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

项目摘要 这个R25应用程序的首要目标是为不同的高中和本科生提供培训 学生谁将与支持教师导师，以了解如何环境化学 暴露会导致非传染性疾病，以及减少危害和/或暴露如何能够 增进健康。项目教师来自不同的学科：毒理学，内分泌学，细胞和 分子生物学、兽医和动物科学、化学、流行病学、化学工程、土木和 环境工程和科学传播。我们将重点招聘女性和个人 从代表性不足的群体参加这个夏季计划，其中包括三个目标： 1)让高中年龄的年轻女性参与介绍性的夏季研究经验，并招募那些 有兴趣参与研究项目或科学传播项目。通过与 当地女孩公司组织，我们将提供为期一周的入门培训计划，为9年级的女孩，从 不同但服务不足的社区在西部马。每年有24-26名女孩参加，我们将利用这一点， 招募十年级和十一年级女生参加目标2和3的方案。 2)创建一个学习社区，专注于了解环境化学品暴露如何 促进非传染性疾病，并制定科学的战略，以创造解决这些问题的办法。 具有挑战性的问题。高中和本科生将与麻省大学教师合作， 环境化学品接触如何助长非传染性疾病，以及危害和/或 可以减轻暴露。研究将集中在这些领域之一： ·与环境化学品接触有关的疾病的分子和细胞模型; 描述化学品接触及其与人类疾病的关系; ·了解环境化学物质对癌症和代谢等疾病的影响 疾病; ·为接触危险环境化学品创造解决方案，包括使用绿色化学品 完全避免危害的原则以及无法避免接触时的污染补救措施。 3)培训不同的参与者，使他们掌握在环境中传播复杂的环境卫生概念的方法。 我们的学习社区和更广泛的社区的背景下。高中生和本科生将 致力于创建科学传播工具，旨在就一个或多个主题教育非专业观众 在目标2的实验室中解决。通信工具可以包括静态或动画信息图， 信息视频、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.