ASPIRE Center Newsletter
Welcome! Please enjoy the latest news and updates from our center!
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September is National Preparedness!
Each year National Preparedness Month reminds us that disasters can happen when you least expect. Disasters can affect our immediate personal safety, our homes and livelihoods, our drinking water, our air quality, and so much more. Oregon's National Preparedness Month theme is Plan Today. Ready Tomorrow. This is a reminder that all Oregonians should make a preparedness plan that includes evacuation and shelter details. Be sure to share this plan with family and friends. And don't forget to prepare an emergency kit! Kits should include at least 2-weeks' worth of basic disaster supplies, such as food, water, a first aid kit, flashlights, batteries, etc. Remember to include important documents and contact information, vital medications, and any other necessities for kids, pets, or older adults. Finally, stay informed by signing up for local emergency alerts!
Learn more: Oregon Department of Emergency Management
Visit: Ready Kids for great resources for the whole family!
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Play it Safe During Wildfire Season!
The weather may be getting cooler, but did you know there are still many active wildfires burning in Oregon? Make sure air quality monitoring remains a priority for outdoor sports and activities this fall to prevent exposure to wildfire smoke. Kids with asthma or other underlying health conditions can be especially sensitive to poor air quality caused by wildfire smoke.
Know when to play it safe and adjust outdoor activities for kids:
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Welcome our New Postdoctoral Scholar!
Stephanie Foster is a public health scientist focused primarily on children’s environmental health issues. She is interested in research that explores how exposures from the built environment can impact children’s health and well-being over time, such as flame retardants in house dust, lead in water, and air pollution. She was drawn to work with the ASPIRE Center because of the opportunity to dive deep into children’s environmental health research with a great team and to gain new skills in data science development and research translation. As a postdoc, she is excited to contribute to research that can be directly used to make children’s lives better and safer. Besides learning about environmental health, Stephanie enjoys running, singing, good food and wine, and spending time with her husband and two sons.
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Student Spotlight
Computer Sciences major Kathleen "Ashley" Ashley joined the ASPIRE Center Development Core in June 2022. Ashley says she loves computer science because it revolves around creating something valuable from scratch that can benefit everyone. With ASPIRE, she learned that her computer science skills and experiences can make a meaningful impact on health-related issues.
Of her time with ASPIRE Ashley stated "The most rewarding aspects of my time with ASPIRE was not only gaining valuable experience in my field but also expanding my skill set in communicating and collaborating with individuals from diverse backgrounds. This experience has been particularly precious since it’s given me a unique perspective that I didn’t get from my academic coursework. It taught me how to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams which I believe is an important skill in today’s world."
Ashley has graduated and will be moving on. About her future plans Ashley stated, "I think I’m most excited about applying the skills I have gained to real-life scenarios, finding other remarkable individuals that can help me further hone my skills, and to realize my other dreams that I have yet to conquer!"
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Looking Ahead!
Please join us for our annual Ignite Children's Environmental Health Research Seminar: Protecting Children’s Environmental Health, Research to Action. The Ignite event is an exciting opportunity to learn more about the ASPIRE Center pilot projects and how they are working to keep kids safe where they live, learn, and play!
Join us in-person Friday, October 6, 2023, from 1:00-2:00pm:
Oregon State University
Hallie E. Ford Center for Healthy Children & Families
Room 115
Or via livestream: https://live.oregonstate.edu
To view last year's Ignite Event visit: 2022 ASPIRE Ignite Event
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Oregon State University’s Advancing Science, Practice, Programming and Policy in Research Translation for Children's Environmental Health (ASPIRE) Center is proud to be one of six centers in the United States funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to develop strategies to translate key children’s environmental health research findings to relevant stakeholders.
We are a dedicated, cross-disciplinary team working together to improve children’s health and wellbeing. Our efforts focus on accelerating the adoption of evidence-informed policies, programs, and practices that can reduce harmful environmental exposures where children live, learn, and play.
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