Health
WellAware Program Targets Rural Drinking Water
This summer, the IWH will be working with rural residents in Evans and Tattnall County to test private drinking water wells for hazardous contaminants. Supported by a grant from the CARES Foundation, this study will focus on cancer-causing pollution found in drinking water. Participants can get a free drinking water test for filling out a short survey. Survey answers will help us to understand how the health and experiences of drinking from private wells may impact cancer screening initiatives. A town hall event in each county will bring together communities to discuss concerns and possible solutions for the future. Currently, this project will support doctoral-level research, but we look forward to the expansion of this project in the years to come.
Transdisciplinary Work Makes for a Busy Week for the IWH!
Last week, IWH staff presented their work at two conferences in coastal Georgia. The differences between the themes and audiences illustrate the need for transdisciplinary research that the IWH provides in our region. Wednesday, Dr. Asli Aslan spoke at the Georgia Environmental Health Association (GEHA) on Jekyll Island, where she emphasized the impacts of water on the well-being of our communities, our research, and the capabilities of our new lab in Savannah. Thursday and Friday, Dr. Aslan, Luke Roberson, and Victoria Clower attended the State of the Georgia Coast (SotGC) symposium presented by the University of Georgia at Tybee Island. While Dr. Aslan spoke about the IWH integrating ecological data into public impact research, Luke presented a poster on the development of a predictive model for bacteria levels at Tybee Island beaches.
These two conferences, one focused on public health, and one primarily focused on ecological phenomena, showed the data gaps that lie between the two disciplines. The IWH straddles both of these worlds and works to communicate how both can be integrated to the benefit of coastal residents, visitors, and ecological communities. In addition to seeing past and future collaborators, conferences like GEHA and SotGC are a great way to network, plan new projects, and get updates on new research and opportunities.
As the IWH lab comes online in the next few weeks, we look forward to inviting all of our past, current, and future partners to collaborate on new projects so we can present together at the next event.