Category Archives: Hamilton College & Green Science Policy Institute

Hamilton College & Green Science Policy Institute

About the Project

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The objective of Chemistry and Civic Engagement: The Study of Toxic Chemicals in Everyday Products is to develop research opportunities for undergraduate science students that couple analytical toxicology with public policy and civic engagement.  The partnership between the Green Science Policy Institute (GSP) and Hamilton College supported by this award enables Hamilton College undergraduate students enrolled in Professor Tim Elgren’s first semester chemistry course to explore broader impacts of the analytical toxicology work that they will perform in the laboratory.  The projects are focused on assessing human exposure to a number of anthropogenic toxins.  Students are working with Dr. Arlene Blum and her staff at the GSP who regularly provide unbiased scientific data to government, industry and non-governmental organizations to facilitate informed decision-making about the chemicals used in consumer products.  Students will formulate an action plan to educate the campus community, decision-makers and the broader public about potential health risks associated with the consumer products they have examined.

About the Institutions

Hamilton College is a private residential liberal arts college of 1828 students and 188 full-time faculty members. Its mission is to provide an educational experience that emphasizes academic excellence and the preparation of students for a lifetime of personal and professional achievement and satisfaction.  Since its charter in 1812, intellectual, social and cultural commerce between students and faculty have been at the heart of a Hamilton education. Hamilton College’s admissions process is highly selective.  A $56 million integrated science center, the largest building project in the history of the College, opened 2005 and provides state-of-the-art laboratory space for collaborative research and interdisciplinary exploration.

Independent research and scientific integrity guide Green Science Policy Institute’s (GSP) mission to promote responsible use of chemicals, ensuring a healthy planet for current and future generations. We provide unbiased scientific data to government, industry and non-governmental organizations to facilitate informed decision-making about the use of chemicals in consumer products. We encourage scientists to use their research in the public interest by training scientists on incorporating possible policy outcomes into the design, analysis, and communication of research. We are have been focusing on reducing the use of unnecessary flame retardants in consumer products due to their adverse impacts on human and environmental health.  We and we are beginning work on the science and policy of chemical classes of concern. GSP also works with undergraduate and graduate students. It piloted a summer Science and Policy research class at UC Berkeley where students undertook research projects while receiving instruction in research methods and science translation, and it has internships for graduate students in a variety of scientific disciplines (chemistry, biology, public health) to explore working in science policy.

About the Partners

To read more about the Principal Investigators working on the Chemistry and Civic Engagement: The Study of Toxic Chemicals in Everyday Products project, click here.

Hamilton College and the Green Science Policy Institute Partnership Update

Hamilton College and the Green Science Policy Institute decided to amicably dissolve their formal SENCER-ISE partnership. The institutions faced challenges and obstacles associated with cross-continental communications, including balancing a college course schedule in the Eastern time zone with the business hours of the informal science education partner located in the Pacific time zone. In addition, one of the lead partners took a position at a different institution. Most importantly, the partners realized that the project was not aligning well enough with institutional missions. The partners are willing and open to working together on future projects around the civic issue of toxicology. However, the obstacles mentioned above made it too challenging to sustain the the original project and a formal, long-term partnership.

Hamilton College and Green Science Policy Institute Welcome Hope and Oberlin Colleges to their SENCER-ISE Partnership!

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Toxic Posters: The campus community is invited to a poster session in which students present the results from their analytical assessment of exposure to toxic chemicals from consumer products. Photo: Tim Elgren

Toxic Posters: The campus community is invited to a poster session in which students present the results from their analytical assessment of exposure to toxic chemicals from consumer products. Photo: Tim Elgren

This past spring, Dr. Tim Elgren, originally the SENCER-ISE Co-PI at Hamilton College, was appointed as the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Oberlin College in Oberlin, OH. Dr. Elgren and his partner at the Green Science Policy Institute (GSP) in Berkeley, CA, Dr. Arlene Blum, saw Dr. Elgren’s new position as an opportunity to expand their existing partnership to include two new colleges.

Last academic year, Drs. Elgren and Blum, along with Ms. Avery Lindeman of GSP, built upon  Dr. Elgren’s existing Hamilton College Introduction to Chemistry course into a toxicology lab with elements of civic engagement to provide students with opportunities to share their research with the public.

The partners and SENCER-ISE staff are excited to expand the collaboration to include Hope and Oberlin Colleges.

Dr. Adam Van Wynsbergh, assistant professor of chemistry, is taking on the toxicology curriculum at Hamilton College, with Dr. Greg Rahn, instrumental specialist, contributing to the development and teaching of the labs.

Components of the toxicology lab developed by Hamilton College and GSP will be adapted by Dr. Graham Peaslee, professor of chemistry, to create a similar course at Hope College in Holland, MI.

