Projects

Interns are placed in projects that are appropriate for their skill set and previous experiences. This page represents some of the varied projects that GEH interns have undertaken in past years. The projects will change from year to year, but this page will give you an idea of the varied types and caliber of potential projects.

Project: Computational Toxicology Project Using QSAR Models on Acute Exposure Guideline Levels (AEGLs)

Acute Exposure Guideline Levels (AEGLs) are comprehensive protective action criteria for assessing the risk of an acute once-in-a-lifetime exposure to hazardous inhalation chemicals. The intern investigated the predictability of existing quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models to estimate AEGL values. Qualitative and quantitative data of AEGL values and parameters involved in their derivation were collected from US EPA technical documents. AEGL values of newly published chemicals were then cross-validated with existing QSAR models. The intern found that these QSAR models were only predictive for volatile organic compounds.

Project: SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat) Analysis on the ATSDR Petition Program

The intern helped to improve and update the existing ATSDR petition program by conducting a questionnaire with the various stakeholders of the program. The primary drivers of the questionnaire were: 1) How is the current vision for the program being received by the stakeholders? 2) How can the program be improved and either expanded or tightened to address the growing types of petitions? 3) How can the program proactively identify and address public health concerns and influence public health policies in the future? The intern helped to coordinate results from the questionnaire which will help shape the language for an amended notice to be published in the Federal Registry. The Intern used a SWOT analysis to make recommendations to the program for improvements.

Project: Second-Hand Smoke in Multi-Unit Family Homes

The intern developed a guidance and resource document for state healthy home programs to address second-hand smoke in multi-unit family homes. This interdisciplinary project addressed organizational management, environmental health, behavior science, and policy analysis on the issue of second-hand smoke. The intern was the primary investigator. Their work involved identifying existing best practices through interviews with practitioners across the country, performing a literature review, coordinating with the Office on Smoking and Health on communication, and identifying optimal resources for target audiences to utilize in an organizational capacity.

Project: Addressing Public Health through Healthy Community Design: Informing Consensus Guidelines for Health Impact Assessments (HIA) in the United States

The intern helped the Healthy Community Design Initiative staff to: 1) Identify the HIA guides published around the world, 2) Compare the HIA guides for commonalities in process and purpose, 3) Draft an article describing the findings of the study for publication in health journals. The intern gained a deeper understanding of the HIA process, the resources available for conducting an HIA, and the potential to expand the HIA field into a coordinated effort in the United States and abroad.

Project: Evaluate the Current Availability and Distribution of Potassium Iodide

In 2001, the National Academy of Sciences published a report entitled “Committee to Assess the Distribution and Administration of Potassium Iodide in the Event of a Nuclear Incident, National Research Council” which described the state of potassium iodide distribution by state. This data has not been updated in a more recent publication and is important to compile from a public health preparedness perspective. The intern evaluated the current availability and distribution of potassium iodide in every state, relying on different sources of information in the public domain. This data will be displayed in maps using GIS technology and will include the US nuclear power plants and surrounding population density using recent US census data.