BUSPH Graduate Course in Exposure Science Field Methods Offers Unique Blend of Practice, Research Design, Science Communication, and Teamwork.
By Ahsan Manji and Sydney Boothe
From a student’s perspective, one of the most important elements of a graduate public health course is the extent to which it prepares us for the real world of work, especially in today’s hypercompetitive landscape. Yet upon graduation, we often don’t get opportunities to share our reflections on how the classes we took molded our career trajectories. In the BUSPH ecosystem, where we took a range of classes that endowed us with competency in data science, evidence interpretation, policy formulation, health communication, and research design, we were especially impacted by the Field Methods in Exposure Science course, which we both took in the fall of 2024. The course’s delivery of a unique blend of field-based environmental exposure assessment, class-based discussions of foundational concepts of exposure science as they apply to public health, and team-based research protocol development, analysis, and reporting played a key role in our growth as public health practitioners.
The class is designed such that each weekly session has time periods for student group meetings focused on fieldwork or protocol development, case study discussions, exposure assessment equipment demonstrations, and a primary or guest instructor-led teaching slot to discuss research design, data management and analysis, and a range of special topics in the assessment of several key environmental exposures. It provides a unique way of understanding health and disease – that while health outcomes and the environmental factors that cause many of them are highly varied, most can be understood through the lens of a fundamental source of exposure-to-health state continuum.
The fieldwork component begins with class members brainstorming focal areas of interest to them, and then progresses quickly into student-led, instructor-guided development of exposure science protocols. The students, working in teams, then collaborate with stakeholders across the university or in the surrounding community to implement these protocols. This hands-on approach was particularly valuable to us and our peers. “The majority of classes in the MPH program are focused on analyzing already-collected data, so it was invaluable to be able to gain this hands-on experience in data collection”, noted student Maeve Hatfield, one of our coursemates. We concur that a key part of what set this class apart was the chance to move beyond the classroom and design real-world exposure assessments. One of us, Sydney, worked in a group with two other colleagues to assess the levels of noise generated by MBTA’s Green Line trains. We did not know it at that time as we worked hard with noise meters at the Copley, Hynes, and Packard’s Corner stops, but that first-hand experience – meticulously planning and executing fieldwork, navigating equipment, adapting methods for above-ground and below-ground train stations, ensuring reliability of measurements, and working together as an investigative team – was critical technical and leadership training that we now utilize each day now in our work.
Team formation is facilitated by data obtained from a detailed intake form that connects students based on their substantive exposure assessment interests, level of data analysis skills, and previous experience with exposure assessment, among other factors. The goal is to have groups in which each member can make meaningful contributions across a range of project-related tasks. At least two class sessions are reserved for fieldwork, although teams often make independent decisions about the most suitable times to conduct their out-of-class activities. Teams also work together to give professional-grade oral presentations mid-semester and at the end of the course, summarizing their study protocols and final reports, respectively.
The rigorous nature of field-based exposure assessment becomes apparent as students engage with the technical complexities of data collection. As Asher Clissold, one of our other colleagues, reflected, “this field methods course gave me a much deeper understanding of the extensive work that goes into producing the data we often take for granted once the numbers are sitting on a spreadsheet. Collecting high-quality public health data involves far more than simply deploying sensors; it requires careful planning, calibration of instruments, consideration of environmental variables, and strict adherence to standardized protocols.” Students gain hands-on experience using monitoring equipment, adjusting sampling strategies based on field conditions, and ensuring that data are both accurate and representative. “Fine-tuning an experiment to produce reliable results is not just a technical task, but a process that demands critical thinking, adaptability, and creative problem-solving,” Asher noted, adding that the class helped him see something that he draws upon regularly in his current job, how “rigorous and adaptive field research must be in order to drive progress in environmental health and inform evidence-based solutions.”
Class-based didactic sessions that provide detailed grounding in research protocol development, data collection, management, and analysis, and final report writing run concurrently with the field-based sessions. This parallel architecture is also unique, and it improves student understanding of both the principles and practice of exposure science. The class benefits from guest speakers from across the School and from collaborating community stakeholders who come in to address contemporary and longstanding topics in public health, such as the proper use of artificial intelligence, ethical considerations in exposure assessment at the community level, specific exposure science topics such as indoor air pollution assessment in the Boston School district, and quality assurance in field-based exposure science. This exposure to diverse perspectives and real-world applications proves “eye-opening in learning about environmental health disparities and how these and other systemic factors influence health outcomes”, Maeve observed. Teaching assistants and students who have taken the course previously also come in to share tips for how to succeed in the class, and students have access to some of the reports compiled by previous groups. The opportunity to learn from peers, and to see the quality of work and depth of understanding they achieved is highly motivating.
Working in a team, much like scientific or public health implementation teams do in the real world, is a key component of the course. Students develop standard operating procedures for documentation and communication, secure storage of collected data, task sharing and self-evaluation, and timeline management. The course’s infrastructure also includes continuous evaluation of team milestones and group dynamics, as well as targeted guidance from the instructor, which occasionally includes conflict resolution. The collaborative nature of the course extends beyond the classroom, and for one of us, Ahsan, it offered the platform to develop self-initiated strategic relationships across BUSPH and City of Boston’s government agencies, including entities like the Air Pollution Control Commission, with which my group engaged. For me, the comprehensive scope of these projects, involving managing complete research projects from conception to completion, rather than focusing on isolated components, distinguishes this experience from conventional coursework. I found that for me and many of our peers, this comprehensive exposure to project leadership, stakeholder engagement, and cross-institutional partnerships enhanced our ability to articulate both technical competencies and relationship-building capabilities to potential employers.
In last fall’s edition of the class, other projects we set out to work on included measuring air pollution on BU shuttles, comparing emissions from candles versus essential oil diffusers in a controlled experiment, and assessing air pollution in BU sports fields based on their proximity to highways. These diverse projects exemplify the range of real-world exposure assessments that students can pursue, each requiring different methodological approaches and stakeholder engagement strategies.
This fall, the class welcomed another cohort of students. The plan is to similarly develop these essential competencies in exposure assessment, data collection, stakeholder engagement, and public speaking to share scientific findings. The course’s learning objectives directly align with the comprehensive experience students often need when they enter the job market, including independently developing impactful projects, working in teams, synthesizing evidence from existing literature, and effectively communicating with key stakeholders in both written and oral formats. So far, encouraged by the course’s instructor, Dr Kipruto Kirwa, several of us from last year’s cohort, including Ahsan, Asher, Jonathan Lee, and Selene Vences have dropped in to share tips for success and discuss our own exposure science work, reinforcing the the continuity of learning and peer mentorship that the course fosters, and further enriching the course’s unique design.