A new OSU SRP publication shared about the unexpected reduction of harmful air emissions after a reduction of mercury emissions at an Oregon coal-fired power plant. The study was led by the lab of Staci Simonich (Project Leader of Project 5).
Dr. Staci Simonich  
Photo by Lynn Ketchum

Portland General Electric (PGE) added emission control systems at its generating plant in Boardman, Oregon, in 2011 to capture and remove mercury from the exhaust.
Before-and-after measurements found that concentrations of two major groups of air pollutants, that included polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), went down by 40 and 72 percent, respectively, after the plant was upgraded.

The study was published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology in July, and included an OSU Press Release. 

The Boardman plant, on the Oregon side of the Columbia River about 165 miles east of Portland, has historically been a major regional source of air pollution.  
 
Dr. William Bisson (Project 3 Research Associate)

OSU Contribution to the Halifax Project Highlighted

Dr. William Bisson's research contribution on the Halifax Project task force was promoted with an OSU Press Release, a radio interview on OPB, and highlighted by AAAS Science News in EurekAlert.

According to the task force of 170 cancer scientists from 28 countries, common environmental chemicals assumed to be safe a low doses may act separately or together to disrupt human tissues in ways that eventually lead to cancer.

Read more about the Halifax Project research in the July issue of the NIEHS Environmental Factor.
Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley Addresses Importance of Measuring Chemicals with Wristband Technology   
Dr. Kim Anderson (Project 4 Leader) stands to the left of Senator Jeff Merkley during the press conference.
Listen to the story on KLCC. 
 
Trainee Reflects on Externship Experience

Lisandra Santiago-Delgado, Project 5 Trainee, was awarded a 2015
Lisandra Santiago-Delgado
 
Earlier this summer with the supplement, she conducted research at the USEPA Robert S. Kerr Research Laboratory in Ada, Oklahoma under the guidance of Dr. Eva L. Davis.

The main objective of her externship was to collaborate and learn from Dr. Davis, an expert in the field of thermal remediation of contaminated soils and groundwater. I focused on utilizing steam injections on a laboratory scale to thermally remediate creosote-contaminated Superfund soils.

Lisandra wrote a blog post to share her experience.  
Naomi's gift from the SRP - a fancy new name plate and business card holder or her new job.
Naomi Hirsch Leaves SRP
 
After 14 years at Oregon State University and 12 years as an NIEHS grantee, Naomi Hirsch has decided to change careers and serve the community as the volunteer coordinator for Benton Hospice Service, a nonprofit in Corvallis supporting families and individuals in the region.
 

Naomi has served as the Research Translation Coordinator since the SRP was funded in 2009. She was the communication hub for the Center and also helped administer the Training Core. She is known for her training and support in communicating science on-line and utilizing social media.

Naomi's last day in the office is Aug. 21.


Best Wishes to Naomi!
Katrina Waters Participates in Mixtures Workshop

Dr. Katrina Waters (Leader of the Core C: The Biostatistics and Modeling Core) was invited by NIEHS to attend and participate at a workshop July 13-14 to evaluate new statistical methods for studying exposures to mixtures of chemicals in the environment.

Statistical Approaches for Assessing Health Effects for Environmental Chemical Mixtures in Epidemiology Studies brought together epidemiologists, biostatisticians, toxicologists, and exposure scientists eager to tackle the topic.
Read more in the August 2015 NIEHS Environmental Factor.  
Brent Coull, Ph.D., Harvard foreground, discusses the first simulated data set with panelists, from left, Katrina Waters, Ph.D., Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Sung Kyun Park, Sc.D., University of Michigan-Ann Arbor; Gennings, not shown; Vieira; Shuo Chen, Ph.D., University of California, Irvine; and Ghassan Hamra, Ph.D., Drexel University.   (Photo courtesy of Steve McCaw)
 
Recent Awards and Publications

Awards

The OSU Superfund Research Center has been chosen to receive the James and Mildred Oldfield/E.R. Jackman Team Award. 
The purpose of the award is to recognize superior and distinguished interdisciplinary team achievements through teaching, research, international, or extended education activities of faculty and staff. Presentation of this award will serve to highlight the importance of interdisciplinary team effort in achieving the goals of the College of Agricultural Sciences, Oregon State University and of Oregon agriculture, and to show in a tangible way that the College stands strongly behind such efforts.   
 
