Contacts:
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David Osterberg, M.S.
Nancy Newkirk, B.A. |
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| The Community Outreach and Education program of the EHSRC has been disbanded effective December 1, 2007, due to lack of funding. Nevertheless, some ongoing outreach activities will continue through the support of collaborations and external funding. Historically, the goals of the Education and Outreach Program at the University of Iowa have been to: |
- promote environmental health in rural Midwestern communities and other vulnerable populations,
- deliver appropriate, science and technology-based information and
- translate environmental health research results into knowledge for our community members.
The COEC at the EHSRC has a long history of promoting widespread dissemination of environmental health research of the Center. As the Center has matured to focus on environmental airway disease, so has this outreach. As of 2007, our four areas of particular focus included asthma, radon, air emissions from animal agriculture, and renewable energy’s role in reducing fossil fuel emissions. Midwestern communities and especially vulnerable populations and community organizations in a wide geographical area of the central United States deserve the most current, appropriate, science and technology-based information which we have endeavored to provide. However, the COEC has also served as a local, state, national and international resource for rural environmental health.
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Specific Aims
- Provide coordination within EHSRC for educational programming, community-based learning, and outreach services
- Work in cooperation with other NIEHS Core Centers and university and state programs, to identify existing resource materials, develop community appropriate resource materials where none exist, and disseminate research findings and other resources efficiently
- Utilize our physical, educational, and technical resources to create a mentoring system for regional youth to nurture their scientific awareness and foster greater interest in environmental health science careers
- Identify needs and respond to requests for programs/services generated by community-based organizations representing concerned citizens, consumers, professionals, institutions, and populations with special needs (children, minorities, rural poor, rural elderly)
- Serve as a conduit for dissemination of educational and outreach materials produced by NIEHS and respond appropriately to environmental health emergencies, should any arise (as they did after the 2005 hurricanes).
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