Highlights and News

Recent Presentations

• Naomi Hirsch, COEC Coordinator presented at APHA in D.C. on November 1, 2011 with other NIEHS Centers in a session titled: Can you hear me now? Contemporary models and strategies in environmental health communication. See Naomi's notes on Web-based projects that encourage bi-directional communication and how to have greater impact via the Internet. 
• Kim Anderson was invited to join NIEHS Director Linda Birnbaum and present at the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research Luncheon Briefing in D.C. on May 26th in relation to assessing the health impact of the Gulf Oil Spill.
• Kim Anderson presented twice at the NARPM 21st Annual Training Meeting from May 16-20th. Download the slides in pdf below.
  + A Case Study in Tribal-University Collaboration: Air Sampling on the Swinomish Reservation
  + Innovative Technologies to Quantify Environmental Contaminant Bioavailability & Exposure
• Anna Harding and Barbara Harper presented a webinar entitled "Addressing Tribal Exposures to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Building Tribal Capacity though a Tribal-University Partnership" (5-23-11).

	Analyzing Wastewater	Tracking Air Pollution	New Research Methods	Finding Signs of Aging	Cancer Prevention
	Understanding Skin	Nanotech's Gatekeeper	Bridging the Gap	Gulf Oil Spill Sampling

In the News

(Updated 11/21/11)

2011

Dr. Nancy Kerkvliet was awarded the Pacific Northwest Chapter of Toxicologists (PANWAT) 2011 Achievement Award at the Annual Meeting held October 6-8.  This award is presented to recognize a career of excellence in toxicology scholarship, leadership, and service by an individual within the PANWAT region. Dr. Kervliet was also invited to present a plenary lecture describing their career, decisions and activities that led to her achievements. The title of Dr. Kerkvliet’s lecture was: “Integrating Immunology and Toxicology Research:  Trials and Joys of a Career in Immunotoxicology”.  The lecture was attended by the entire membership of PANWAT, including many past students and trainees of Dr. Kerkvliet who gathered to help recognize her many outstanding accomplishments. The award was presented by the PANWAT President, Dr. Stacey Harper and PANWAT Vice President, Dr. David Stone (both EHSC Investigators).

• Co-conspirators in Melanoma - Researchers discover "partners in crime" in deadly skin disease (Indra)

• Award will allow expansion of nanotech safety research programs (Harper)
  Dr. Stacey Harper Wins ONES award from NIEHS. Read more

• Discovery Helps Explain Progression of Lou Gehrig's Disease, Offers New Therapy Approach (Beckman)
• Nature-Made Medicine (Ho)
• Holding Out Hope - A tenacious scientist's quest for the causes of Lou Gehrig's disease (Beckman)
• OSU honored Dr. Robert Tanguay (SARL Director, EHSC Investigator) with a Distinguished Professor award
  Read the announcement
• Dr. Kim Anderson and research assistants are discussing the research in the Gulf Oil Spill using bioanalytical tools to analyze PAHs in the environment on Green Science Oregon show episode 9.1.
• Tamara Tal, PhD, an NIEHS postdoctoral fellow working with Dr. Tanguay at the Sinnhuber Aquatic Research Lab has been chosen to be a 2011 Science Communication fellow with Environmental Health News.
• Down in the Gulf - Article in Terra Magazine about the OSU research related to the oil spill (Anderson)
• Stringent pollution control in Beijing could save lives (Simonich and Stone)
• Keeping pollution restrictions in Beijing could save lives, a study finds (Simonich)
• Pollution controls used during China Olympics could save lives if continued (Simonich)
• China's Olympic pollution cuts could reduce cancers (Simonich)
• After the Spill: Sarah Allan is Tracking Toxins in the Gulf (Anderson)
• Zebrafish: Tiny see-through fish offer a model for understanding human health (Tanguay)
• Dr. Kim Anderson was awarded a new NIEHS-funded grant. Her application “R21 BRIDGES for Evaluation of Health Outcomes, Repercussions and Impacts in Zones of Oil-spills in Nature” was funded $400,000 for the next two years (2011 - 2012). This project will employ passive sampling devices (PSDs) in the Gulf of Mexico to measure contaminants from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in an effort to connect environmental exposures with biological response. A zebrafish model will be used to test the toxicological effects.
• On January 7, 2011, EHSC Investigators participated in the EMT Research Day sponsored by the Department of Enviornmental Toxicology and the Environmental Health Sciences Center.

