Superfund 2015 Annual Meeting

Meeting Summary

November 18-20, 2015

Caribe Hilton

San Juan, Puerto Rico

The 2015 Annual Meeting of the Superfund Research Program (SRP), held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, brought together researchers, trainees, and administrators from SRP Research Centers, Research Translation Centers, and Community Engagement Cores from the U.S. and Puerto Rico. The annual meeting brings together researchers, trainees, and administrators supported by the program, representatives from partner agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), and other interested individuals to discuss new research, technology, communication, and community engagement in critical areas related to the SRP mission.

The theme for this meeting was: “SRP Collaboration for Innovation” or “SRP C4I”. The objective of this meeting was to identify how collaboration across disciplines within SRP centers, across different SRP centers, or even with external partners has generated innovation in biomedical and environmental basic and applied research, training, community engagement and research translation activities. In addition, discussions were developed on how best to foster innovative research activities relating to the identification of contaminants of emerging concern, and also how environmental, genetic, epigenetic, and psychosocial exposures interact to affect the health of individuals living or working near SRP sites.

The goals of the meeting were:

  • Share research findings and engender collaborative exchanges between SRP Center personnel
  • Discuss research translation, community engagement, and trainee activities
  • Present innovations in community engagement approaches and research discoveries
  • Provide a forum and networking opportunities for junior investigators
Beach near Caribe Hilton Hotel

Beach near the Caribe Hilton Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico

There were also Superfund realted field trips arranged and each attendee was invited to join 1 of 4 with priority given to trainees:

  1. Caño Martin Peña Community Tour (Urban Waterway Pollution Tour) - A walking tour through the community living at Caño Martin Peña. Visits at different points throughout the community will be held to show actual conditions of the area. The history of the contaminated site, the problems faced by the community, and their engagement to solve the problems will be explained. These low income communities have been working very hard to get all governmental and non-governmental agencies to work together in one same goal: the dredging and restoration of the Caño Martín Peña. The local guide will help understand what these thousands of family have to struggle with every day, see the worst of the present condition and the hope of a better future.
  2. San Juan Bay Estuary Water Tour - The tour consists of traveling in a boat through San Jose, Corozos, and Torrecilla lagoons within the eastern part of the San Juan Bay Estuary. Learn about the flora and fauna present in the area as well as the environmental conditions of the estuary. Also, you can learn and see the community living surrounding the Estuary Bay and Caño Martin Peña.
  3. Superfund Site Tour -The superfund site is an active superfund site undergoing remedial action. It is located in the northern karst region of Puerto Rico. The tour includes exploring a living community directly affected with highly toxic pollutants. An EPA site manager will lead the tour within the superfund site, and will describe the history, current status of the site, and remedial activities. The interaction between the agency, the potential parties and the affected community will be discussed. Some members of the communities will interact with the tour participants and will and discuss their participation and involvement in the process and potential future of the site.
  4. Cueva Ventana Tour - Located between Arecibo and Utuado municipalities, Cueva Ventana is a limestone cave part of the northern karst area of Puerto Rico. The cave is almost on the summit of an 800-foot high cliff. The tour consists of brisk hiking trail showing little caves on the side. Then, you enter to the main cave where you follow a path to the large opening view (approximately 35 feet of diameter) where you can see Arecibo River Valley approximately 700 feet below.

Local community organizations in Puerto Rico:

Coalition for the Northeast Ecological Corridor Reserve Promote the conservation of the Corridor’s socio-ecological value as a nature reserve

Comité Timón de Calidad Ambiental, COTICAM - community-based, non profit organization that has worked for the conservation of water resources in the northern part of Puerto Rico, with their base in Manatí, for more than 25 years.

Puerto Rico’s Sierra Club’s Zero Waste campaign - focuses on educational outreach to schools and communities to create recycling plans, identify local policies to support and approve legislation such as plastic bag bans and the bottle bill, and creates demand for better recycling systems

Attendees of the Superfund 2015 Annual Meeting from the UC San Diego Superfund Research Center included: our trainees, senior researchers, and project leaders as follows:

  • Robert Tukey (Director, Project 4 & Training Core)
  • Pamela Mellon (Core A & Training Core)

The following indivduals who attended from our Center also presented posters:

