NC State University’s Center for Human Heath and the Environment (CHHE) is announcing its request for applications (RFA) for pilot project proposals for Fall 2020. Applications are due on September 28, 2020.  The earliest start date is mid-Dec. 2020 and CHHE expects to fund 6-8 projects. The CHHE Pilot Project Program (PPP) fosters collaborations, increases interdisciplinary research and aids in the career development of early career investigators to advance environmental health research. The overarching goal of CHHE’s PPP is to provide support for research aimed at understanding the adverse impacts of environmental factors on human health and disease. The CHHE PPP encourages multidisciplinary/collaborative approaches and the use of CHHE’s cores and resources. The PPP has added a new program that supports community engaged projects. More details about the objectives of the PPP and RFA instructions can be found at https://chhe.research.ncsu.edu/pilot-projects.

Abstract pre-submission (jcbonner@ncsu.edu) is encouraged but not required to determine if proposal topics are consistent with the mission of the CHHE. Individual awards will range up to $25,000 direct costs for one year. Questions can be directed to Dr. Jamie Bonner (jcbonner@ncsu.edu), Director of CHHE PPP.

Kwiatkowski C, Andrews D, Birnbaum L, Bruton T, DeWitt J, Knappe D, Maffini M, Miller M, Pelch K, Reade A, Soehl A, Trier X, Venier M, Wagner C, Wang Z, and Blum A. 2020. The scientific basis for managing PFAS as a chemical class. Environmental Science and Technology Letters: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00255.

CHHE members Jamie DeWitt and Detlef Knappe both coauthored a recent publication that presented the scientific basis for managing all per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as a single chemical class. This commentary included coauthors from academia, non-profit organizations, and regulatory agencies and highlighted the multiple lines of evidence accumulated for well-studied PFAS that all PFAS have the characteristics of persistence, bioaccumulation, mobility, and/or toxicity. Persistence, or recalcitrance to environmental or biological degradation is a common feature of all PFAS or terminal degradation products of those PFAS that do degrade – into other PFAS – and means that remediation of contaminated areas may take decades to centuries. Cancer, immunotoxicity, developmental and reproductive toxicity, liver toxicity, and endocrine disruption are among the health effects associated with the relatively small number of PFAS that have been studied toxicologically. As the number of identified PFAS grows – some estimates list over 7,000 individual PFAS – assessing and managing their risks chemical-by-chemical is inadequate. This publication discusses PFAS characteristics and outlines how a class-based approach is a scientifically justified approach to reduce the potential hazards posed by PFAS.

Environmental Epigenetics and Genetics Interest Group

Leaders: David Aylor and Mike Cowley

This group will build a community of faculty, staff and students interested in the mechanisms and consequences of interactions between the environment and the epigenome. We will discuss current trends, exchange ideas, share technical knowledge, and foster collaborations with the goal of addressing outstanding questions in the field.

Leader: Emilie Rissman

Leader: Vijay Sivaraman

Leader: Jane Hoppin.