Integrated Research Programs - Center for Environmental Health Sciences at Dartmouth

Research: Overview About us Areas of Expertise The Topics We Study Integrated Research Programs Technical Support Services	Integrated Research Programs Scientific work at Dartmouth's Center for Environmental Health Sciences includes research programs that integrate several interdisciplinary studies around a common problem. Focused research programs such as these are often funded by "program project" grants, usually from federal agencies, that enable a group of scientists to focus collectively on a particular research question.
	The Dartmouth Toxic Metals Research Program is investigating how arsenic and other toxic metals in the environment affect ecosystems and human health. The program includes six interrelated research projects and is funded by the Toxic Substances Basic Research Program of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Program Director: Joshua Hamilton
	The Molecular Genetics of Metal Uptake Program is studying the biology of metal ions, critical nutrients that can also be toxic when they accumulate in living things. The long-range goal of the project is to define the molecular mechanism of metal ion uptake and its regulation in eukaryotic cells. The program is funded by the National Science Foundation. Program Director: Mary Lou Guerinot
	The Dartmouth Cholera Project addresses studies of the complex, dynamic relationship between cholera outbreaks and changes in the ecosystem. This project is one of the first of its kind in the world, melding cutting edge technologies and expertise from both the ecological and molecular genetics aspects of a microorganism that has significant impacts on health and society. Ronald Taylor, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Dartmouth Medical School is the principal investigator for the project who works together with co-principal investigators Kathryn Cottingham, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences in Dartmouth's College of Arts and Sciences, and Deborah Chiavelli, a postdoctoral fellow in the Taylor lab, to direct the project. Program Director: Ron Taylor
	Daphnia Genome Project The water flea Daphnia, an important part of the food web in lakes and ponds, is considered a "sentinel" species -- an indicator of ecosystem health. In 2001 researchers from Dartmouth, the University of New Hampshire , Indiana University, and Utah State University formed the Daphnia Genomics Consortium to develop Daphnia as a model organism for use in toxicology and ecology studies. The consortium now includes researchers from around the world. In September 2002 researchers from Dartmouth (Joshua Hamilton, Carol Folt, Celia Chen, Joseph Shaw) and Indiana University (Michael Lynch, John Colbourne) were awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Biocomplexity grant, which will enable them to generate a comprehensive gene "encyclopedia" for Daphnia, similar to the recently completed human genome project. A collaborator at the University of New Hampshire (Kelley Thomas) recently received a second grant from NSF to support the project. Genetic information obtained from this research will help scientists determine how Daphnia respond to environmental agents such as mercury and PCBs, with a goal of developing a genetic "fingerprint" of ecosystem exposure and response. Program Co-Directors: Joshua Hamilton and Carol Folt

top of page

Center for Environmental Health Sciences at Dartmouth © 2001
This page was last modified on : Friday, 05-Nov-2004 07:31:05 EST

Web Administrator

Web design ©2001 Fairman Studios. All Rights Reserved.