Dr. David Williams Recognized for Leadership and Administration
David Williams (Project 1 Leader) has been presented the Award of Excellence in recognition of his program "Beneficial and Adverse Effects of Natural Chemicals on Human Health and Food Safety" from The Western Assoc. of Ag. Experiment Station Directors. Williams will also receive the Arnold Leadership award, which recognizes an administrator for outstanding contributions to the research mission by of the College of Agricultural Science at Oregon State University. The award will be presented at University Days in September.

The Tanguay Group Received Funding for Two New Projects from EPA and NSF 
Robert Tanguay (Center Director and Project 3 Leader) has been awarded a new, three-year award from NSF entitled: "Integrating nanoparticle design and in vivo testing to proactively reduce environmental impacts".   
Tanguay also received a three-year award from the EPA entitled: "Defining Flame Retardants Adverse Outcome Pathway".  This project will test the hypothesis that the toxicity of flame retardant chemicals (FRCs) is highly dependent on their chemical structure and conduct the first comprehensive in vivo, structure-activity based toxicity studies of FRCs.
 
Dr. Staci Simonich Recognized for Outstanding Mentorship 
Staci Simonich (Project 5 Leader) has been selected to be the recipient of the 2015 President's Commission on the Status of Women University Mentoring and Professional Development Award. She will receive recognition and an award in September at University Day.  Staci also received an "Excellence in Graduate Mentoring Award" from the OSU Graduate School this past June.

Trainee Anna Chlebowski Awarded NRSA Fellowship
Anna Chlebowksi (Project 5 Trainee) has been awarded three years of competitive NIH-funded NRSA Fellowship support for her doctoral research titled: "Toxicology and environmental occurrence of novel nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons." 

Congratulations to Stacey Harper (Training Core Co-Leader).
Stacey Harper (Training Core Co-Leader) has been promoted to Associate Professor and awarded tenure.

Trainee Mitra Geier Receives Externship Support from Training Core    
Mitra Geier (Project 3 Trainee) was able to attend and make connections at the International Neurotoxicology Association and Neurobehavioral Teratology Society joint meeting  with her Externship Award from the Training Core. See the blog post for more details.


Publications

Environmental Science & Technology. 2015 

Family Science Event in Partnership with the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY) Postponed Until Spring 2016
 
The educational day of toxicology and environmental health activities for 7-10th graders in collaboration with the Talented Youth Program at Johns Hopkins University was scheduled for Oct. 3, 2015, and will now be postponed until Spring 2016.

Our proposed event entitled, Unraveling the Mysteries of Living with Chemicals, is part of the Science and Technology Series at the CTY.     

Events

Webinars 
 
Progress in Research: TCE, PCBs, and Phthalates - Exposure, Mechanisms of Disease, and Clean-Up Remedies
Sponsored by: NIEHS Superfund Research Program
August 24, 10am - 12pm PT 
https://clu-in.org/conf/tio/srppir2/

Halifax Project: Low Dose Theory Symposium
August 25, 6:30am - 12:30pm PT 
Interindividual Variability: New Ways to Study and Implications for Decision-Making
September 30 - October 1, 2015

Webcast and Twitter discussion #NASvariability
Sponsored by: Emerging Science for Environmental Health Decisions
http://nas-sites.org/emergingscience/meetings/interindividual-variability/ 

 
 


OSU Superfund 2015 Environmental Health Science Trainee Colloquium   
 
Our monthly webinar series shares the research of the OSU SRP Trainees to the OSU and PNNL communities. Some presentations are recorded and shared on the web site. 





Upcoming National and International Meetings

 
Sao Paulo, Brazil | August 30 - September 3, 2015  

2015 PANWAT Meeting
Bothell and Woodinville, WA | September 17-18, 2015

SETAC North America 36th Annual Meeting
Salt Lake City, UT | November 1-5, 2015

International Society for Exposure Science (ISES)
Henderson, Nevada | October 18 - 22, 2015

American Public Health Association's Annual Meeting & Exposition
Chicago, Ill | October 31 - November 4, 2015
 
San Juan, Puerto Rico | November 18 - 20, 2015
   
Honolulu, Hawaii |  December 15 - 20, 2015