and 11th grade girls to participate in Aims 2 and 3. 2) To create a learning community focused on understanding how environmental chemical exposures contribute to non-communicable diseases and develop scientific strategies to create solutions to these challenging problems. High school and undergraduate students will work with UMass faculty to understand how environmental chemical exposures contribute to non-communicable diseases, and how hazards and/or exposures can be mitigated. Research will focus on one of these areas: • molecular and cellular models of diseases relevant to environmental chemical exposures; • characterizing chemical exposures and their association with human diseases; • understanding the effects of environmental chemicals on conditions such as cancer and metabolic diseases; • creating solutions for exposures to hazardous environmental chemicals including use of green chemistry principles to avoid hazards entirely and pollution remediation when exposures cannot be avoided. 3) To train diverse participants in methods to communicate complex environmental health concepts in the context of our learning community and in broader communities. High school and undergraduate students will work to create science communication tools, aimed at educating a lay audience about one or more topic addressed in the laboratories in Aim 2. Communication tools could include static or animated infographics, informational videos, podcasts, or other social media tools.