Metals Found at Elevated Levels in Ultrasonic Cigarettes

Dr. Ester Omaiye, a postdoctoral fellow and ETOX alumna and Prue Talbot, a Professor in the Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology and ETOX faculty member, have recently published the results of their studies showing that ultrasonic cigarettes contain elevated levels of various metals including arsenic, selenium, nickel, silicon, copper and zinc. Because exposure can occur on a repeated basis over a long period of time, these exposures could potentially result in several serious diseases including respiratory diseases such as silicosis and metal fume fever as well as cancer of the lungs, bladder and other tissues.  More information on their study can be found in a recent UCR News article.  Our congratulations to Ester and Prue for this recognition of their important work.  [The photo above is from the UCR News article.]

Another Successful Annual Student Symposium

On Wednesday May 28, the Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program held its annual Student Symposium which consisted of student oral and poster presentations, several meals, a career panel discussion with two alumni Drs. Zhenshan "Hill" Chen and Vanessa Cheng, and a host of awards.  The symposium was a great success with many excellent student presentations.  The award winners were: 

Fukuto Award   Benjamin Maki

Best Oral Presentation Awards: Xiaochen Liang & William Troxel

Honorable mention: John Hoang & Lillian Tran

Audience Choice Award: John Hoang, William Troxel

Best Poster Presentation Award: Anthony Rios

Honorable mention: Zhixin Fang

Best presentation in the weekly seminar series: Ting Zhao

ETOX Faculty Mentor of the Year: Prof. Adler Dillman

We would like to give a special thanks to Dr. Ying-Hsuan Lin, Dustin Domingo, John Hoang and other members of the organizing committee, the moderators (John Hoang, Ting Zhao, Jacob Perkins, Benjamin Maki), the career panel facilitator (William Troxel) and our alumni (Drs. Zhenshan Chen and Vanessa) and the faculty judges. Below are photos of the event, almost all taken by the Program Director Linlin Zhao.  

Beni Maki, the Fukuto Award Winner

The Career Panel with William Troxel (moderator), Zhenshan Chen and Vanessa Cheng (ETOX Alumni)

Prof. Dave Volz Publishes Article Advocating Restriction of Flame Retardants in Furniture

Dave Volz, professor in the Environmental Sciences Department and ETOX faculty member, recently published an opinion piece in the journal Environmental Sciences & Technology advocating that California permanently ban the use of flame retardants in furniture.  He describes the history and problems associated with flame retardant use in California, and foresees that there will be a resurgence in the use of flame retardants if California does not update its furniture flammability standard to ban their usage.  More information about his proposal and the use of flame retardants can be found in a recent UC Riverside News article.  Our congratulations to Dave for this recognition of his work, and for addressing this important issue. [The photo above is from the UC Riverside News article.]

Ting Zhao Selected to Attend the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Germany

Ting Zhao, a 4th year ETOX graduate student working in Prof. Yinsheng Wang's lab has been selected to attend the prestigious Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Germany, where she and Ashley Pimental, another UCR graduate student, will join young scientists from around the world in a week of dialogue with Nobel Prize winners.  Ting's work focuses on understanding how human cells respond to DNA and RNA damage caused by environmental agents. More information about Ting, Ashley and the conference can be found in a recent Inside UCR article.  Our congratulations to Ting and Ashley for these recognitions and the opportunity to learn directly from Nobel Laureates.  [The photo above is from the Inside UCR article]. 

Prof. Adler Dillman Featured on the YouTube Series Ask a CNAS Professor

Adler Dillman, Professor in the Department of Nematology and an ETOX faculty member, and his research have been featured in the YouTube series Ask a CNAS Professor.  In the short video, Adler briefly describes his research in nematology including his recent studies on a parasite in the Colorado that infects dogs.  Our congratulations to Adler for this recognition of his research.    

Ester Omaiye Appointed Chair of the SOT's Postdoctoral Association Executive Board

Dr. Ester Omaiye, an ETOX alumna and currently a postdoctoral fellow working with Prof. Prue Talbot, has recently been appointed as Chair of the Postdoctoral Association Executive Board of the Society of Toxicology.  Our thanks to Ester for this service to our profession and our congratulations to her for this nice recognition.  

Concern about Exposure to Menthol in eCigarettes during Pregnancy

Recent studies by Prue Talbot, a Professor of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology and ETOX faculty member, and Shabnam Etemadi, a bioengineering graduate student, have shown that concentrations of menthol, similar to those from exposure to cigarettes, adversely affect human embryonic stem cells (hESCs).  The effects occurred through activation of stress-related channels in the cells which, as described in a recent UCR News article, "led to inhibition of cell growth, increased cell death, and abnormal cell movement in the hESCs,” said Shabnam Etemadi, the first author of the research paper.  Our congratulations to Shabnam and Prue for this interesting and important work.  [The photo of Shabnam and Prue shown above is from the UCR News article.]

