The mission of the Outreach Core for the University of Washington Superfund Hazardous Substances Basic Research Program (UW-SBRP) is to increase the public understanding of the many scientific, technical, social and political issues that surround human health concerns related to hazardous waste sites, and to increase community awareness of UW-SBRP research. Such knowledge is important because it will increase the likelihood of """"""""evidence based"""""""" decision making by all stakeholders. Outreach efforts will address the needs of diverse audiences, including health professionals, governmental officials, community groups impacted by Superfund-related issues, K-12 students, teachers, and environmental justice groups. Our groups are the following: Foster professional development in the area of hazardous waste site evaluation and remediation. Alert citizens and professionals to significant UW-SBRP research findings and provide education related to the UW-SBRP and Superfund themes. Educate children and young adults in basic scientific concepts to prepare them for critical scientific thinking and understanding of Superfund issues through modification of the existing Project Greenskate web-based curriculum. The Outreach Core will focus on type types of activities to meet these goals. First, more traditional outreach techniques such as continuing professional education courses, community presentations and consultations, communicating to a wide audience using a web page, press releases and publications will be utilized. Second, the Outreach Core will enhance the existing innovative and interactive web-based educational program entitled Project Greenskate (PGS), developed by Dr. David Eaton and Jon Sharpe at the University of Washington. PGS is an interactive, web-based educational tool that is build around a 'virtual hazardous waste site in a residential community. The Outreach Core will modify this project by incorporating learning concepts specifically relevant to the Superfund (SF) program (e.g., basic Superfund concepts, human and wildlife biomarkers, site remediation options, and environmental justice issues). Disseminations of PGS will occur through promotions, presentations and teacher in-service workshops on a yearly basis.
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