Project Summary (2015-2017)

The overarching mission of the University of Arizona Superfund Research Program (UA SRP) is to advance science and to use the research conducted by the Center for the improvement of human health and the environment. The UA SRP Research Translation Core drives this effort through dedicated interactions with stakeholders to ensure that the key strengths and accomplishments, and the research results and implications, of the UA SRP are appreciated and applied. A major divide often exists between the generation of cutting-edge research and putting the findings into practice. Thus, a critical part of the research process is ensuring effective translation of evidence-based information and innovative research products to end-users for application.

The UA SRP Research Translation team acts as knowledge brokers to build partnerships and exchange information between UA SRP scientific experts and those who are impacted by hazardous waste. These stakeholders include communities, decision-makers, practitioners, as well as other academics and the NIEHS. The Research Translation Core has been designed to effectively integrate and translate UA SRP findings on the impacts of hardrock mining sites and mining activities on human health and the environment through four key areas of Research Translation:

• Partnership Building: engaging in constructive, collaborative partnerships with a variety of stakeholders;
• Tailored Information Transfer: effectively informing and educating stakeholders regarding environmental contaminants and human health risks;
• Applied Knowledge Transfer: collaborating with the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension network to reach a broader audience base, including mining and tribal communities; and
• Technology Transfer: supporting the testing and application of new technologies in real-life situations.

The UA SRP Research Translation Core uses a variety of measures to assess their success, and to ensure that they are meeting their goal of effective research translation. Through these activities, the Core is serving its stakeholders by acting as a neutral party to provide evidence-based information on arsenic, mining, and other potential hazards, and their impacts on human health and the environment.