Trainee Spotlight: Q&A with Fox Foley
How did your journey lead you to become interested in environmental health research,
particularly focusing on EPFRs (Environmentally Persistent Free Radicals)?
Before starting work with my advisor, Dr. Sprunger, I had no clue what an EPFR was or that they even existed, but I’ve had an interest in environmental research since I was a little kid. I grew up wanting to save the polar bears and rainforests and never lost the passion for trying to make a positive difference in the world; when I had the opportunity to work with Dr. Sprunger on pollution research I couldn’t say yes fast enough.
Can you share something that you wish more people knew about EPFRs and their impact on environmental health?
I wish that more people knew about EPFRs and other air pollutants in general. Talking to others about my research has made me realize how little is known by the public about air quality and how much of an influence it has on us humans and our environment.
What aspects of bridging physics with environmental health research do you find most intriguing or challenging?
The reason that I love physics is that it seeks to explain how everything physical works even at the smallest levels; it truly does tie into and explain a lot of phenomena in other sciences! Being able to apply what I know from physics to environmental health research can be difficult when my colleagues from biology or other fields speak different ‘languages’ but overcoming that challenge has been gratifying.
What aspects of your research do you find most rewarding or enjoyable?
Getting expected and repeatable results is any experimentalist’s dream, so I’d say that can be the most rewarding in the short term, especially after a bout of challenges impeding research. Even more rewarding and fulfilling, though, is knowing that my research will be used to find ways to help people and the environment.
As you progress in your PhD, what are your plans and aspirations for your career after completing your research?
I’d love to continue to work in research related to the environment and environmental health post-PhD. I am a materials scientist at heart and am currently looking at opportunities in renewable energy, whether that be exploring new materials for solar cells or air and water treatment. My greatest goal is to make any positive improvements or advancements in the world.
Latest SRP News Feed
- LSU SRP Co-Sponsors Science Communication Workshop, Hosts Spin-off Event for Trainees
- LSU SRP Researchers Awarded Grant to Study How Bushfire Smoke Harms Health
- Shining Light on Pollution: LSU SRP Partners with Southern University to Promote Environmental Health LiteracyFor the third year in a row, the Louisiana State University Superfund Research Program (LSU SRP) teamed up with Southern University to hold the Shining Light on Pollution Environmental Health Literacy Program. The program covers a wide range of topics related to air pollution and environmental health and also introduces students to different career paths in the environmental health sciences. High school students involved in Southern University's Upward Bound program are recruited to participate in the week-long program. Participants do not need to have any prior experience with research or STEM classes.
- LSU SRP Data Management & Analysis Core and Research Experience & Training Coordination Core Lead Statistical Workshop
- LSU SRP Open Forum Seminar on EPFRs and Human HealthThe Louisiana State University Superfund Research Program (LSU SRP) hosted three scientists who are experts in lung disease and the dangers of environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRS) from the University of Queensland in Australia. These LSU SRP collaborators traveled to Baton Rouge to speak at the LSU SRP Open Forum Seminar on EPFRs and Human Health on May 25, 2023.
- LSU SRP Continues to Work with Community on Air Quality and Health: Update for Colfax, LouisianaLouisiana State University Superfund Research Program (LSU SRP) researchers have been working with community members to understand the impacts of air pollution in and around Colfax, Louisiana, since 2020, after local residents organized into the Central Louisiana Coalition for a Clean and Healthy Environment and, citing health issues and other pollution-related concerns, requested assistance from the LSU SRP. After nearly 40 years of living adjacent to the last commercial open burn/open detonation thermal treatment facility in operation in the United States, the community is soon to see a major shift.