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Boston University: Details

Superfund Basic Research Program

Research Translation Core

Project Leader: David M. Ozonoff
Grant Number: P42ES07381
Funding Period: 2005-2010
Grantee Website (http://www.busbrp.org/)

Progress Reports

Year:  2007  2006  2005 

The BU SBRP Research Translation Core continues to develop partnerships with government agencies; identify and transfer technology to the appropriate stakeholders; and develop and expand communication mechanisms with the general public, professional groups, public agencies, and other stakeholders. The Research Translation Core has been working closely with the Community Outreach Core and BU SBRP investigators to identify and promote Web 2.0 communication strategies to effectively communicate with a broad audience.

Central to the Core’s communication strategy is their public website (http://www.busbrp.org) , which has had over 3000 unique visitors in 2007. Recent BU SBRP publications, news, and events are distributed via Really Simple Syndication (RSS) from the public website, allowing users to stay up to date with changing web content. In an effort to increase the usage of RSS as a key communications tool within the SBRP and between organizations, they created a RSS Starter Kit consisting of a series of tutorials on topics ranging from setting up an RSS aggregator, to subscribing to RSS feeds, to importing a series of feeds from an OPML file (also available on the BU SBRP site). In addition to the RSS Starter Kit, the Core has also created a series of Google Maps including Superfund sites in Massachusetts (http://www.busbrp.org/maps/superfund-sites-in-massachusetts.html) (linked to contaminant information), Solid waste facilities in Massachusetts (http://www.busbrp.org/maps/solidwastefacilities.html) , and Teir 1A Sites in Massachusetts (http://www.busbrp.org/maps/tier1a.html) . A component of the Web 2.0 communications strategy, these maps use the Google Maps API to interactively display data and are available in the new Maps section of the BU SBRP website. These applications have sparked interest among their COC outreach partners, and the Core is now assisting them in developing parallel tools. Planning is underway for a seminar with their community partner organizations to help them develop their own research translation strategies.

The Core is also planning to use Web 2.0 communication strategies to disseminate information from the static hydraulic model of local water distribution systems on Cape Cod developed as part of an exposure model for the solvent PCE in the Neurotoxic Effects of PCE Exposure During Gestation and Childhood project). Some of the local water departments on Cape Cod have already independently begun mapping and modeling their systems, but they lack some of the historical knowledge gained from SBRP research at BU over many years. Specially, the Research Translation Core will provide information on the location of vinyl-lined piping which leached the solvent PCE several decades ago and modeled relative contaminant levels (low vs. high). By creating a Google Map KML version of the water pipe distribution system they hope to improve their understanding of the contamination in a user-friendly way.

The Research Translation Core has also been disseminating the findings from the “Boston Consensus Conference on Biomonitoring” (see Outreach Core). Since the lay panel findings were presented on December 11, 2006, the Consensus Conference process and findings have been featured in a Massachusetts Public Radio report and described in a number of nation-wide publications including Risk Policy Report, Inside Green Business, HealthSphere, and the newsletters of Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility and the Science & Environmental Health Network. Findings from the Consensus Conference have also been presented at a number of meetings including the Public Health Applications of Biomonitoring sponsored by U.S. EPA and International Council of Chemical Associations, the American Public Health Association annual conference, the Massachusetts Public Health Association Environmental and Occupational Health Section, the University of Massachusetts- Lowell Work and Environment Program Seminar Series, and the annual International Society of Environmental Epidemiology Conference. Finally, a white paper on the consensus conference was presented and discussed at a meeting hosted by the Chemical Heritage Foundation which was attended by members of government, industry, academia and activist organizations.

This page URL: http://tools.niehs.nih.gov/sbrp/programs/ProgressReports.cfm
NIEHS website: http://www.niehs.nih.gov/
Email the Web Manager at webmanager@niehs.nih.gov

Last Reviewed: 19 May 2008