ECU Environmental Health Sciences Program

08/28/2026

Dr. Stephanie Richards co-authored a recently published article titled, “Laboratory evaluation of Sensirion SEN66, Piera IPS-7100, PurpleAir PIXEL, and OPC-N3 low-cost aerosol sensors across aerosol types and concentration ranges” in the journal, Atmospheric Pollution Research. Congratulations!

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1309104226003016?via%3Dihub

08/28/2026

Dr. Stephanie Richards co-authored a recently published article titled, “Laboratory evaluation of Sensirion SEN66, Piera IPS-7100, PurpleAir PIXEL, and OPC-N3 low-cost aerosol sensors across aerosol types and concentration ranges” in the journal, Atmospheric Pollution Research. Congratulations!

08/28/2026

Dr. Jo Anne Balanay was featured today in the ECU News article about advancing workplace heat stress research through strong collaborations with researchers, students, industry partners, and professional organizations. Her work focuses on protecting outdoor workers from heat-related illnesses by improving how heat exposure is measured and assessed. A key aspect of Dr. Balanay’s research is the use of Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT), a more comprehensive heat stress metric that accounts for temperature, humidity, wind speed and radiant heat. By promoting the use of WBGT, she is helping employers and workers better understand heat risks and make informed decisions to improve safety in demanding outdoor environments. The article also highlights how collaboration has transformed research into practical solutions. Working with partners such as the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), Dr. Balanay helped guide the development of the AIHA Heat Stress App, a mobile app that provides real-time and forecasted heat risk information, giving workers and employers a valuable tool for planning and prevention.

The article also highlighted the involvement of Abigaelle Midgette, a summer intern from Fayetteville State University who participated in this year’s STEM Summer Immersion Program, in Dr. Balanay’s heat stress research. Through hands-on collaboration with Dr. Balanay, Abigaelle gained valuable experience in collecting and analyzing data related to heat exposure and worker safety. Her participation reflects ECU’s commitment to providing students with meaningful research opportunities while contributing to solutions for real-world occupational health challenges.

Researchers advance heat-safety tools through collaborations, new data and student innovation to help protect workers from extreme heat.

08/21/2026

Dr. Stephanie Richards finished her video shoot this week for ECU’s “What I do at ECU” series, wherein ECU professors explain their research to a general audience in under two minutes. The primary focus of her video will be her discussion of the importance of monitoring local mosquito populations for insecticide resistance so that the most effective products can be used for targeted control to protect health. Her video will be released in a month, so watch out for it!

08/05/2026

Dr. Jo Anne Balanay will be presenting as a PDC speaker at the AIHA Carolinas Fall PDC/ Conference 2026 this coming September at Myrtle Beach, SC. She will be sharing about her research on heat stress and noise. There is still time to register!

07/30/2026

The 4th and last annual NC GlaxoSmithKline Foundation STEM Summer Research Poster Symposium was held today at the ECU Life Sciences and Biotechnology Building. This event was the culmination of 2 months of research and professional development for 13 undergraduate students from Fayetteville State University (FSU), North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, North Carolina Central University (NCCU) and Chowan University (CU). The students lived in an ECU dorm and worked on research across campus in Biology, Environmental Health, and Public Health. Dr. Stephanie Richards served as the Principal Investigator for the NC GlaxoSmithKline Foundation Grant and one of the organizers of the symposium.

Abigaelle Midgette is an undergraduate student from FSU who was mentored by Dr. Jo Anne Balanay and presented her research poster titled, “Comparison between Mobile WBGT Apps and WBGT Monitor to Assess Heat Stress Risk in Outdoor University Settings in Eastern North Carolina” during the symposium. Her research project involved the assessment of the reliability of the AIHA Heat Stress App and the Zelus WBGT App as a cheaper alternative tool for heat stress risk assessment.

07/25/2026

This week, ECU BSPH student Izzy Joseph presented her work at the East Carolina University Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium. This work was conducted in collaboration with ECU Environmental Health faculty mentors (Dr. Stephanie Richards and Dr. Guy Iverson) and the Pitt County Environmental Health Vector Control Program Manager (Amanda Bennett - ECU BSEH alum).

Izzy's project is entitled "Spatial Analysis of Mosquito Control Service Requests In Pitt County, NC (2024–2025)".

Rural and suburban census blocks adjacent to urban areas showed elevated mosquito control service requests, likely due to transitional land use zones and/or increased human–mosquito interactions. Areas with greater wetlands land cover also experienced a higher number of service requests, suggesting areas prone to water inundation may drive mosquito activity and service requests. Income level did not predict service request frequency.
Lower requests from urban areas may reflect existing municipal (not county) and/or private mosquito control programs, as well as differences in community awareness of the Pitt County Vector Control Program. The practical information gained from this project will be used to inform community outreach efforts.

07/10/2026

This week, Dr. Stephanie Richards (Environmental Health Program at East Carolina University) and Dr. Brian Byrd (Environmental Health Program at Western Carolina University) brought together students from both universities to participate in training related to the investigators' NIH R15 project about the 'Socioeconomic Impacts of La Crosse Encephalitis in Western North Carolina'. The ultimate goal is to reduce the burden of this mosquito-borne disease and protect public health. By understanding how mosquitoes, people, and the environment interact, we can develop better strategies to prevent illness, improve patient care, and strengthen public health response. This work directly benefits communities in the region and provides undergraduate students with meaningful, hands-on experiences that prepare them for careers in medicine, public health, environmental health, biomedical sciences, research, and further education at the graduate level.

06/25/2026

Dr. Stephanie Richards was featured today in a Daily Reflector news article related to the ECU Environmental Health mosquito program. The article mentioned about the work that Dr. Richards’ team is currently doing with various North Carolina counties in controlling mosquito populations, with the aim of preventing mosquito-transmitted diseases. Dr. Richards advised about dumping out water from containers wherein mosquitoes may lay their eggs as a means of mosquito control.

Read the full article below:
https://www.reflector.com/news/local/experts-urge-precautions-due-to-mosquitoes-control-efforts/article_b1913acb-1966-4fa1-8839-f63cc76d29ae.html?utm_campaign=blox&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwZnRzaASp_n1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeD9F8Do6fFjSfdQGBd82FdzwtPlaL-3XBVI5yZYL2DZVUZE_G61xpyCmVb8E_aem_iWlN4STuRHamlk5shkOCVA

Experts at East Carolina University are working with area counties to help them control mosquito populations as they begin spraying insecticide, but officials urge people to take precautions themselves to

06/22/2026

Dr. Stephanie Richards had recently published a journal article titled, “Assessment of Occupational Health and Safety Hazards in Mosquito Control Personnel in North Carolina and Virginia, USA” in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Co-authors are Naina Bastakoti (MSEH alumna), Dr. Avian White and Dr. Jo Anne Balanay.

This article represents part of the MSEH thesis work of Naina. To our knowledge, this is the first known study to evaluate health and safety training and worker risk perception in mosquito control personnel in the United States. Congratulations!

Mosquito control personnel work within health departments, public works, private companies, and other agencies. These essential outdoor workers have highly specialized training and are faced with a variety of potential health and safety hazards (e.g., arthropod bites and stings, exposure to insectic...