Superfund Research Program
Research Translation
Research Translation Coordinator: Thomas Burbacher
Co-Investigators: Clement E. Furlong, Zhengui Xia
Grant Number: P42ES004696
Funding Period: 2006-2023
Project-Specific Links
Hazardous Waste Sites
Final Progress Reports
PublicationsConnect with the Grant Recipients
Final Progress Reports
The UW SRP Research Translation Core (RTC) partners with government agencies; collaborates with community groups; promotes research translation opportunities; communicates with broad audiences; and conducts technology transfer. The activities reported reflect progress made during the Core's no-cost extension year with reduced staff.
Agency Partnerships: The RTC continued to collaborate with government agencies. The RTC worked with EPA Region 10 staff to present the webinar "Choosing and Using Climate-Change Scenarios for Ecological-Impact Assessments and Conservation Decisions - Applications to the Pacific Northwest". The webinar had a live audience of approximately 30 and a national audience of 62 (webinar available on the University of Washington Agency Seminar Series webpage). RTC staff also responded to an EPA Region 10 Environmental Justice Coordinator's request for resources to address community concerns regarding the cleanup of the Midnite Mine site. Staff also participated in meetings for the Lower Duwamish Waterway (LDW) Superfund site cleanup. The last year was significant for the LDW site and its stakeholders, as the ROD was released. RTC director, Dr. Burbacher, participated in 'Environmental Health Policy Meetings' on the Governor's toxic reduction efforts. These meetings were initiated by the state Governor's office along with the state Departments of Health and Ecology.
Community Collaborations: RTC staff continued their partnership with local community groups and the Northwest Toxic Communities Coalition (NWTCC). RTC staff helped produce and host an interactive webinar titled "How Do Our Contaminated Cleanup Sites Compare?" Participants reviewed the types of contamination, cleanup plans, and alternative cleanup options for three local sites. The session was led by an independent environmental technical expert familiar with the communities, and the Superfund and state-led cleanups (webinar available on the NWTCC website).
Research Translation and Reaching Broad Audiences: The work of SRP researchers Clem Furlong and James Woods was featured in an environmental toxicant exposures symposium at the Neurobehavioral Teratology Society meeting this year. An 'Annual of Neurology' publication on nutrition and Parkinson's Disease, authored by Dr. Searles Nielsen (Parkinsonism and Metal Exposures Among Welders project), was featured in 'O Magazine.' A Biotransformation Gene-Environment Interactions in Coho Salmon Neurotoxicity project SRP trainee organized a lab tour for high school health teachers. Teachers who learned about SRP research and toured a zebrafish lab reported that the tour tied in well with their human development curriculum.
Technology Transfer: The RTC co-director continues to provide leadership to Project and Core investigators by facilitating patents and technology transfer activities for the UW SRP. A description of a new protein quantification protocol, co-developed with research collaborators, is described in the Biomarkers of Susceptibility to Environmentally-Induced Diseases project update.