The Gulf Research Program invites educators and parents with students of all ages to join us for an hour of engaging science discussions.
About Emerging ScienTalks
The Emerging ScienTalks Webinar Series provides a platform for Early-Career Research Fellows to highlight and teach their current research efforts. The webinars are intended to be educational and are designed with interactive learning elements. The Gulf Research Program welcomes educators and parents with students of all ages to join us for an hour of engaging science discussion.
This Month We Will Discuss
Topic: Engagement can Improve Scholarship and Increase Local Resilience
Dr. Garett Sansom from Texas A&M University School of Public Health will discuss the fruitful relationship between communities and academia. Drawing from personal experiences, Dr. Sansom, will provide best-practices and bi-directional communication pathways to successfully navigate community/academic partnerships.
Partnerships and trust between community members and researchers must be established prior to major hazards to improve rapid research needs. The benefits of engaging community members and other interest parties in research, interventions, and educational outreach are numerous. Dr. Sansom will provide a researcher’s perspective on the Texas A&M Superfund Center and its partnership with several Houston-Based organizations that work to improve local understanding and environmental conditions.
At the end of the webinar, participants will be able to:
- Recognize that scientists come from all kinds of backgrounds and possess varied talents, interests, and goals.
- Understand why community engagement is a necessary component to create resilient communities
Dr. Garett Sansom is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at Texas A&M University School of Public Health. As an environmental epidemiologist, Dr. Sansom’s research revolves around the relationship between environmental quality and human health implications. He specifically focuses on marginalized communities within highly industrial regions along the Houston Ship Channel, Galveston Bay, and locations throughout the petrochemical corridor that experience natural and anthropogenic hazards.