Basic chemistry, such as chemical partitioning, is introduced early in the term to help students design strategies for separating toxins from various materials before quantification is possible. Photo: Karen Brewer

Basic chemistry, such as chemical partitioning, is introduced early in the term to help students design strategies for separating toxins from various materials before quantification is possible. Photo: Karen Brewer

Dr. Elgren will be teaching a version of the course at Oberlin College.

Drs. Blum, Elgren, VanWynsbergh, and Peaslee will also be collaborating to further refine and disseminate the toxicology-focused model for introductory chemistry students and the undergraduate curriculum.

Dr. Ellen Mappen, SENCER-ISE Project Director, knows how important institutional backing is for cross-sector partnerships. Dr. Mappen says, “It is imperative that these collaborations support the partner institutions’ missions and have support of the organizations. If they do not have this, the partnership will not survive a personnel change.” She adds, “We are so happy that the Hamilton College and Green Science Policy Institute’s partnership not only survived Dr. Elgren’s transition to Oberlin College, but has also expanded to include Hope and Oberlin Colleges.”

A Cross-Continental Partnership

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Basic chemistry, such as chemical partitioning, is introduced early in the term to help students design strategies for separating toxins from various materials before quantification is possible. Photo: Karen Brewer

Basic chemistry, such as chemical partitioning, is introduced early in the term to help students design strategies for separating toxins from various materials before quantification is possible. Photo: Karen Brewer

Hamilton College and the Green Science Policy Institute (GSP) are partnering to develop research opportunities for undergraduate science students that meld analytical toxicology with public policy and civic engagement. Dr. Tim Elgren of Hamilton College, and Dr. Arlene Blum and Ms. Avery Lindeman of GSP, have transformed Dr. Elgren’s existing Introduction to Chemistry course (a 2010 SENCER Model course) into a toxicology lab, which includes civic engagement elements to provide students with opportunities to share their findings with the public.

Unlike the other SENCER-ISE partnerships, which are between locally situated organizations and institutions, Hamilton College (Clinton, NY) and GSP (Berkeley, CA) are unique in that they are based thousands of miles apart. Despite the geographic and time differences, Hamilton College and GSP have created a successful partnership and lab course that examines the real-world applications of chemistry.

Toxic Posters: The campus community is invited to a poster session in which students present the results from their analytical assessment of exposure to toxic chemicals from consumer products. Photo: Tim Elgren

Toxic Posters: The campus community is invited to a poster session in which students present the results from their analytical assessment of exposure to toxic chemicals from consumer products. Photo: Tim Elgren

The partnership’s use of technology during the fall semester allowed Dr. Blum and Ms. Lindeman to become involved remotely but directly in the course and the students’ learning. WebEx, a video conferencing service, was used throughout the course to maintain communication between GSP and the Hamilton students. Dr. Blum presented her lecture Principles of Chemistry in the Context of Health and Environmental Chemistry to the class using WebEx. Click here to watch a recording of that lecture.

Dr. Blum and Ms. Lindeman also held one-on-one meetings with students using the conferencing service. After making analytical measurements to quantify human exposure to various toxins found in common household products, the students developed projects to share their findings. Students then received individualized consultations with GSP before finalizing their projects and presenting them at “The Toxic Poster Session,” held on campus.

Introductory Chemistry (Chem 125) students learning to use the gas chromatography - mass spectrometer for analyzing toxins in consumer products. Tie-dyed lab coats are signature apparel for the Chem 125 toxicology lab students. Photo: Tim Elgren

Introductory Chemistry (Chem 125) students learning to use the gas chromatography – mass spectrometer for analyzing toxins in consumer products. Tie-dyed lab coats are signature apparel for the Chem 125 toxicology lab students. Photo: Tim Elgren

Projects included information on halogenated flame-retardants in campus furniture, bisphenol A (BPA) in instant soups and noodles, wine, packaged tuna, and infant formula, benzidine in imported garments, and perfluorooctanioc acid (PFOA) in pet food and microwave popcorn.

The partners intend for future Introduction to Chemistry students to reach beyond campus by communicating their results to decision makers in government and industry and, through contacts with media, citizens in the public, who can make or ask for changes to protect the public’s health and the environment.

 

Dr. Elgren says the partnership has been an extraordinary experience for both him, and the Hamilton students. Dr. Elgren explains,

The questions are beginning to extend beyond the simple act of measuring toxins to a broader consideration of the next important question, whether that be moving the science forward, considering the broader impact of the work and identifying important audiences that should be informed about the findings. GSP feedback on the structure of the projects has also been invaluable. During one of our conference calls, Dr. Blum and Ms. Lindeman suggested that each team should develop a “Fact Sheet” for their toxic compound (for “The Toxic Poster Session”).  This simple assignment has improved the quality of the presentations and allowed the presenters to hand useful information to people who stop by to view the poster.

The partners are beginning to discuss how Hamilton College can assist GSP in their efforts to develop other educational materials and curricula to make it easier for more educators to introduce these topics and strategies in their classrooms.