National Swimming Pool Foundation®(NSPF®) Awards Research Grants and Fellowships for year 2005
The National Swimming Pool Foundation® announces today that is has
funded three research grants and three board fellowships totaling more than $175,000 for the year 2005. The six award recipients, recognized at the recent NSPF® sponsored Aquatic Health Conference in Atlanta, will perform research that helps attract people to healthy aquatic activities and protects them once they are in the water.
The entire news story is attached.
(PRWEB) October 15, 2004 -- The National Swimming Pool Foundation® (NSPF®) announced that it has funded three research grants and three board fellowships totaling more than $175,000 for the year 2005.
The six award recipients will perform research that helps attract people to healthy aquatic activities and protects them once they are in the water. The recipients were recognized during an award ceremony at the recent NSPF® sponsored Aquatic Health Conference held in Atlanta, Georgia, on October 3-5, 2004.
The foundation earns money through its Certified Pool-Spa Operator® and Certified Pool Inspector training programs. The organization then invests aquatic earnings to seed research that can blossom into solutions," states Thomas M. Lachocki, chief executive officer, NSPF®. There is no other program like it in the industry. NSPFs instructors and students who make these grants possible should feel proud," adds Lachocki.
NSPF extended its grant of $120,000 to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for a second year to help reduce outbreaks due to chlorine-resistant pathogens. In early 2004, NSPF took a step forward in reversing the 10-year increase in recreational water disease outbreaks by funding the CDCs grant request for the Healthy Swimming" Program. It shows that a small foundation can help a big organization maintain its vision to prevent disease in times when they could be blinded by threats like bioterrorism and flu vaccine shortages," says Lachocki.
The second research grant of $37,738 was issued to Dr. Elizabeth Nagle at the University of Pittsburgh. She will perform studies that will determine to what extent executing a fairly short swim will predict aerobic fitness, a vital component of an individual's cardiovascular and overall health. Different swim distances will be correlated to the well-established land treadmill test. A successful outcome will help trainers and individuals evaluate aerobic fitness by determining how quickly they can swim a specific distance. This could become the model for an aquatic exercise prescription to help decrease cardiovascular risk factors and monitor fitness improvements in individuals. Dr. Nagle comments, "Everyone wants to know how their health stacks up. This basic research helps us begin to understand how swimming can be used to measure and improve a person's physical condition."
The third research grant of $7,088 was issued to Drs. Christine Moe and Scott Bartell at Emory University in Atlanta. In 1992, the water chemistry and the bacterial content in 486 public pools in Pinellas County, Florida, were assessed. Although the data has been compiled and summarized, it has never been published. Dr. Moe, a microbiologist, and Dr. Bartell, a biostatistician, will reevaluate the data, present their findings at the World Aquatic Health Conference in Tralee, Ireland, March 11-13, 2005, and submit a publication to a peer-reviewed journal. Pinellas County and Occidental Chemical Company have generously donated their data to the researchers; the data is available to the general public at www.nspf.org.
Three board fellowships, totaling $12,000, further expand the NSPF® research and educational effort. The fellowship program is an exciting new approach. We are encouraging the brightest young minds working in related fields, to apply some of their skill and passion to the important problems of the recreational water field," says Cory Willis, chairman of the NSPF® Grant Review Committee.
The first board fellowship of $4,000 was awarded to Dr. Alex T. Chow at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Chow is performing research to further understand water quality in facilities where people interact with marine mammals. This research will establish a risk assessment to humans due to fecal pathogens and disinfection by-products that form when disinfectants react with feces and urine from marine mammals. The increase in swim with the dolphin programs makes this work very timely.
The second board fellowship of $4,000 was awarded to Luke K. Jacobs, a student at Eastern Kentucky University and a health department pool inspector. Jacobs is performing field research to assess how pools managed by trained and certified operators affect the pool code compliance. This work can help health departments determine if trained operators benefit public health.
The final board fellowship of $4,000 was awarded to Ellen Jones, a student at the University of Arizona. Jones is investigating sources of norovirus to assess its distribution in recreational water facilities and to refine methods to detect these pathogens. Understanding where viruses are and how they are transmitted can be used to help protect the public through prevention.
Applicants eligible for the NSPF® research grants and board fellowships must be post-doctoral researchers or enrolled full-time pursuing advanced academic degrees. Information on how to apply for fellowships is available at www.nspf.org. Members of the NSPF® staff, NSPF® Board of Directors and/or their families are not eligible for awards. The NSPF® Grant Review Committee reviews all submitted applications and awards grants with the approval of the NSPF® chief executive officer. Successful applicants receive only one award per academic year.
The National Swimming Pool Foundation® is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating healthier lives through aquatic education and research. The foundations Certified Pool-Spa Operator® (CPO®) program is the leading international education and certification program for pool and spa operators, providing frontline defense to protect the public. Information about NSPF® grant applications, scholarships, fellowships and educational programs is available at
www,nspf.org.
Media Contact: Laurie Batter,
Batter-Up! Productions Voice 760-438-9304;
FAX 760-434-5595
Email batterup@batterupproductions.com
NSPF Contact: Margaret Smith
Voice 719-540-9119; FAX 719-540-2787
Email Margaret.Smith@nspf.org
Colorado Springs, CO (October 12, 2004)
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