UA SRP Engages with TIAA UCAB
April 15, 2015
The University of Arizona Superfund Research Program (UA SRP) has been collaborating with both environmental researchers and community members at the Tucson International Airport Area (TIAA) Superfund site since the early 1990s. UA SRP researcher and Research Translation Core (RTC) leader Mark Brusseau has performed several field projects, and the RTC, Community Engagement Core (CEC), and Training Core have been regularly participating in TIAA Unified Community Advisory Board (UCAB) meetings and related activities.
Throughout 2015, UA SRP personnel have been working with diverse TIAA stakeholders on special events leading up to the UCAB 20th anniversary:
On January 21, at the quarterly TIAA UCAB meeting, CEC Coordinator Denise Moreno Ramírez delivered a presentation on the community-driven TIAA Superfund site Oral History Project. The project is a collaboration between Moreno Ramírez and members of the UCAB, and seeks to capture and preserve the life stories of those living and working near the TIAA Superfund site. Moreno Ramírez considers her work with the UCAB on this important oral history project to be “a privilege.”
On January 22, Brusseau and post-doctoral trainee Jon Mainhagu participated in the TIAA Superfund site annual Technical Meeting that brings together consultants and researchers involved in remedial investigations at the site. Brusseau presented his work on subsurface contaminant transport mechanisms of chlorinated solvents.
On April 15, Moreno Ramírez and UA SRP training core fellow Scott Malm attended the TIAA UCAB’s 20th anniversary celebration, for which Moreno Ramírez served on the planning committee. The event took place adjacent to the Tucson Airport Area Remediation Project water treatment facility. Celebratory activities included a presentation by Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, speeches by TIAA stakeholders, and the unveiling of a commemorative plaque.