June 2019: News and Updates
A monthly newsletter from the Center of Human Health and the Environment
Upcoming Events
6/20/2019 - NC Museum of Natural Sciences - Science Cafe:
Jamie DeWitt a nd Lee Ferguson (Duke) will be giving a talk on Toxic Chemicals and Human Health. 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. More details here .

10/25/2019 - Save the Date!
The Environmental Epigenetics and Genetics Research Interest Group will host Dr Terry Magnuson (UNC Chapel Hill), pioneer in the field of epigenetics and germ cell reprogramming. Dr Magnuson will meet with faculty and present a seminar. More details to follow.
June 2019 - Calendar. Isolated on White Background. 3D Illustration
Congratulations to the 2019 Spring Pilot Project Awardees!

Title: Assessing the Consequences of Inhalation Exposure to GenX on the Pulmonary Immune Response of Mice to Allergens and Microbial Agents
PI:  James Bonner , Dept of Biological Sciences, NCSU
Co-Is: Jamie DeWitt , Dept. of Pharmacology & Toxicology, ECU and Jane Hoppin , Dept. of Biological Sciences, NCSU

Title: Epigenetic Dysregulation of Liver Detoxification Genes in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
PI:  Delores J. Grant , Dept. of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, NCCU
Co-Is: Cathrine Hoyo , Dept. of Biological Sciences, NCSU and Dereje Jima , Center for Human Health and the Environment, NCSU

Title: Impact of Acute and Chronic Ozone Exposure on Bladder Dysfunction
PI: Johanna L. Hannan, Dept. of Physiology, ECU
Co-I: Kymberly Gowdy , Dept. of Pharmacology & Toxicology, ECU

Title: Neural Mechanisms of Social Disruption of the Flame Retardant Mixture Firemaster 550
PI:  John Meitzen , Dept. of Biological Sciences, NCSU
Collaborator: Heather Patisaul , Dept. of Biological Sciences, NCSU

Title: Perturbation of Iron Homeostasis by Environmental Chemicals
PI:  Yoshiaki Tsuj i, Dept. of Biological Sciences, NCSU
Co-I: Jun Ninomiya-Tsuji , Dept. of Biological Sciences, NCSU

Title: Deciphering the Roles of Cohesin SA1 and SA2 in DNA Damage Response at Telomeres
PI:  Hong Wang , Dept. of Physics, NCSU

Big shout out to Phil Sannes for taking on the role as PPP director for this round of proposals!
Did you Know?

We are gearing up for the second year of our summer of high school teacher professional program.

The eight-week program provides mentor ship and training for school teachers from high-poverty districts, and schools serving groups traditionally underrepresented in science. The program involves a mix of lectures, workshops, and research on Environmental Health Sciences. The goal is to increase teachers' self efficacy as scientists, and ultimately impact their students' perception of and participation in science.
 
How can you help?
Host a workshop (June 24- July 1)- teach a skill or topic during the first few weeks that will set the tone for the teachers' experience during the rest of the program (e.g., measuring and pipetting, basic stats, environmental sampling, some simple model organism work, DNA extractions, PC). Have another idea? Let us know! 
Be a mentor (July 8 - August 9)- host a teacher in your lab for 4-5 weeks, allowing them to help with some of the projects going on in your lab , and serve as a mentor that provides insight into ins and outs of being an environmental health scientists. 
Give a lecture (June 24 - August 9)- come give a talk to the cohort about your work, your experiences, useful resources, or anything else you think might be valuable.

If you are interested in being involved, but not sure how much time you can commit, reach out to Katy to learn more!
Kudos
Congratulations to Dorothy You, student of Jamie Bonner , for winning 2nd place in the Predoctoral Poster Presentation competition at the Annual Visiting Pulmonary Scholar Research Symposium held at UNC Chapel Hill on May 9th, 2019 for her work on 'Sex differences in pulmonary inflammatory response of mice to nickel nanoparticles'.

Congratulations to David Reif for receiving a NIEHS R56 entitled "Gene-Environment Interactions Causing Differential Susceptibility to Chemical Exposure in High-Throughput Screening" 6/15/209 to 6/14/2020 ($250,000)

Kudos to Jamie DeWitt for testifying in front of Congress - Learn more here !

Congratulation to Thomas Jackson, student of Scott Belcher , for winning the best graduate student poster award at the EDC-NC meeting at NIEHS!

Congratulations to Michael Cowley for being invited to present his work at this year's annual NIEHS-EHSCC meeting in Iowa.
Congratulations to Dereje Jima and Nadine Kotlarz for being awarded the first Outstanding CHHE member of the year!

Kudos to CHHE for another great and informative mini-retreat. Rob Smart lead with new center resources for members followed by past pilot project awardee presentations. 35 members attended.


We want your good news! Please send it to Jackie Broughton or Jane Hoppin.
Interest Groups News
 Environmental Epigenetics 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.

Neuroscience Group
Leader:   Heather Patisaul
This group will focus on questions and activities related to neurodevelopment and neurotoxicology. Goals include coordinating research efforts, increasing grant submissions, enhancing our presence at the Society for Neuroscience meeting and working towards becoming nationally recognized as having strength in “Environmental Neuroscience.”


Pulmonary Interest Group
Leaders:  Kym Gowdy and  Jane Hoppin
The Pulmonary Interest Group will work to establish collaborations between basic and translational scientists and clinicians that are interested in understanding mechanisms behind environmental exposures and lung diseases. This group will hold meetings at both NCSU and ECU to facilitate exchange of ideas and expertise that will result in interdisciplinary groups that can apply for external funding opportunities.

Community Outreach
CEC co-Director, Katy May helped lead a science communication training for researchers in the PFAS Testing Network. Along with Jory Weintraub (Duke) and Kathleen Gray (UNC-CH), Katy helped a diverse group of PFAS researchers understand best practices in science and risk communication, and gave them examples of strategies and lessons learned from the GenX Exposure Study. More than 30 researchers from Duke, ECU, NC State, and UNC participated in the training.
Career Development
All investigators but particularly Early Stage Investigators are encouraged to work with the  Career Development Core  in development of their grants. Talk to  Nanette Nascone-Yoder   to set up a chalk talk to help organize ideas for your next proposal.
Reminders 
Remember to cite our  CHHE grant   P30ES025128 in publications if CHHE has provided you services, facility core use, seed/pilot project funds etc. NIH tracks this as an important CHHE metric.
 
CHHE Resources and Facilities Page for NIH Grants  is available on the CHHE   website .
PINS:  Remember when submitting your grants, be sure to select "Center for Human Health and the Environment" as a center in PINS.

CHHE Cited Publications 

Click  here   to check them out!