An undergraduate electrical engineering student is sought to work on new air pollution monitors for a research study on air pollution health effects in China. We have developed a wearable monitoring platform that contains a sensor that measures particulate matter air pollution. We are looking for an EE student with a strong interest in wearable sensors and applying their technical skills to important social problems like air pollution in China. The student will be tasked with refining the design of the monitors, and assembling monitors that will be used in a study of pregnant women’s air pollution exposures. We are looking for a student with good hardware and software skills. Fluency in Chinese/Mandarin is a useful skill to interact with Chinese collaborators, but is not required.
Project Title: Fetal development and birth outcomes from particulate matter exposure during pregnancy in a cohort of rural Chinese women
Principal Investigator: Edmund Seto, University of Washington, School of Public Health, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences (Exposure Science Program)
Funding Agency: National Natural Science Foundation of China (China NSF)
Project Summary:
This 2‐year study will examine how exposure to air particulate matter <2.5 m (PM2.5) during pregnancy influences fetal development and birth outcomes. Pregnant women will be recruited from a rural area of Yunnan Province in China over the next 2 years. Subjects will be followed prospectively through their three trimesters, with each subject carrying a personal PM2.5 monitor, and completing 24‐hr diet recalls and physical activity questionnaires for a 1‐week period during each trimester. PM2.5 measurements will be made with the Portable University of Washington Particle (PUWP) monitor – a wearable continuous reading air pollution exposure assessment device. The various data will be analyzed in relationship to clinical and biological measures of fetal growth and metabolism, and birth outcomes. The UW research team is responsible for this study’s air pollution exposure assessment, and will work closely with collaborators from the Kunming Medical University.
Please contact Dr. Seto (eseto@uw.edu; 206‐543‐1475) or Jeff Shirai (jshirai@uw.edu; 206‐543‐3364) before March 7 if interested
