LESSONS LEARNED AND ONGOING APPROACHES FOR COMMUNITY-BASED ENVIRONMENTAL GEOCHEMISTRY RESEARCH (Invited Presentation)

Research efforts in environmental geochemistry and health are inherently intertwined with the well-being and interest of communities, but oftentimes, research is conducted in a silo where little information is passed to the public. However, for environmental health and geochemistry research to have the greatest possible impact, discourse and participation from the broader community is often essential. Here, we outline past, present, and future environmental geochemistry endeavors that involve the community in different aspects. Common themes that emerge include: 1) The essential nature of clear communication of results back to project participants, 2) Challenges within current funding models to allow researchers and community members to discover questions that matter prior to funding, 3) Making sure to provide tangible action steps that research participants can take to reduce pollutant exposure, 4) The power of basic geochemistry to provide useful information for individuals and communities, and 5) How participatory community science can also contribute to novel geochemistry research to better understand important pollutant transport processes and sources. This latter point is especially critical for involved researchers, as their expert credentials are founded in the ability to create and disseminate knowledge. The enterprise of community science is thus best sustained if both the community, and the science, are valued and served.