Moving the Field to the Laboratory: Translational Science Fellowships Awarded to UA SBRP

The University of Arizona Technology and Research Initiative Funds (TRIF) via the Institute for the Study of Planet Earth has granted funds to the UA SBRP to pursue translational research in collaboration with Cooperative Extension and their external collaborators, on-campus and in the field. The Fellowships will be used to perform preliminary research that will lead to the development of proposals to be submitted to appropriate funding agencies.

The following projects and investigators were awarded Translational Fellowships in Environmental, Water, Land and Natural Resources Sciences:

Phase 2 Small Business Innovation Research Grant Proposal
Eric Betterton, Principal Investigator (SBRP Project 6) and Monica  Ramirez, Co-PI (Research Translation Core) ($13,000)Funds will be utilized to complete a National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences Phase 2 Small Business Innovation Research grant, in collaboration with Hydro Geo Chem, Inc. (HGC), Extension agents, and specialists who would play a pivotal role in dynamically translating this promising technology to pertinent stakeholders such as Federal and State site managers, small businesses, and interested citizen/community groups.

Building a Citizen Science Program to Analyze Arsenic and Lead levels in Fruits and Vegetables Grown in Arizona Gardens
Janick F. Artiola, Principal Investigator and Monica  Ramirez, Co-PI (Research Translation Core) ($4,420)This team received funds to apply for a National Science Foundation grant entitled: Informal Science Education.  The potential funds will be used to build a citizen science program that will utilize a cadre of members from Arizona communities to collect and analyze arsenic and lead levels in commonly grown fruits and vegetables in Arizona gardens. Collaborations with the Extension agents at Urban/Home Horticulture Working Group, Arizona Master Gardeners programs, and individuals from neighborhood associations and community gardens will occur to enroll citizens to participate in the program. Please join the UA SBRP in congratulating the Translational Fellowship recipients.