Community Engagement Core (CEC)

Our Mission

The CEC is a division of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) funded, Center for Environmental Genetics (CEG). We support the mission of the CEG by translating environmental human health science into easily understandable information, tools, and resources, as well as fostering relationships between CEG scientists and the greater community.

What's New?

Scientific manuscripts can be difficult for the general public to read and understand. Writing a lay-abstract helps to get your research message out to the masses!

The CEC asked recipients of CEG funding to write lay-abstracts describing some of their recent research findings. Lay-abstracts are research summaries written in simple, non-technical language meant to convey the essence of a research project for members of the general public. Check out our featured lay-abstract below!

Exposure to PFOA Decreases Immune Response

The man-made chemical called PFOA, short for perfluorooctanoic acid, is used in many consumer products, such as non-stick cookware, water resistant outerwear, stain resistant coatings, cleaners, and even fire-fighting foams. PFOA can be found everywhere in the environment, including drinking water, and because it is a very stable chemical, it does not break down in the environment easily. This means that nearly all Americans have been exposed to PFOA and have small amounts of PFOA in our blood. This is a concern because PFOA has been found to suppress the immune system, which means that exposed people may become sick more often. Continue Reading

What Are the Aims of the CEC?

Click below to learn more about CEC projects: