UA SBRP Research Translation and Outreach Core Coordinators Serve as Judges at High School Poster Session

On February 6, 2007, UA SBRP Research Translation and Outreach Coordinators, Monica Ramirez and Denise Moreno served as judges at the First Annual Environmental Health Poster Session at BASIS Tucson High School in Tucson, Arizona. This activity was made possible by the collaborative efforts between the UA Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center (SWEHSC) and dedicated instructors at BASIS Tucson High School.

The students performed extensive research on environmental health topics ranging from children’s Leukemia due to pesticide/insecticide exposure to coal workers' pneumoconiosis. Each student then created a science poster illustrating his or her findings. The students were given the following basic requirements:

• Abstract of 400 – 600 words
• Information about the hazard
• Connections between the hazard & human health
• Route(s) of exposure
• Diagrams & graphs
• Information gathered from at least two scientific papers and three other sources
• Properly cited references

As judges, Ms. Ramirez and Ms. Moreno evaluated the posters based on how well the following questions were answered:

• Is this a new health problem?
• What are the symptoms of exposure to the hazard?
• What do the affected individuals have in common?
• What is the hazard causing the problem?
• What is the source of the hazard?
• How much exposure are people in the area receiving?
• Is the exposure acute or chronic?

The UA SBRP outreach activities continue to exemplify their commitment to students and the community. As a team, Ms. Ramirez, Ms. Moreno, and the SWEHSC work together to dynamically interact with our surrounding community and schools.