What factors are you studying right now ? JV : With regard to children , I ran an outdoor observational field experiment this summer within children ’ s play spaces in El Cajon using new flexible sensors created in Professor Todd Coleman ’ s bioengineering lab to determine how microenvironmental conditions affect kids ' physiological response during warm and sunny conditions . For instance , the way we design structures significantly affects fine-scale exposures to extreme heat and radiation — such as the heat radiating from black rubber in the sun — so using an airport reading miles away doesn ’ t provide us the most accurate information . Because of this , we use very advanced sensors to collect microclimate and physiological data that can provide that evidence for how children respond to certain exposures , and are also able to monitor personal UV-radiation exposures . This is important for getting parents and communities involved in designing healthy spaces and pushing safe policies forward .
TB : Where Jenni works at the individual level , I look more at large-scale effects on populations . Right now I ’ m involved in a research project in California that looks
at how heat and drought could affect population health through different mechanisms . For example , those factors will cause wildfires , so how will wildfire smoke affect the population ? And drought in association with extreme precipitation causes water and sanitation problems , so what are the effects then in the coastal zones for swimmers and beachgoers ?
What can we expect from the future as far as climate and human health ? JV : The million-dollar question ! Climate modeling is a huge challenge in itself , and when you try to model human behaviors as well , it gets even more challenging . But we know some important factors , such as aging , will affect vulnerability and mortality rates . So working toward solutions and adaptation strategies to protect the elderly and other vulnerable populations from heat are important research areas .
TB : We can likely expect heat waves to increase in intensity , frequency and duration . And because there is a limit to what humans can handle , eventually it will simply be impossible to live in some places without concerted mitigation strategies , and efforts to control the contributing factors .
What excites you about your dual role here at UC San Diego ? TB : Typically , as an epidemiologist , I would primarily be working within medicine , but my joint appointment at Scripps allows for close work with climatologists to determine an outlook on heat waves and climate factors for the next 50 , 60 , 70 years . So we can make plans now for what future generations are going to be dealing with , and not wait until it ’ s too late .
JV : No idea is too big here . I ’ ll throw out a wild idea to someone and they ’ ll say , ‘ Great ! Let ’ s do it !’ Like the flexible sensor work with bioengineering , or another project we ' re working to develop with the DroneLab using infrared cameras and fine-scale hyperspectral imaging in urban areas . So that ’ s another bridge we ’ re building , not just connecting weather and health , but harnessing technology to help the process . We hear all the time that those connections are the wave of the future , but at UC San Diego it ’ s here now , and we ’ re doing it .
Learn more about new professors with joint appointments at tritonmag . com / crossdiscipline
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