When I launched my personal website in January 2016, I was particularly interested in starting a blog where I could catalog and reflect on the variety of projects that I lead, whether through my work at Portland State or as a civic leader in the community. I even thought about talking about some personal hobbies, like running too. As many of us know, time has a funny way of passing; for me January not only came and went, but so did February, then March, and finally April too. Fortunately, the last five months have flown by because good things were afoot, especially an effort that I have been leading to support increased research on urban air toxics at Portland State University.
Photo: Eastside Portland Air Coalition
In February 2016, news broke about U.S. Forest Service research on moss that showed high levels of arsenic and cadmium in Portland's air, prompting calls for more oversight and a swift reaction to what lawmakers have identified as “a public health emergency.” Early on, I learned that Dr. Linda George wanted to conduct cutting-edge research on air toxics and heavy metals dispersion in Portland, but that to do so she would need a new piece of equipment for her laboratory—a bench x-ray florescence machine. My boss, ISS Director Robert Liberty, and I discussed this and agreed that it made sense to support Dr. George’s research capacity while also positioning the University to respond to a timely issue of great community concern. Working with Dr. George, we co-developed a $125,000 research proposal and ISS offered to cover 50 percent of the cost of the project. However, unlike most research projects, we did not have a funding source in mind (like NSF) with a submission date for the proposal; instead, we got entrepreneurial and took our proposal on the road, so to speak, looking for strategic partners interested in collaborating.
We discussed the proposal with leadership at the City of Portland, Southeast Uplift, and Multnomah County, and encouraged parties to leverage the financial resources and technical expertise that the university was willing to contribute. Finally, on April 27, 2016, the City of Portland, Portland State University, and Multnomah County unveiled an “unprecedented partnership” with the City of Portland and Multnomah County committing $62,500 of matching funds to advance this important research on urban air toxics.
Photo: PSU Institute for Sustainable Solutions
While I have cultivated and managed some very productive community-university engagements, strategic partnerships rarely yield high-profile attention. But with this project, that was not the case. It was exciting have a press conference take place with Portland Mayor Charlie Hales; City Commissioner Steve Novick; Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury; Multnomah County Commissioner Jules Bailey; Multnomah County Environmental Health Director Jae Douglas; Neighbors for Clean Air President Mary Peveto; and, Dr. Linda George all in attendance. There was extensive media coverage, and you can see the reporting from KOIN, KATU, FOX, OPB, and the Portland Tribune at the corresponding links
As this project gets ready to launch, we are already examining other opportunities to further the research and impact in the community. Stay tuned for more.
- Jacob Sherman