Citizen Science and Education Page

The pilot project in 2018 engaged fifteen students ages 16-18 in a 6-week program, creating trust among the residents with whom they worked. This citizen science tis helping those residents feel more secure in managing the water in their own homes.  

The program continues as youth at the McKenzie Patrice Croom Community Lab work alongside a chemist and lab tech to learn the process of testing water at a molecular level. After school programs that include career preparation have been recognized as the most engaging to high school aged participants. While working in the lab, youth are learning about careers in science, technology, and mathematics (STEM)  that they did not know about previously. These youth are also learning about laws and policies as they are being prepared to be the advocates of the future. The experience of participating in the Water Lab Program at Flint Development Center, provides the high school students a way to heal and help other youth that experienced trauma from the Flint Water Crisis, as well as reducing future youth from being exposed to high lead in water.

College students are participating in the program as Lab Technicians, learning how to process and analyze drinking water samples using sophisticated equipment and technology.  This hands-on experience provides valuable and practical experience for future jobs and enhances academics. The Lab Technicians are working closely with the high school students to train on how to properly collect water samples, and assist with other laboratory work.

Bringing together the high school and college students has many additional benefits, bringing a better understanding of the impact of the Flint Water Crisis and exposure to diversity of people from a variety of backgrounds.

Community Outreach Coordinator, Dominique Strong has experience coordinating a diverse set of community projects, the main goal of which has been to create a sense of belonging. She was employed as a Certified Nursing Assistant from 2015 to early 2020 and maintains her certification.  She founded her own nonprofit organization focused on community outreach in 2017. Dominique is a graduate of the University of Michigan-Flint, with a bachelor’s degree in applied science, with a concentration in English and Social Work and has an  Associate’s degree in Computer Occupation Technology from Mott Community College. 

Principal Chemist, Alexandria Schipansky was born and raised in the Flint-Metro Area. She will complete her Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Biology in December 2020. Alex has spent several years working in a variety of laboratory settings focused on analytical chemistry. She has completed advanced training in equipment operation and various health and safety protocols, working in university-based laboratory settings throughout Michigan.

Quality Assurance and Quality Control For The McKenzie Patrice Croom Flint Community Lab

The Flint Community Water Lab — the first community-based laboratory of its kind in the world — provides Flint residents with a trusted resource for free water testing for lead and other metals. 

The Flint Lab is operated and run by Flint residents, high school and college students, providing important education and citizen science opportunities that promote STEM education, exposure to technical career opportunities, and workforce development.  In addition to Flint-wide water testing, the Flint Community Lab serves as a hub for resident outreach and access to social services to promote public health and healing while restoring public confidence in tap water in individual homes.

The Flint Community Water Lab has developed written protocols and is adopting a formal quality assurance/quality control program based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) Quality Assurance Project Plan guidelines for collecting and analyzing drinking water samples. The analytical methodology employed  is based on the U.S. EPA method for the analysis of lead and other metals in drinking water (EPA M. 200.8: Determination of Trace Elements in Waters and Wastes by Inductively-Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectrometry).  Flint Community Lab staff are receiving training from ThermoFisher Scientific in equipment operation to conduct the analysis.  Routine field- and laboratory-quality controls and regular blind proficiency testing will provide checks to ensure that the information and results provided to community members are reliable, precise, and accurate.

Individual data and testing results are considered private information and will only be shared with the community member.  Where permission is granted, results from the program may be reported in summary form to share overall findings with the community.  The results from the Flint Community Lab are for informational purposes to help residents make decisions about filtration and use of their tap water. Results may not be used for legal purposes or compliance with regulatory requirements.

As part of the learning and technical training program, the Flint Community Lab will pursue U.S. EPA certification for lead testing over the next 18-24 months following the determination of a laboratory method detection limit (MDL) and successful completion of proficiency testing. 

NEW COMMUNITY WATER LAB IS PRESCRIPTION TO HELP YOUTH MOVE PAST TRAUMA OF WATER CRISIS

When the McKenzie Patrice Croom Water Lab opens this spring, the benefits will be just what many local youth need. The new lab will be set up to test community members’ water for lead at no cost to residents of Genesee County.

But that is not the end of its benefits.

The Flint Water Crisis has proved to be traumatic to the residence of Flint, MI, especially for a group of children that will never be able to enjoy the cold refreshing water that comes from a water hose while they enjoy playing outside with their friends.

These youth have been classified to traumatized and many suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome like soldiers returning from war zones. Based off research youth programs such as the community water lab which will be housed at the Flint Development Center at 4121 Martin Luther King Ave, have components to help lessen the effects of trauma.

The grand Opening for the lab is 1PM March 25, 2020.

What Are Adverse Childhood Experiences

The Center for Disease Control warns that untreated adverse childhood experiences such as the Flint Water Crisis can potentially have lingering affects on Flint Youth. Studies have deemed that there are direct correlations between the trauma caused by adverse childhood experiences and chronic illness.

Other governmental agencies that advocate to prioritize addressing adverse childhood experiences as well. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration , the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services and the Administration on Children and Families are just a few governmental agencies that are in agreement with the importance of addressing childhood trauma.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration adverse childhood experiences are stressful or traumatic experiences that youth encounter. These experiences lead to disruption in the neuro-development of youth.

Unfortunately, ACEs have become common. Many youths have been traumatized by more than the Flint Water Crisis. Other examples of ACEs are abuse, neglect, witnessing violence, having a parent incarcerated and growing up in poverty.

Local socioeconomic conditions increase the likelihood of exposure to ACEs.  Flint has a poverty rate higher than the national and state averages. Impoverished youth are more likely to experience adverse childhood experiences.

Effects of ACEs

If they go unresolved adverse childhood experiences can also lead to health issues.  Studies have deemed that there is a direct correlation between the trauma caused by adverse childhood experiences and chronic illness. According to the Bright Futures Guidelines there should be more of a focus on childhood trauma.

Addressing ACEs early is important since exposure to them increase the possibility of youth engaging in risky behaviors. Delinquent youth report high rates of childhood adversity. Youth with increased exposure to ACEs become sexually involved at earlier ages and are more prone to become underage drinkers.  Without building resiliency these youth are in danger of suffering emotionally and physically from ACEs.

Mitigating the Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences

Resilience is how an individual responds to risk factors. Resilience can be encouraged by the introduction of coping mechanisms. Coping mechanisms can act as buffers for those that have already been exposed to traumatic experiences.

According to the CDC connecting youth with caring adults is beneficial in mitigating the effects of ACEs.  Youth that encounter adverse childhood experience are less likely to live in a safe protective and supportive neighborhood. The lack of social resources can make youth more vulnerable to the experiences they encounter.

Resiliency allows individuals to develop social competence as well as problem solving skills. Other research has shown that after school programs encourage resiliency in youth and promote social competence as well as improved academic performances.

As youth become older it is increasingly harder to get them to consistently attend after school programs. Because of this after school programs need to be challenging with well-trained caring adult facilitators. Youth have confirmed that higher quality experiences in structured after-school programs result in greater engagement than less structured activities after school.

Moving Pass Trauma with the McKenzie Patrice Croom Water Lab

Youth at the McKenzie Patrice Croom Water Lab will work alongside a chemist and lab tech to learn the process of testing water at a molecular level. After school programs that include career preparation have been recognized as the most engaging to high school aged participants. While working in the lab youth will learn about stem careers that they did not know about previously. These youth will also learn about laws and policies as they are being prepared to be the advocates of the future. In a sense the lab will help treat youth already exposed to trauma and protect future youth from being exposed.