Project Harvest
Dr. Mónica Ramírez-Andreotta, an assistant professor in the UA Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science, in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, was awarded an Advancing Informal Science Learning Program Grant from the National Science Foundation. The grant is entitled: “Advancing Informal Environmental STEM Literacy & Learning: A Co-Created Citizen Science Rainwater Harvesting in Underserved Communities”. Ramírez-Andreotta will work with a team of researchers from the University of Arizona (Dr. Leif Abrell, Arizona Laboratory for Emerging Contaminants; Dr. Jean McLain,Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science - SWES / Water Resources Recearch Center and Dr. Rob Root,SWES, Environmental Biochemistry Group) and the Sonora Environmental Research Institute, Inc. (Dr. Aminata Kilungo) to design and implement a co-created environmental health citizen science program.
The project runs from Sept. 15, 2016, to Aug 21, 2021. The goals of the project are to:
- Understand the fate and transport of potential pollutants in harvested water and how these possible pollutants might impact soil, plant and human health.
- Evaluate the learning outcomes of a citizen science and community-engaged approach to research.
The group will recruit and work alongside seven community health workers (known as promotoras) — and up to 176 families living near urban and rural sources of pollution in Arizona — to monitor the quality of harvested water, soil and plants grown for food. The project will provide a robust dataset that will inform guidelines for harvested rainwater use and also build capacity in underserved communities and inform the safe and sustainable production of food sources. To build trust and make sure that the citizen science data directly informs environmental policy, the project team will build a multi-stakeholders advisory board.
News article discussing the project:
https://uanews.arizona.edu/story/project-addresses-food-safety-southern-arizona-families
Stay tuned for announcements and upcoming community trainings!
For more information, please feel free to contact:
Mónica Ramírez-Andreotta
UA Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science
520-621-0091