May 2021 Notes from the Director

May, 2021

We are now in our second year of funding on the P30 grant. We have a great year planned with four external speakers, one each quarter. We have Dr. Deborah Cory-Slechta coming June 3 from the University of Rochester, Dr. Miroslav Styblo coming September 2 from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, and Dr. Marcelo Bonini coming December 2 from Northwestern University. We are open to suggestions for the speaker for March 2022.

Things are still in a state of flux with COVID. For the moment, it appears that restrictions are being relaxed and vaccinated persons are now able to meet in person without masks. This is good news as I am sure that you all are eager to get back to interacting with one another face to face again. CIEHS is planning to hold its meetings and seminars in person. So we hope to see you at Dr. Cory-Slechta’s seminar on June 3.

Sarah Jump will be joining us full-time to help with communications. She will be expanding our outreach on social media publicizing the great work that CIEHS members do. As you are aware, she collects and publicizes new publications and grants. This effort will be improved by inclusion of short statements of impact. Please help Sarah to publicize your work by providing her a sentence or two in lay language stating the impact of your publications and grants. Speaking our social media, please follow CIEHS on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. You can find us at: LinkedIn, Facebook @CIEHSUOFL, and Twitter @CIEHS_UofL.

Our Community Engagement Core has been active in addressing the concerns of the Cadiz community concerning a hemp processing plant there. The Core and Dr. Rachel Neal have been working with community members teaching them how to use air monitoring devices to collect data on pollutants. The data will assist the community members in their appeals for regulation of the plant.

Now that pandemic restrictions are relaxed and we can gather, we are working on organizing a CIEHS-wide reception in late June. Meeting in person will provide opportunities to interact and get to know other members and their interests better. We also will be saying farewell to Dr. Gary Hoyle who has led the Pilot Project Program as he is retiring June 30. We thank Dr. Hoyle for his outstanding service and wish him well in his retirement.