Environmental Health Partnership (EHP)
EHP 2001
The 2001 NIEHS Superfund Environmental Health Partnership (Superfund/EHP) program, developed and coordinated by the Outreach Core of the UF Superfund Basic Research Program took place Sunday, July 8- Saturday, July 14, 2001. The Center for Precollegiate Education and Training at the University of Florida was proud to host sixteen outstanding science teachers selected from across the state to partake in our intensive one-week program. They represented areas with Superfund sites, in need of community education and awareness. The schools that were represented varied from Opportunity Alliance schools (Raines and Ribault in Jacksonville) to preparatory and IB schools (Shorecrest in St. Pete, C.Leon King in Tampa), but the unquestionable link was the teachers' passion about learning to better educate their students.
Throughout the week, the teachers attended lectures to learn current research concepts and applications in environmental toxicology, participated in hands-on laboratory and field research, and developed leadership skills to become agents of change in the environmental health of their community. The Superfund/EHP teachers return to their communities, having learned the most recent advances in science which, combined with their outstanding teaching talents, will bridge the research community with the general public.
Each teacher created an "Action Plan" describing a means to translate and transfer the EHP experience to the classroom, school and community. The teachers will return to UF February 3-5, 2002, to share the school's results at the Florida Junior Science, Engineering, and Humanities Symposium (JSEHS). The implementation of the "Action Plan" will be evaluated at the end of 2001-2002 academic year.
2001 Action Plans and Outcomes (Adobe Acrobat Required)
Program Overview
Sunday
Dr. Mary Jo Koroly gave an overview of the week as well as other CPET programs.
Dr. Steve Roberts lectured on the Superfund Basic Research Program (SBRP) at UF.
Monday
Risk Assessment
Dr. Steve Roberts and Dr. Hugo Ochoa, both faculty at UF, presented material on Human and Ecological Risk Assessment. Dr. Aaron Hilliard, from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, gave a ‘front line’ look at the cleanup of Superfund sites and the testing of areas around Jacksonville for contaminants such as lead. Since three of our teachers were from the Jacksonville area, his information was highly relevant.
Ecotoxicology
Dr. Gross with the USGS and UF Fisheries gave an overview of the Ecotoxicology Program, part of the SBRP. The teachers rotated through laboratories and had ‘hands on’ opportunities to work with mussels, fish, alligators, and alligator eggs.
Chemistry Magic Show
Dr. Myers presented his ever popular Chemistry Magic Show to the EHP teachers. This was in conjunction with the UF CPET Student Science Training Program (SSTP), a seven-week on-campus science program for talented high school students from throughout Florida.
Tuesday
Vitellogenin Laboratory
The teachers performed part one of a two-day experiment in biotechnology. Dr. Nancy Denslow’s laboratory staff and students led an experiment utilizing vitellogenin as a biomarker in Fat Head Minnows exposed to estrogenic compounds. Dr. Denslow’s graduate students presented research related to the experiment in short lectures and the undergraduate students discussed the concepts and techniques the teachers were learning.
LAKEWATCH; Best practice sharing
Dr. Canfield spoke about LAKEWATCH, a volunteer, community based group that monitors the lakes they live on or near. The teachers started Best Practice Sharing sessions in which each teacher presented a novel or successful classroom activity or approach.
Wednesday
Vitellogenin Laboratory; Florida Department of Health
The teachers attended Dr. Art Edison’s lecture on Molecules and their Shapes in conjunction with SSTP. Then the teachers completed the vitellogenin experiment by developing their Western blots and Coomassie stained gels. Ms. Beth Copeland from the Florida Department of Health in Tallahassee presented information about Who Does What at Superfund Sites and Public Health.
Gum Root Swamp
Mr. Steve Everett, a teacher at Eastside High School, guided us through Gum Root Swamp, a 50 acre preserve that his Ecology students manage and recently unearthed numerous 5000+ year old canoes. He spoke to the teachers about starting similar projects with their classes. Mr. Everett’s success in managing Gum Root Swamp was extended while a UF TRUE teacher in 1999.
Thursday
MetPLATE Bioassay
The teachers attended Dr. Anna Peterson’s lecture on Environment and Religion with SSTP. Ms. Marnie Ward in Environmental Engineering led an analytical experiment using MetPLATE (under UF patent) to test for the bioavailability of heavy metals. Dr. Bitton, a professor in Environmental Engineering, lectured on his research, on development of the MetPLATE and similar items, and the use of these items in his research around the world. Ms. Jenna Jambeck presented her research involving Waste Management, and Ms. Marnie Ward shared her research on Landfill Leachate. The results of the MetPLATE experiment were interpreted with the help of Marnie Ward.
Dr. Nancy Szabo presented a lecture about her research at the Analytical Toxicology Core Laboratoy (ATCL) and the services the ATCL provides other scientists.
Best Practice Sharing
The teachers completed their Best Practice Sharing.
Friday
Laboratory Rotations
The teachers participated in laboratory rotations through Environmental Engineering with Dr. Angela Lindner, Analytical Toxicology Core with Dr. Nancy Szabo, and Histology/Pathology with Dr. Shashi Ramaiah. Three groups of 5-6 teachers spent two hours at each laboratory, engaged in ‘hands-on’ and ‘mind-on’ research activities. They were also presented with different career-related applications of the research programs.
Saturday
Action Plans and Classroom Projects
The teachers presented the Action Plans that they will implement in their classrooms. The results of their action plans will be presented to the SBRP scientists, students and teachers from across the state at the Florida Junior Science, Engineering, and Humanities Symposium (JSEHS), hosted by UF CPET in February at UF. Dr. Charles Lawrence, a UF CPET instructor, presented the teachers with an environmental classroom projects manual and CD-ROM he developed and demonstrated some of the experiments so they could easily be reproduced at the schools.
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The Apartment Residence Facility (ARF) |
