The Integrated Science Support Core is derived from the merger of two Support Cores that have supported our SRP research since its inception, i.e., the Data Management Core and the Trace Metals Laboratory Core. This merger results from the new requirement of RFA-ES-15-019 that applications may not exceed a total of 11 projects and cores. We now refer to these two former ?Cores? as `Units' within the ISSC. The Data Management Unit provides data management resources to SRP researchers. The original core director, Diane Levy, who in 2015 ramped down her effort toward retirement, has been working with SRP researchers since 2001, first in her capacity as the NIEHS P30 Center data manager, and subsequently as the core director for SRP. In 2015, she worked with Dr. Graziano and Richard Buchsbaum to foster a seamless transition in leadership. This unit was built upon the infrastructure already in place for the P30 NIEHS Center and continues to work jointly with the center to maximize productivity.
The aim of this unit is to bring together and maximize the skill sets of researchers, statisticians and data management experts in the design and implementation of research projects. The professional staff of the Data Management Unit provides all components of data management to researchers. The Trace Metals Unit has been the major laboratory engine for the analysis of biological samples derived from numerous past CU SRP projects. In the current proposal, it will provide critical support for projects 1, 2 and 4. Data derived from the Trace Metal Unit is provided directly to the Data Management Unit, which enters the data into appropriate databases. The Trace Metal Unit provides consultation to investigators during the planning phases of studies, provides them with appropriately clean supplies for the collection of urine, blood and rice samples, and is available to receive samples on a 24 hour basis, if needed, as they are shipped from various locations. The lab enables CU SRP scientists to precisely measure a broad range of metals in urine, blood and rice samples, including As, Pb, Se, Mn, Fe and many others.
The Integrated Science Support Core (ISSC) provides critical services to the Columbia University Superfund Research Program (CU SRP), including a Data Management Unit, and a Trace Metals Laboratory Unit. The Data Management Unit aids researchers during all phases of their research by providing data management services, such as i) consultation on the design of collection instruments and on the data collection plans; ii) the design and programming of back-end relational databases and front-end data entry systems; iii) the management of data entry operations; iv) the programming of data import systems and reports; and v) the creation of datasets for statistical analyses. The Trace Metals Laboratory Unit enables CU SRP scientists to precisely measure a broad range of metals and metabolites in blood, urine and rice samples, including arsenic, lead, manganese, selenium and many others.
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