2010

• Should parents worry about bisphenol A, aka B-P-A? (Tanguay)
• On November 22nd, 50 years of Toxicology research at OSU was celebrated. See story.
• Congratulations to Dave Stone for winning the Provost's Outreach & Engagement Award for Excellence – Diversity Award. This award consists of a glass sculpture and a significant financial award that Dave can utilize for programmatic activities. The award was presented to him at the annual  Outreach & Engagement Conference Luncheon held on Nov. 19th, 2010.
• Six-Part Video: Stacey L. Harper, Ph.D. presents "Nanotechnology: Huge Science at a Really Small Scale", sponsored by the Yachats Academy of Arts & Sciences. September 11, 2010.
• Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill: Making a Difference - EHSC Investigator Kim Anderson is using air and water passive sampler devices (PSDs) in the Gulf of Mexico before, during and post impact from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Learn more and view a video.
• New Approaches Needed to Gauge Safety of Nanotech-Based Pesticides, Researchers Urge (Stone and Anderson)
• Gulf oil spill released toxic, tough-to-track chemicals (Anderson)
• OSU Researchers find heightened levels of known carcinogens in Gulf (Anderson)
• Why That Clean Air You're Breathing in National Parks Might Not Be so Clean (Simonich)
• "Co-conspirator" cells could hold key to melanoma prediction, prevention (Indra)
• Toxicologists warn that waters that look clear of oil can be deceiving (Anderson)
• OPB News - How Pristine Are Our National Parks? (Simonich)
• Studies confirm presence, severity of pollution in national parks (Simonich)
• What You Eat Affects You, Your Kids and Your Grandkids (Dashwood)
• Don't forget to eat your greens (Bailey)
• Dr. Balz Frei recognized as "distinguished professor" (Frei)
• Hunt for Dioxin Substitutes to Fight Autoimmune Diseases (Kerkvliet)

2009

• Lead may provide new therapy for Lou Gehrig’s disease (Beckman)
• EHSC Investigators Receive New ARRA Funding to study Novel Immune System Therapy (Kerkvliet and Kolluri)
• New techniques show complexity of Willamette River Superfund cleanup (Anderson)
• Bad Breath (Simonich)
• OSU to head major national program to study health risks of 'PAH' toxins(Williams)
• OSU scientists lead study on danger of certain air pollution (Simonich)
• New Diagnostic Advance Seen For Head, Throat Cancer (Indra)
• Pollutants in the womb can trigger adult cancers (Williams)

2008

• OSU Scientist Develops Cancer Cell Killer (Kolluri)
• Mom's pregnancy diet may set table for child's cancer risk (Williams)
• New Method Identifies Meth Hot Spots (Sudakin)
  Umatilla County has Oregon's most meth problems
• China's Olympic Pollution Efforts Paid Off, Expert Says (Simonich)
• Beijing's blue-sky thinking gives scientists a golden opportunity to study the effects of pollution (Simonich)
• Trout used as ‘lab rats’ in cancer study (Benninghoff)
• Get a Little Sun This Summer – It Could Help Save Your Life (LPI)
• Mainstream Studies on Vitamin Efficacy Flawed (LPI)
• New Mechanism Identified for Action of Possible Carcinogen (Benninghoff)

2007

• OSU Researchers Develop New Approach for Studying Tissue Regeneration (Tanguay)
  An Interview with Dr. Tanguay. Zebrafish Journal
  
• Cancer Research Highlighted in the OSU President's Report 2007(Williams)
• You Can Teach an Old Dog New Tricks – With the Right Diet (Hagen)
• Getting Better Numbers on Drugs (Field)
  Oregon Gets Statewide Drug Test; Washington Likely Next
• Wastewater chemistry reveals patterns of municipal drug use (Field and Sudakin)
• ‘Epigenetics’ Providing a New View of Diet and Cancer (Dashwood)
• Abby Benninghoff: Mixing Chemistry and Communication (Benninghoff)
  Ten Outstanding Scientists Chosen as Science Communication Fellows

2006

• Breakthrough Provides New Tool for Degenerative Disease Studies (Beckman)

Photo credit: Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

EHSC Investigator Staci Simonich, left, removes and replaces filters with Peking University graduate student Wentao Wang. Dr. Simonich was on-site in Beijing to monitor air quality for the 2008 Olympic Games.  Learn more about her research.

Past Events

• OSU Gerontology Conference in April 2010,
  A 90-minute sessions which will cover Indoor Air Quality
• Mini-symposium about conducting research in tribal communities on April 7th, 2010 at OSU. More information
• Symposium on Mass Spectronomy and Allied Topics in October 2009
• Environmental Stresses & Fish Deformities in the Willamette River
  A community forum held in Wilsonville, OR