UC Davis Chicano Doctoral Candidate Launches Cancer Project
Broad outline of project goals. Source: Alfonso Aranda
La Cartita (02/12/2018) --- Last year, Chicano/Mexicano doctoral student, Alfonso A. Aranda (Geography, UC Davis), launched a community-based participatory research project in the unincorporated, agricultural community of Knights Landing, CA. The study hopes to understand what constant exposure to toxins means to rural people in their everyday lives with the sub-aim of identifying variables for quantitative development (water, dust, air, etc.).
Culturally Relevant Study: Chicanos Take The Lead.
Besides advancing transdisciplinary conversations between humanities/social scientists and laboratory scientists, the project has nurtured a strong partnership between community leaders and undergraduate/graduate students. Together, academics and residents have framed hypotheses, validated research instruments, and collected data.
Through this collaborative effort, the aim is to help improve the health of residents by advancing environmental justice in the community. Study results will henceforth be shared with community members, local practitioners, county public health officials, and other corresponding regulatory agencies including CalEPA. From there, action-oriented activity will be further examined.
The project is receiving funding from the following groups: UC Davis Environmental Health Sciences Center, Floyd & Mary Schwall Dissertation Fellowship, Henry A. Jastro Endowment Program, UC Davis Institute for Social Sciences, Environmental Justice Graduate Student Award Program.