Research Themes

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Letters of Intent

Letters of intent will include list of collaborators and a 5,000 character Abstract that covers the Specific Aims, Significance, Innovation, Approach, and Plans for future NIEHS/NIH Funding along with the NIH Biosketch and Other Support of the PI. They will be reviewed to ensure the proposed research is focused on environmental health and consistent with the goals of NIEHS and the Center.

Invitation to Submit a Full Proposal

Investigators that submit letters of intent that meet the appropriate criteria will receive invitations to submit a full proposal.

Full Application Due

The format for the pilot project applications follows NIH R21 guidelines with these components: 1) Cover Page; 2) Abstract, 1 page; 3) Specific Aims, 1 page; and 4) Significance, Innovation, Approach, and Plans for Future Funding, 4 pages. Also include NIH Biosketches, Facilities Descriptions, detailed Budget ($50,000 maximum), and Budget Justification. No faculty salaries are allowed. All criteria required for NIH grant applications needs to be addressed (not included in the page limits) including sections on scientific rigor and statistical considerations, resource sharing plan, explanation and description of animal use or human subjects (including the sex of animals or humans), and letters of support.

Review of Pilot Project Submissions

Applications will be sent to the Administrative Core for review by qualified reviewers identified by the Pilot Project Program Committee. Proposals will be peer reviewed and scored on scientific merit (60 points), potential for NIEHS funding (25 points), utilization of Center’s Facility Cores (10 points), proposals that are collaborative or from an early stage investigator (5 points).

Approximate Date for Funding Announcement

Principal investigators of proposals selected for funding will be notified by the Center Director.

Current Projects

TiCER project 1: study under review (Journal: Environmental Science and Policy)

TiCER project 2: Manuscript in advanced preparation stage

Public support for environmental policy: Testing mitigation of health hazards using regression and machine learning models

Rotem Dvir, Arnold Vedlitz

Abstract

This study explores public policy preferences to mitigate the risks of environmental hazards. While many studies assess policies to tackle general hazards, we focus on the health-related aspect of hazards and public views of proposed government solutions. We posit that for policy preferences, the main factor is people’s perceptions about the competence and degree of responsibility of the government to mitigate the risks. We also account for common factors such as risk perceptions (including health-specific concerns), knowledge and experience of health issues. We implement a combined empirical approach using regression models to estimate the relationship between the factors and observed outcome of policy support as well as factor importance tests to ascertain the role of each element. We complement the test with a data-driven approach using a machine learning method of random forest to validate the models and gain greater predictive accuracy. Our empirical tests of national survey data (N=1207) provide ample evidence showing that views of competence and responsibility are by far the most important factors in shaping policy support. Risk perceptions, factual knowledge, and political ideology also play important roles in explaining the variations in citizens’ views. The results of this study extend existing knowledge on the factors that determine policy preferences to mitigate the health risks of environmental health hazards. The combined methodological approach offers further robustness to our ability to predict how citizens would assess different government solutions to address health-related risks from environmental hazards.

TiCER project 3:  Manuscript in medium preparation stage

Support to Environmental Policy and its Association with Objective and Perceived Risk of Exposure

Carol Goldsmith, Ki Eun Kang, Arnold Vedlitz

Abstract

Scholars argue that risk exists through social construction and perceived risk is a cognitive phenomenon (Boholm, 1998; Sjöberg, 1996; Wildavsky & Dake, 1990). We examine the relationship between actual risk exposure and risk perception, and we extend the research by looking at significant risk predictors (objective risk and perceived risk) of people’s attitudes toward environmental policies. This study aims to understand two main research questions: (1) whether environmental health threats impact people’s perception and (2) if public support and opposition to policies addressing environmental health threats are related to environmental health threat perception and/or environmental health threats level. We address these relationships by considering actual toxic waste sites (objective risk) to individual environmental health threat concerns (perceived risk) and environmental health threat policy support using the 2021 Texas survey. Our overall findings show that objective risk is important to people’s risk perception, but not to environmental policy support. Our results also indicate that public environmental policy support tends to be driven by risk perception. 

TiCER project 4:  Manuscript in medium presentation form

Factors that Contribute to Public Perceptions on Environmental Health Threat Policy

Carol Goldsmith, Ki Eun Kang, Arnold Vedlitz

Abstract

Planners often find themselves caught between conflicting interests among the supposedly complementary aims of economic growth, environmental protection, and equitable distribution, and must mediate the affected parties in the public engagement process. Identifying the factors that contribute to public perceptions and behaviors is an important first step in finding common ground and pathways out of the sustainability dilemma. The conflicts have been heightened through the global pandemic, continued climate change, and accumulation of environmental stressors from natural and anthropogenic activities; while consensus does not have to be the goal, leaving conflicts unaddressed is likely to undermine the effectiveness of programs implemented to address health challenges resulting from environmental risks, as these challenges cut across multiple sectors and domains. Therefore, it is necessary to examine how agents, arenas, and areas of policy approach align to make the most of public engagement in planning for healthy and resilient communities.

Using resident survey from Harris and Hidalgo counties in Texas, this paper seeks answers to:

RQ-1: What explains residents’ willingness to participate in public policy hearings or discussions and action to reduce exposure to pathogens, toxins, and irritants?

RQ-2: How does public support for certain types of interventions and perception about accountability (not) align with policy adoption, program implementation, and funding allocation?

Previous PPP Success Stories

• “Health Risks and Hazard Perception of Airborne Toxic Metals: Vulnerable Populations Neighboring the Houston Ship Channel”
  • Dr. Shankar Chellam in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and faculty in the School of Public Health