Kettering Lab Renovation to enhance PHS-supported environmental health research

描述(申请人提供)：辛辛那提大学环境健康系在环境和职业健康方面处于世界领先地位，2008年的外部研究经费超过2200万美元。这个部门所在的大楼正在显露出它的年代久远，其中一个侧翼已经无法修复。该项目将翻新凯特琳实验室三楼的Kehoe翼和中庭空间，以改善研究设施，并实现以下具体目标： 1.对2009年《美国复苏和再投资法》作出贡献，实施一个“准备好铲子”的翻新项目，该项目将在项目期间每年为30个与建筑相关的新职位设立相当于全职就业的职位--估计为24个月。这项工作的完成将扩大我们的研究能力，以容纳多达十二(12)个新的教职员工职位和60-80名支持人员，超过建设阶段。 2.翻新凯特琳实验室三楼Kehoe侧翼(8910总面积)，将未得到充分利用的中庭改造成有用的跨学科研究空间(4355总面积)，以满足现代跨学科研究的物理需求，优化能源性能，提高能效，维护和运营，延长凯特琳实验室数十年的使用寿命。 3.在我们成功的指导和培训计划的基础上，提供一个研究和培训平台，作为比较有效研究的基础，重点是表观遗传学对人类疾病的贡献。 4.通过增加我们对新教职员工、博士后和研究生的吸引力，提高我们在俄亥俄州-肯塔基州地区招募模范科学家的能力。 5.在尚未成立的表观遗传流行病学中心为跨学科研究建立一个实体之家，该中心将拥有基础毒理学、计算模型、生物信息学、流行病学、生物统计学和基于社区的参与性研究方面的专业知识。该团队将专注于了解表观遗传学如何将环境与人群中的疾病易感性联系起来，将研究成果转化为社区，并增加科学资本。 公共卫生相关性(由申请者提供)：加州大学环境卫生部正在申请资金，以翻新和改造我们的研究空间，从过时的设施到现代领域，将来自不同学科的科学家聚集在一起。这将加强我们科学家之间的合作，帮助我们在俄亥俄州-肯塔基州地区招聘高素质人才，并创建一个我们可以将科学家与社区联系起来的地区。这些改进还将减少能源消耗和我们的碳足迹。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Department of Environmental Health at the University of Cincinnati is a world leader in environmental and occupational health, with over $22M in external research in 2008. The building that houses this department is showing its age, with one wing already beyond repair. This project will renovate the 3rd floor Kehoe wing and Atrium space of Kettering Lab, to improve research facilities, and meet the following specific aims: 1. Contribute to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 with a "shovel ready" renovation project, which will establish the equivalent of full-time employment for 30 new construction-related positions each year of the project duration-estimated at 24 months. Completion of this work will expand our research capacity to accommodate up to twelve (12) new faculty positions and 60 - 80 support personnel, beyond the construction phase. 2. Renovate the of the 3rd floor Kehoe wing of Kettering Lab (8,910 gross square feet), and transform the under-utilized atrium into useful interdisciplinary research space (4,355 gross square feet), which will meet the physical needs of modern, trans-disciplinary research, with optimization of energy performance, improve energy efficiency, maintenance, and operations to extend the life of Kettering Lab for several decades. 3. Provide a research and training platform as a basis for Comparative Effective Research based on our successful mentoring and training programs, with a focus on epigenetic contributions to human disease. 4. Increase our ability to recruit exemplary scientists to the Ohio-Kentucky region by increasing our allure-to new faculty, staff, postdocs and graduate students. 5. Develop a physical home for transdisciplinary research in a yet-to-be-established Center for Epigenetic Epidemiology, which will house expertise in basic toxicology, computational modeling, bioinformatics, epidemiology, biostatistics, and community based participatory research. This team will focus on understanding how epigenetics links the environment to disease susceptibility in populations, translate research findings to the community, and increase scientific capital. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE (provided by applicant): The UC Department of Environmental Health is requesting funds to renovate and transform our research space from outdated facilities to modern areas that will bring together scientists from different disciplines. This will increase cooperation among our scientists, help us recruit high-caliber people to the Ohio- Kentucky region, and create an area where we can connect scientists with the community. These improvements will also reduce energy consumption and our carbon footprint.