Superfund Research Program
Training Core
Project Leader: Agnes B. Kane
Grant Number: P42ES013660
Funding Period: 2005-2021
Project-Specific Links
Hazardous Waste Sites
Final Progress Reports
PublicationsFinal Progress Reports
Studies and Results
The Training Core continues to focus on interdisciplinarity in its educational and research activities for trainees. Formal courses offered by the SRP Project and Core leaders include "Small Wonders: Science, Technology and Human Health Impacts of Nanomaterials" by Agnes Kane (Toxicity of Metallic Nanoparticles and Carbon Nanotubes) and Robert Hurt (Nanomaterial Design for Environmental Health and Safety) and "Community Engagement in Health and the Environment" by Elizabeth Hoover (Community Outreach Core). The trainees were also involved in the outreach activities of the Community Outreach Core. They participated in the Urban Pond Procession focused on residents near Mashapaug Pond, adjacent to the Gorham/Textron Brownfields site in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown University has launched the new Institute at Brown for Environment and Society (IBES), and the following SRP presentations were delivered at its first annual retreat: "Nanomaterials and the Environment" (Robert Hurt, Nanomaterial Design for Environmental Health and Safety), "New Models for Aquatic Toxicity Testing" (April Rodd, Pathobiology graduate student, Toxicity of Metallic Nanoparticles and Carbon Nanotubes), and "Empowering Communities through Strategic Partnerships" (Marcella Thompson, Community Outreach Core).
In collaboration with the Research Translation Core, Megan Creighton (Engineering graduate student, Nanomaterial Design for Environmental Health and Safety) and James Rice (State Agencies Liaison) co-chaired a session, "Transport of Environmental Contaminants Related to Energy Processes," at the 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Annual Meeting. Ms. Creighton also received the first place prize at the AIChE Meeting from the Nanoscale Science and Engineering Forum. Graduate student trainee Linnea Anderson (Mechanism of Toxicant-induced Testicular Sensitization) and postdoctoral trainee Pranita Kabadi (Toxicity of Metallic Nanoparticles and Carbon Nanotubes) received poster awards at the Annual Fall Meeting of the Northeast Regional Chapter of the Society of Toxicology. Megan Creighton also received an EPA STAR graduate fellowship on environmental applications for graphene-family nanomaterials and potential adverse human health impacts in collaboration with Toxicity of Metallic Nanoparticles and Carbon Nanotubes and Nanomaterial Design for Environmental Health and Safety.
Trainee Workshop: Intellectual Property & Research Commercialization
In addition to the monthly Brown SRP seminars, the Training Core co-sponsored a workshop held at Brown in July 2014 on "Intellectual Property and Research Commercialization" that was attended by 51 trainees and faculty members. The goal of the workshop was to catalyze thinking among the SRP participants regarding research translation via commercialization. The discussion started by looking at how promising new technology is first evaluated for commercial potential and, if appropriate, protected to assure a market incentive. It then moved to considering how resources are secured to permit commercial development. Research Translation Core leader Eric Suuberg began with an introduction to intellectual property. This was followed by a presentation by a representative of the Brown Technology Ventures Office, who discussed how universities decide on which inventions to protect and how they can assist in the commercialization process. This was followed by a presentation by a faculty member from the Harvard School of Public Health, who was engaged in creating a public health-related startup. The last part of the workshop focused on fundraising mechanisms for commercialization, ranging from the SBIR program to angel and venture capital sources. The feedback from attendees was very positive.
Significance
The Brown SRP trainees continue to work in interdisciplinary research teams that include undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers to address the environmental and human health impacts of complex exposures resulting from the legacy of industrial contamination in Rhode Island. In addition to their formal educational and research training, the trainees engage and communicate with community and professional partners and participate in a variety of enrichment activities that enhance their development as the next generation of environmental scientists and engineers dedicated to characterization, prevention, and mitigation of industrial and environmental pollution.