internship environmental toxicology
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The document summarizes the author's experience in the STEER program at the University of Pennsylvania's Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology (CEET). The 10-week program exposed students to careers in environmental health science through laboratory research, field trips, and seminars. For their research project, the author analyzed the relationship between fracking well sites and demographic data using GIS software. The results showed no significant differences in race, income, or education levels between those living near wells compared to those further away. The program provided hands-on experience in an environmental science lab and insight into real-world environmental issues.
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internship environmental toxicology
- 1. My Summer with CEET University of Richmond Class of 2018
- 3. What is CEET? University of Pennsylvania Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology Encompasses a wide range of research such as: Reproductive Health, Lung and Airway Disease Affinity Pollution Exposure Science http://ceet.upenn.edu/
- 4. What is CEET? Only Environmental Health Sciences Core Center in Pennsylvania; also geographically serves US EPA Region III (Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia) The CEET works with local communities within the region by: Helping identify environmental health questions of concern Mobilizing research expertise to answer those questions Giving communities tools to address problems that directly affect them
- 5. How did I get involved? STEER = Short Term Educational Experiences for Research in Environmental Science for Undergraduates Ten weeks of summer activities which expose students to the field of environmental health science Qualifications Current undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0/4.0 At least one year of coursework in biology or other sciences Interest in a research career in environmental health sciences http://ceet.upenn.edu/training-career-development/summer- programs/penn-undergraduate-environmental-health-scholars-program/
- 6. Application Process Fill out application indicating academic preparation and research interests Submit resume Submit academic transcript Get two letters of recommendation (preferably academic references who can speak to your ability in the sciences) Email all components to ceet@mail.med.upenn.edu
- 7. Program Highlights Research seminars on a variety of environmental health topics Laboratory or field projects mentored by Penn faculty Environmental health science career exploration Scientific Integrity and Research Ethics discussions Weekly field trips to environmental sites or government agencies
- 9. Field Trips Thursday, June 9: Ridley Creek State Park Wednesday June 22: Philadelphia Air Management Services Thursday, June 30: Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority Thursday, July 7: Revolution Recovery Recycling Plant Tuesday, July 12: Chester Environmental Partnership, Covanta Incineration Plant Thursday, July 21: Palmerton Superfund Site Thursday, July 28: Atlantic City Water Treatment Plant Thursday, August 4: Bartram’s Garden
- 10. Sample Seminar Topics “50/50: Can the environment influence the sex of your child?” (Dr. George Gerton) Responsible Conduct of Research Discussion “Isolation and Characterization of a plant toxin that causes biliary atresia: harnessing natural products to understand human disease” (Dr. Rebecca Wells) Environmental Health Career Panel
- 11. What was my day-to-day experience like? 9:30 – Arrive at lab, review articles my mentor gave me for group meeting later 10:00 - 12:00 – Assist with reproductive lab research (i.e. run PCR, gel electrophoresis, help with dissection, tag mice) 12:30 – 2:30 – Perform GIS analysis of fracking well sites for independent research project 3:00-4:00 – Attend Reproduction, Endocrinology, and Development Affinity Group Meeting 4:30 – 5:00 – Meet with mentor to discuss independent project 5:00 – Head home for the day
- 13. Research Questions 1) Are there a disproportionate number of socioecomically vulnerable citizens in Pennsylvania living in areas in close proximity to unconventional drilling sites (fracking sites)? 2) Do Pennsylvania residents who are immediately impacted by the negative environmental and health effects of fracking also benefit from its economic contributions?
- 14. Background Information Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is the process of drilling and injecting fluids into the ground at a high pressure in order to fracture rocks to release oil or natural gas trapped inside Enables the extraction of oil and natural gas from “unconventional reservoirs” such as shale rock In 2013, the US generated 20.6% of the world's gas, making it the top natural gas producer As fracking has been shown to have considerable negative environmental health impacts, particularly in regards to water quality, the presence of well sites creates the potential for environmental injustice
- 15. “ ” An environmental injustice occurs whenever some individual or group bears disproportionate environmental risks, has unequal access to environmental goods, or has less opportunity to participate in environmental decision-making Shrader-Frechette (2002)
- 16. Data Analysis: GIS I analyzed the relationship between the location of fracking sites and demographic data using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software This software is a powerful tool with a wide array of functions Mapping Spatial analysis Data analysis GIS is important for environmental research as it lets us visualize, analyze, and interpret data to better understand relationships, patterns, and trends Sample image of GIS software
- 17. Some Results and Conclusions No substantive differences between the race or income distribution for those who live near fracking sites and those who do not Significant association between education and proximity to a fracking site People without any university-level education are more likely to live near wells Fracking boom has not transformed the socioeconomic makeup of communities in the areas where unconventional wells have been developed. No evidence that there have been widely diffused positive impact for people living near well sites
- 19. A few things I learned: What it’s like to work in an academic environmental science career How to use ArcGIS software and biology lab techniques How to design and implement a research project What environmental sites that are discussed theoretically in classes are actually like Methods of community engagement to help implement environmental activism
- 20. Room for improvement? STEER was fantastic in a lot of ways, but two main areas for improvement would be: Switch up field trip locations Include more panel discussions over lecture-based seminars
- 21. Advice to prospective students STEER is great if you’re looking into environmental health specifically as a career path Even though there are policy aspects of the experience, it has a heavy emphasis on laboratory research Seminars, field trips, and access to great faculty set it apart from other potentially similar experiences $3,500 stipend is comparable to pay for summer research at University of Richmond Fantastic opportunity for one-on-one mentorship
Editor's Notes
- Only Environmental Health Sciences Core Center in Pennsylvania; also geographically serves US EPA Region III (
- Seeking students interested in careers in public health, research and environmental science and related graduate work (MPH, MS, PhD, DrPH).
- Distributive justice, which pertains to the allocation of harms and benefits ‘Benefit sharing’ - focuses on the relationship between the distribution of benefits and proximity to hazards ‘Traditional’ analysis - focuses on whether unconventional wells are disproportionately located in areas with large minority or low-income populations
- Patterns of income and educational attainment inside and outside buffer zones were very similar between 2010 and 2014 However, the small but notable differences between 2000 and 2009–13 at the poverty threshold and in the lowest and highest income categories suggest that there may have been minor economic improvements at both ends of the income distribution inside the buffer zones. This appears consistent with the findings of Kelsey and his colleagues: a small number of landowners with mineral rights may have moved into the highest income category as a result of lease and royalty payments; and very limited diffusion of the economic benefits of shale gas development in communities closest to well sites may have helped to raise a small proportion of the worst off above the poverty threshold and out of the lowest income category Unfortunately, there may be good reason for thinking that even this very limited diffusion of the benefits of shale gas development to the worst off in communities closest to well sites will be short-lived. The shale gas industry creates jobs—and brings well paid workers into an area—during the drilling phase not the processing phase so we might expect even more limited direct and indirect employment effects in the coming years as fewer new wells are drilled. In sum, our analysis is consistent with the claim that the shale gas industry in Pennsylvania creates benefit sharing distributive environmental injustice: the income distribution of the population living closest to shale gas wells has not been transformed, which suggests that the economic benefits of shale gas production are probably not concentrated among those living with its hazards.