Written by Jessica Bloomer

The annual Pilot Research Project (PRP) Symposium was held on October 12-13, 2023 in the University of Cincinnati’s Kettering Lab Complex. The symposium highlights pilot research projects in various fields of occupational health and safety.

Attendees at the Thursday evening welcome reception

The symposium began with a welcome reception on Thursday evening, October 12^th. Dinner was provided by Ollie’s Trolley. Thank you to the PRP Steering Committee members for your donations! Without generous donations, the networking dinner would not be possible.

On October 13^th, Dr. Alex Lentsch, Chair of the Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, attended and welcomed the attendees to the 24th symposium.

The keynote speaker was Dr. Sergey Grinshpun, Professor Emeritus Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences and Founder of the University of Cincinnati Center for Health-Related Aerosol Studies. His presentation was called “Respiratory Protection: Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond.” Dr. Grinshpun has been engaged in research on respiratory protection, aerosol transport, exposure assessment, and air purification. His research involving biological aerosol particles has been recognized as critical for the development of novel methods for biodefense and biosecurity. He has been involved in national and international efforts aimed at mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keynote speaker, Dr. Sergey Grinshpun

2022-23 PRP awardees presented their final project results. Topics included;

• Factors and Strategies Influencing Chemotherapy Safety among Oncology Nurses
• Carbon Nanotube-based Thermoelectric Fabrics Providing Thermal Comfort and Power Generation for Firefighters
• Evaluating Microbiome as Biomarkers in Firefighting Associated Stress
• Flexible and Wearable Supercapacitors for Fire Fighters and First Responders
• Multi-sensor Occupation Specific Energy Expenditure Models for Race Riders
• Evaluating Stress and Wellbeing Trends in U.S. Correctional Nurses
• Nitrogen-doped Three-dimensional Graphene as Sensor for Heavy Metals
• Cool Helmet for First Responders Based on Nano Carbon Composite and Thermoelectrics
• Real-time Lifting Risk Prediction Using Tactile Gloves

Attendees viewing posters at the PRP Symposium

2023-24 PRP awardees presented their project plans in the form of posters. The poster sessions included the following topics;

• Mental Health and Suicide Among Veterinarians
• Assessing the Applicability of Methods to Analyze Metals in Toenails
• Injury Trends for Adolescents with Early Childhood Manganese Exposure
• Developing Electromagnetic Shielding Textiles for Personal Protection
• Cool Coat: An Advanced Wearable Thermal Management Solution for Harsh Environment
• Personal Air Sampling Incorporating Human Factor Ergonomics of Posture and Intensity
• Impact of Workplace Design on the Health of Breastfeeding Women in Low-wage Jobs
• Assessing the Impact of Respirator Design and Demographics on the Performance of N95 Respirators 

The symposium concluded with a panel discussion among experts in the field; Dr. Ellen Wells from Purdue University, Drs. Carolyn Smith, Tom Huston, and Amit Bhattacharya from the University of Cincinnati.

Jessica Bloomer, program director at the University of Cincinnati ERC, presented awards; two for people’s choice favorite poster and podium presenters, two that a panel of judges selected for best podium and poster presenters, and the top three that participated the most in the event app.

The award winners were:

Michaela Keener

Award for Distinguished Podium Presentation: Multi-sensor Occupation Specific Energy Expenditure Models for Race Riders

Prakash Giri

Award for Distinguished Poster Presentation: Developing Electromagnetic Shielding Textiles for Personal Protection

Michaela Keener

Award for People’s Choice Podium Presentation: Multi-sensor Occupation Specific Energy Expenditure Models for Race Riders

Afton Erbe

Award for People’s Choice Poster Presentation: Mental Health and Suicide Among Veterinarians

The symposium used the Whova event app which allowed for online networking, access to event resources, and a leaderboard contest that all attendees could participate in to win prizes by engaging in the app. The leaderboard winners were Alaa Tukruna (third), Peggy Berry (second), and Itohan Egbedion (first). The symposium gave many attendees the opportunity to interact with each other as well as learn about new research areas.

Dr. Amit Bhattacharya, Director of the Pilot Research Project Program, delivers remarks at the 24th Annual Pilot Research Project Symposium

The symposium posters and presentation recordings can be viewed here.

Thank you to the Ohio Association of Occupational Health Nurses for sponsoring the symposium this year!