  • Juyoun Kim/Michael Karin (Project 1): “Role of TNF Signaling in de novo Lipid Synthesis Upon Hypernutrition”
  • Ryan (Chun Shi) Lin/Ronal M. Evans (Project 3): “RORγ: the Nexus of Liver Metabolism, Mitochondrial, Bioenergetics, and Acetaminophen Toxicity”
  • Shujuan Chen (Project 4): “Crypt organoids culture as an in vitro model in pharmacological and toxicological studies”
  • Ekihiro Seki (Project 5): “The involvement of fatty liver and mitochondrial functions in toxin-induced liver injury and fibrosis: Role of Ubc13”
  • Jun Xu/David A. Brenner (Project 5): “Deletion of fibrocytes in mice attenuates CCl4-induced liver fibrosis”
  • Yuanli Liu/William Trogler (Project 8): “Detection of Arsenic in Water by an Enzymatic catalysis System”
  • Keith Pezzoli (RTC/CEC): “Healthy City Planning: An integrated approach to reducing cumulative impacts in disadvantaged communities”
  • Wael Al-Delaimy (RTC/CEC): “Community Gardens: a global view of the balance of harm from toxicants and public health benefits”
  • Ilya Zaslavsky (RTC): “Analyzing, mapping and visualizing diverse environmental data: New online tools for civically engaged research and healthy place making”
  • Catherine Larsen (RTC/CEC): “Urban Agriculture Site Suitability Analysis in San Diego” and “The UCSD Brownfield Project and the application of safe gardening practices” - (presented 2 posters).
  • Andrew Cooper/Training Core (Mentor: Schroeder): “Identification of new components in cadmium-specific signaling networks” WON: Best Student Poster Award for Environmental Science and Engineering!!!
  • Alexandra Goetz/Training Core Trainee (Mentor: Tukey) “The Role of the NMD RNA Degradation Pathway in Arsenic-Induced Cell Death”
  • Genevieve Ryan/Training Core (Mentor: Mellon): “Androgen Action in Pituitary Gonadotropes”
Superfund Annual MTG 2015 - UCSD-SRC Attendees

From Top to Bottom: Drs. Bernhard Hennig (Director, University of Kentucky Superfund) and Robert Tukey (Director, University of California, San Diego Superfund); Dr. Pamela Mellon at a Poster Session; and UCSD Superfund members attend a Dinner Session.

Superfund Annual MTG 2015 - UCSD-SRC Attendees

From Top to Bottom: Drs. Philip Bourne and Robert Tukey (left picture) and Dr. Ekihiro Seki (right picture) at a Poster Session; Dr. Keith Pezzoli has the floor at a RTC/CEC Session.

Superfund Annual MTG 2015 - UCSD-SRC Attendees

Caño Martín Peña tour (left); Dr. Ilya Zaslavsky shows new tools created for analyzing, mapping and visualizing diverse environmental data; Slide from a Meeting Session showing EPA Clean-up Programs; Drs. Wael Al-Deliamy and Keith Pezzoli getting some fresh air after attending sessions all day.

Superfund Annual MTG 2015 - UCSD-SRC Attendees

Drs. Wael Al-Delaimy and Keith Pezzoli talk after a RTC/CEC session;  Drs. Keith Pezzoli, Pamela Mellon, and Ekihiro Seki enjoying a meal; Dr. Bill Suk presents the Winners of the Best Poster Awards which includes a Graduate Student of our Center, Andrew Cooper; and pictures of the Northeast ecological corridor of Puerto Rico (middle left); and picture under bridge during the Caño Martín Peña tour (bottom left).

Superfund Annual MTG 2015 - UCSD-SRC Attendees

From Top to Bottom (counterclockwise) Old San Juan, Puerto Rico; a Community Garden; Fort San Felipe de Morro; and a picture of Caño de Martín.

Main Contact Information

MEETING SUMMARY BY:

Michelle Feiock

UCSD Superfund Research Center
University of California, San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive, Mail code: 0722
La Jolla, California, 92093-0722

Poster Presentations

andrew-cooper-poster-won

Andrew Cooper (Graduate Student) stands next to his poster and presents "Identification of new components in cadmium-specifc signaling networks" which WON "Best Student Poster Award for Environmental Science and Engineering"

Genevieve Ryan SRP 15 Meeting

Enjoying the Poster Session, Genevieve Ryan (Graduate Student) stands next to her poster "Androgen Receptor (AR) Regulation of Gonadotropin-releasing Hormone Receptor (GnRHR) in Male Pituitary Gonadotropes"

Alexandra Goetz SRP15 MTG

Alexandra Goetz (Graduate Student) happy to present her poster on "The Role of the NMD RNA Degradation Pathway in Arsenic-Induced Cell Death"

Iyla Zaslavsky presents poster at SRP 15 MTG

Ilya Zaslavsky (RTC Co-Leader and Director of GIS at SDSC), discusses new tools developed for bioregeionalism in Research Translation and Comunity Engagement.  He presented a poster titled, "Analyzing, mapping and visualizing diverse environmental data:
New online tools for civically engaged research and healthy place making”

Keith Pezzoli presnting poster at SRP 15 MTG

Keith Pezzoli (RTC & CEC Core Leader) explains and discusses his poster: “Healthy City Planning: An integrated approach to reducing cumulative impacts in disadvantaged communities”

Cathi Larsen presents two posters at SRP 15 MTG

Catherine Larsen all smiles in presenting her two posters: “Urban Agriculture Site Suitability Analysis in San Diego” and “The UCSD Brownfield Project and the application of safe gardening practices”

Wael Al-Delaimy poster at SRP 15 MTG

Wael Al-Delaimy discussing "Community Gardens: a global view of the balance of harm from toxicants and public health benefits” with another SRP meeting attendee.

Contact

UCSD Superfund Research Center
University of California, San Diego
Pharmacology Department
9500 Gilman Drive, Mail Code 0722
La Jolla, CA 92093-0722