作者：辛西娅·休伯特

2022年5月26日

韦恩·林克莱特（Wayne Linklater）是博彩平台环境研究教授，他花了20多年的时间研究、写作和教授从田鼠到犀牛等哺乳动物的生态学和行为。 Recently, his interest in the world’s most abundant large animals, humans, and their impact on the natural world, has grown.

他的最新工作是研究污染对当地弱势社区的健康影响，这与他的研究重点是一致的。

该项目由国家非营利组织“第二自然”（Second Nature）提供的1万美元赠款资助，林克莱特和他的学生将与当地社区组织合作，同时对弱势社区的空气质量进行重要研究。 收集的数据将有助于阐明所研究地区的空气质量与呼吸系统健康之间的联系。

“We want to use our expertise to produce a credible report that communities can use to advocate for themselves,” Linklater said.

林克莱特在全国和全球各地旅行，研究各种各样的主题，包括埃尔塞里托城市鹿群造成的冲突，以及南非黑犀牛栖息地的利用。 最近，他对环境正义产生了浓厚的兴趣，包括污染对人类健康的影响。

研究表明，贫困社区的有色人种社区更多地暴露在空气污染中，尤其是汽车和工厂排放的颗粒物。 这种接触可能导致健康问题，包括呼吸系统疾病。

这些社区的居民区通常离工业区和高速公路更近，那里的污染程度更高，而且可以起到空气过滤器作用的树木较少。

萨克州立大学将与“呼吸加州”和“联合拉丁美洲人”等项目伙伴合作，在萨克拉门托南部和北高地地区建立空气监测网络。 然后，实习学生和社区成员将测量城市这些地区空气中潜在危险颗粒物的水平。

林克莱特将分析数据并创建一份报告，记录排放量在一天、一周和季节中的变化情况。 研究ers will work with 萨克拉门托 County’s public health department to link air quality with health outcomes, he said.

林克莱特说，这些信息还可以教育居民，并为未来的政策、项目和资源提供信息，以提高受影响社区的生活质量。

“One of the solutions could be a collaborative effort to improve tree coverage,” Linklater said. “These communities have some of the lowest tree coverage in the city.”

The data could influence elected leaders’ decisions about urban development.

Student participants will engage in “a mix of technical and community work,” Linklater said. “That’s a very important aspect of their early career development.”

“We want to use our expertise to produce a credible report that communities can use to advocate for themselves.” ——韦恩·林克莱特

Richard Falcon, lead organizer for United Latinos, said his organization benefits from Linklater’s knowledge and passion for environmental justice.

“Working with Dr. Linklater has been a privilege,” he said. “His knowledge of these issues and the science behind them has been helpful to me as I navigate our mission of engaging the community in processes that are of benefit to their well-being.”

Linklater “breaks down the science into digestible information that I can take back to our constituency to help them understand the data and the impacts on them,” Falcon said. “He should be commended on his efforts to bring 囊状态 and community resources together to benefit the greater 萨克拉门托 area as well as students who attend 囊状态.”

资助这项研究的“第二自然”致力于支持由学院和大学推动的气候项目。

President Robert S. Nelsen said the work helps support 囊状态’s efforts to connect the University and the region to address key problems.

“This is another example of the important work being done by our faculty and students with community partners to advance knowledge and social justice while making our region a better, safer place for all,” Nelsen said.