May 2022| Center for Human Health and the Environment
Upcoming Events

May 18: 2022 CHHE Mini-Retreat at Transfer Co. Food Hall 3:00 - 6:00pm
Please join us for our long delayed mini-retreat on Wednesday, May 18th. at 3:00 at the Transfer Co. Food Hall. It will be a great opportunity to re-connect, make plans for the future, and thank Rob Smart for his many years of service. Respond to the google calendar invite.
Kudos
Albert Keung named a Goodnight Early Career Innovator

NC State announced its 2021-22 class of Goodnight Early Career Innovators. This program recognizes and rewards promising NC State early-career faculty whose scholarship is in STEM or STEM education. The 25 faculty selected will receive $22,000 ­for each of the next three years to support their scholarship and research endeavors. Article
Shobhan Gaddameedhi scholarship success story was recently published by the NIEHS.

With funding from the NIEHS ONES Program, Shobhan Gaddameedhi, Ph.D., is exploring how our circadian clock helps protect against genomic instability and environmental carcinogenesis. Article
Pilot Project Update
Congratulations to CHHE Pilot Project Awardees for Spring 2022!

Seven pilot projects were awarded in the Spring of 2022, five of which were single PI grants of $25,000 each and two of which were dual PI awards of $50,000 each. Awardees and titles of projects are listed below. For a complete list of previously awarded pilot projects, visit the CHHE website.

The next call for pilot project grants will be announced on August 1st, 2022. 
Spring 2022 CHHE Pilot Projects:

Title: Assessing the impact of PFAS exposure on neutrophil function and microbial infection
PI: Jeffrey A. Yoder, Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, NC State

Title: Oxidant Exposure by Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems and Heated Tobacco Products
PI: Tatyana I. Smirnova, Department of Chemistry, NC State

Title: Investigating the effect of pulmonary surfactant on the adhesive interactions between nanoparticles and living cells by atomic force microscopy and endocytosis modeling
PI: Jingjie Hu, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, NC State

Title: Investigating the Effect of Exposure to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) on Human Mast Cell Activation and Gene Expression
PI: Glenn Cruse, Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, NC State

Title: The role of Hox regulation in neurodevelopmental toxicity of prenatal cadmium exposure
PI: Michael Cowley, Department of Biological Sciences, NC State

Title: Vitamin D, Endocannabinoid Tone and Obesity: the VETO Study
PI: Seth Kullman, Department of Biological Sciences, NC State
PI: David Collier, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina

Title: Wildfire pollution exposure and human health: Building a novel AI-powered air quality forecasting model for a growing public health issue
PI: Srijan Sengupta, Department of Statistics, NC State
PI: Viney Aneja, Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences, NC State
Research Interest Group Updates

Environmental Justice Research Interest Group
Leaders: Jen Richmond-Bryant and Katy May

On April 26, Jen and Katy hosted the first meeting of CHHE's new Environmental Justice Research Interest Group (RIG). The meeting was well attended by a great mix of center members, representing entomology, analytical chemistry, bioinformatics, geospatial analytics, exposure science, statistics, citizen science, and community engagement. The goal of this RIG is to facilitate new research collaborations, engage the Center's Stakeholder Advisory Board, build equitable community partnerships and long term relationships, and determine and respond to community-based research needs. This RIG is shaping up to be extremely interdisciplinary with the potential to have real impacts in our communities through justice-centered research and engagement. Interested in getting involved? Reach out to Jen or Katy to learn more!

Emerging Contaminants Interest Group
Leader: Jane Hoppin

In the next few months, we'll discuss how to reorganize the emerging contaminants RIG. With Jane becoming interim director, we'll need a new leader for this RIG. But it may be a good time to revisit other topics for RIGs that may be of interest. We'll send out a short survey to RIG members to get input and will discuss opportunities at the mini-retreat in May.

Pulmonary Interest Group
Leader: Vijay Sivaraman

After a delayed start for the semester, we plan to host Dr. Rachel Roper an immunologist from ECU who works with Dr. Sinan Sousan. Dr. Roper will talk about air detection of SARS CoV2, more details soon to come.

Microplastics? Are you interested in microplastics?
Microplastics are everywhere and there's a growing group of CHHE researchers across discliplines who are interested in microplastics. We're thinking about maybe forming a new Research Interest Group or having a symposium about microplastics ... but right now, we'd like to know who is interested. Reach out to Jane Hoppin if you are interested in getting involved or learning more.

After a two-summer hiatus, our NIEHS-funded Summer Research Experiences for high school teachers is back in action! This program brings science teachers from underserved classrooms to CHHE labs for a six-week professional development program. The teachers gain hands-on laboratory experiences and resources that they can take back and apply in their classrooms. So far, teachers have had nothing but great things to say about CHHE labs and their grad students. 

If you or your lab are interested in participating, some options could include: 
  • Hosting a high school teacher in your lab this summer for 4 weeks in July/August
  • Leading other program sessions like 1 to 2 full-day workshops, to hour-long discussions of your research, ethical/societal issues, or professional development topics
  • Having teachers come take a "tour" of your lab and its research 

If you think you might be interested or want to learn more, reach out to Katy May.
Cleaning out your lab? Updating your equipment?
Local schools can use your old lab supplies!

The CEC is looking to give lab supplies and equipment a new home with local science teachers to help them implement hands-on EHS activities in their classrooms. If you're ever looking to get rid of items email Katy May! There's a good chance that the teachers we work with in Wake and Durham counties will be able to use them in their classrooms, summer camps, and after school programs. 
Employment Opportunities

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs!
The CHHE Website posts job openings in the environmental health sciences field. Send us your postings for new jobs, email Michico (MJ) James. It's a great place for students and post-docs to see new available positions.

Career Development: Want some help with your grant?

All investigators, especially Early Stage Investigators, are encouraged to work with the Career Development Core to develop and refine their grants. Email chhe-ncstate@ncsu.edu to set up a chalk talk to help organize ideas for your next proposal.
Reminders

Please remember to cite and acknowledge NIH award support and the CHHE’s P30 grant in future publications and presentations by including this –
“Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number P30ES025128. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.”

Publications citing the Center grant in the acknowledgements of a manuscript and in the deposit of the manuscript in NIHMS are the currency for the P30 renewal!

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. Link to Additional Resources
CHHE Cited Publications
Click here to check them out!