Summer of Science Research Series
Community Noise Lab is excited to launch and share our Summer of Science Research Series. On this page, we will highlight the environmental health projects students and faculty will be working on this summer! For 2022, we are working in the states of Rhode Island and Mississippi and are exploring the themes of environmental justice, environmental health literacy, and impactful community engagement. In addition to community noise, students will also be working on indoor and outdoor air, water, and visual pollution projects. You can follow Community Noise Lab’s social media pages to get day-to-day snapshots from students as they carry out their work.
If you are interested in working with Community Noise Lab on an environmental research project, please reach out to Dr. Erica Walker. While projects start in the summer, many will continue into the fall. Our goal is not only to provide students with hands-on research experience but also to publish their findings in academic journals and present them at both national and international conferences. This fall, these students will also present their work here at Brown University.
Itawamba Community College
Rosy Davis
Rosy is a biology major at Itawamba Community College with a passion for research and the natural world. She is currently researching Black Carbon and noise pollution levels in Tupelo, MS, a small industrial town in North Mississippi with automotive factories, an active railway, and rich agriculture. She is interested in looking at air and noise pollution across residential areas and how they relate to income-level.
Haley Dean
Haley Dean is a mechanical engineering major at Itawamba Community College. This summer, she will research and monitor Black Carbon and noise pollution levels at various locations in Tupelo, MS. With Tupelo, MS, having a high concentration of industrial and agricultural areas, she is eager to see the results this study will yield.
Jada Mills
Dr. Mills is from Fulton, Mississippi, and serves as the Natural Science Division Chair and teaches Major's Biology at Itawamba Community College. She earned her doctorate in education with an emphasis in science from The University of Mississippi. She is married with two sons and enjoys watching them play baseball.
Co-Lin Community College
Noah Overstreet
Mr. Overstreet is a 19-year-old from Magee, MS. He graduated as Valedictorian from Simpson County Academy. He currently attends Copiah-Lincoln Community College and will attend Mississippi College in Fall 2022. This summer, he will be measuring volatile organic compounds, PM 2.5, ozone, and noise in a variety of urban and rural settings in Greater Jackson.
Ramsey Jones
Mr. Jones is from Mendenhall, Mississippi. He graduated from Simpson County Academy and is currently enrolled at Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Mendenhall. After graduating from Co-Lin, he plans to transfer to the University of Mississippi to pursue a degree in Mathematics. This summer, he will be measuring volatile organic compounds, PM 2.5, ozone, and noise in a variety of urban and rural settings in Greater Jackson.
Co-Lin Community College
The Piney Woods School
Gloria Phillips
Ms. Phillips is 17-year-old rising senior at the Piney Woods School. She is from Jackson, Mississippi. She has always been interested in science and wants to continue to career in medicine. Over the course ofthis school year, she has worked with Community Noise Lab to test and examine tap water samples. She is extremely excited to be continuing this work this upcoming summer.
Maurice Hunter Jr.
Mr. Hunter is a rising Sophomore from Detroit, Michigan. He came to Piney Woods as an 8th grader and is interested in studying Medicine. He wanted to work on this project because he loves science and feels that this tap water testing project was an interesting project that he didn’t want to miss out on.
Ayanna Wells
Ms. Wells is a rising senior at Piney Woods School, originally from Ypsilanti, Michigan. She enjoys serving her community, reading, and listening to music. As a student she participates in Cultivating Pathways to Sustainability, Racial Justice Dialogue, Student government class senator and Mock Trial. She is looking forward to testing tap water for residents in Jackson MS, this summer.
Lauren Ponder
Ms. Ponder is from Clinton, MS. She is 17 years old and loves anything science related. Her life aspiration is to become a veterinarian. Over this school year, she has worked with Community Noise Lab to test water samples around Jackson, Mississippi. She is excited about this summer because of the amazing opportunities and the doors that will possibly open.
Brown University
Brown University
Del Rose Hooker
Del Rose is an MPH student at the Brown University School of Public Health. This summer and through the Community Noise Lab at Brown University, she will work with The Piney Woods School on the #1000Tests project. She will assist Piney Woods students as they test tap water for turbidity, pH, toxicity, and dissolved oxygen. She will also administer an environmental quality survey. She is interested in understanding the relationship between actual and perceived water quality. She has received a grant from the Swearer Center to conduct her research this summer.
Nina Franzen Lee, MPH
Nina is currently a research assistant for Community Noise Lab at Brown University. This fall, she will be a first-year doctoral student in the Department of Epidemiology at Brown. This summer, she will wrap up her work examining the impacts of tourism on the environmental soundscape and will start the construction of a state-wide sound model for Rhode Island.
Shaunessey Burks
Shaunessey is an MPH student and Health Equity Scholar at the Brown University School of Public Health. This summer, she will be managing two research projects. First, she will work at Intel Corporation in Rio Rancho, New Mexico as an Environmental Health and Safety and Industrial Hygiene Engineer Intern. Second, through Community Noise Lab, she is conducting an indoor air quality intervention at several home-based day cares in Providence, Rhode Island.
Alex Johnson
Alex is a dual Master of Public Health/Public Affairs degree, with a background deeply tied to environmental justice and health equity. With Community Noise Lab, this summer, she will be examining both objective and subjective aspects of community visual pollution in Jackson, Mississippi.
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