Achievement

Inter-organizational research with NIOSH (the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) has been facilitated by the IGERT. Computational methods are using data from large-number-exposure experiments to identify potential inflammation mechanisms activated by multi-wall carbon nanotube exposure. After computationally identifying potentially relevant genes, those genes are bench tested at NIOSH . The IGERT training in communication and presentation has facilitated communication between computer scientists and NIOSH researchers by allowing the IGERT trainee to facilitate the transfer of information between the different subdisciplines. The IGERT trainee is the only engineer in a group of bench scientists and the bulk of the responsibility for ensuring that the biological scientists do not misuse his results lies with him. He has learned to eliminate jargon, to ask clarifying questions without implying value judgments, and to decrease assumptions about what others know.