Adler Dillman to Speak in the CNAS Science Lecture Series

Adler Dillman, a Professor in the Nematology Department and ETOX faculty member, will be speaking in this year's College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences Science Lecture Series.  His presentation is entitled, "Parasitic Nematodes: Masters of Disguise" and will be presented on Saturday, May 3 at 2 pm.  To find out more and to reserve a seat, go to the CNAS website.  Our congratulations to Adler for this recognition of his work.  

Changcheng Zhou Elected as AAAS Fellow

Changcheng Zhou, Professor of Biomedical Sciences and ETOX faculty member, has recently been elected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).  As described in a recent Inside UCR article, AAAS fellows are elected by their peers for this "lifetime distinction, which recognizes outstanding research, leadership, teaching, mentoring, fostering collaborations, and advancing public understanding of science."  Prof. Zhou studies the effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals on atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death worldwide. Chengcheng's election was also spotlighted in the recent Society of Toxicology Weekly Update. Our congratulations to Changcheng for this prestigious honor.  

 🎉🎉🎉On a related note, this is blog post #700, a notable milestone for this blog. 🎆🎆🎆

Prof. Chou, Alexa Canchola and Kunpeng Chen Recognized at the 2025 SOT Meeting

Several UCR attendees we're recognized at the 2025 Society of Toxicology (SOT) meeting that took place in March in Orlando, FL.  Wei-Chun Chou, a professor in the Environmental Sciences Department and an ETOX faculty member received the 2025 American Association of Chinese in Toxicology (AACT) JOINN Biomere Outstanding Young Toxicologist Award as well as a certificate of recognition for his service to the specialty group.  Alexa Canchola, a postdoctoral fellow and ETOX alumna, was awarded a travel award from the Southern California Chapter of the SOT.  Kunpeng Chen, a postdoctoral fellow and Environmental Sciences Graduate Program Alumnus, also received the Biological Modeling Specialty Section (BMSS) Best Trainee Abstract Award – Honorable Mention. Our congratulations to Wei-Chun, Alexa and Kunpeng for these nice recognitions.  

Prof. Chou receiving the AACT JOINN Biomere Young Toxicologist Award

Prof. Wei-Chun Chou receiving the service recognition certificate.  

Alexa Canchola (on right) with her travel award certificate with Prof. Chou on left

Prof. Chou, Kunpeng Chen and Alexa Canchola

Alumni Photos from the 2025 SOT Meeting

Sharada Balakrishnan, an ETOX alumna who is currently working at California EPA's Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) attended the 2025 Society of Toxicology meeting this week in Orlando, Florida.  She sent me the following photos of ETOX alumni that she ran into at the meeting. It is great to see that they are doing well. The alumni names and current employers (shown in parentheses) are below.  

From left to right: Sharada Balakrishnan (DTSC), Efrem Neuworth (DTSC) and Drew Olaharski (Relay Therapeutics)

Sharada Balakrishnan and Xiaoqin Ye (University of Georgia)

Environmental Toxicology Program Faculty Recognized at UCR Awards Dinner

On Feb. 6, 2025, the UC Riverside held an awards dinner at the Mission Inn in downtown Riverside to recognize faculty on campus who had been promoted or were recipients of national awards.  The Environmental Toxicology Faculty were well represented.  Below are the names and recognitions received by our faculty. More information about the event can be found in a recent Inside UCR News article. 

Promotion to Associate Professor with tenure: Joseph Genereux, Sachiko Haga-Yamanaka and Samantha Ying

Promotion to Full Professor: Emma Aronson

Advancement to Professor Step VI: Jason Cheng and Ryan Julian

Advancement to Distinguished Professor: Dan Schlenk

David Eastmond - Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomics Society Education Award and Women in Toxicology Special Interest Group of the Society of Toxicology Mentoring Award 

Our congratulations to all of these faculty members for their promotions and recognitions.  [The photo is from the Inside UCR article.]

Remote Internships Available for Students Interested in Chemicals in Consumer Products

The California Department of Toxic Substances Control has paid internships available for both graduate and undergraduate student interested in chemicals in consumer projects.  The positions are part-time during the academic year and can be full-time during the summer or when classes are on break.  More information can be found at this link or by scanning the QR codes above.  Our thanks to ETOX alumnus Tom Tam for letting us know of this opportunity.  

Bahreini Project Allows Air Pollution Monitoring in Real Time

 

Roya Bahreini, Professor of Environmental Science and ETOX faculty member, helps lead ASCENT, a National Science Foundation-funded air pollution monitoring project, that allows real-time monitoring of selected air pollutants, and makes the information available on the internet.  This information has been particularly useful in tracking air pollution resulting from the recent fires that have devastated parts of Los Angeles and nearby communities.  The three Southern California sites, in Pico Rivera, Riverside and Joshua Tree, allow one to see changes in selected pollutants as they move from the Los Angeles metro area through Riverside towards the desert. Roya's work and insights have recently been highlighted in a UC Riverside News article. Our thanks to Roya, her students and colleagues for helping make this resource available.  

Tenure-track Assistant Professor Position in Environmental Toxicology at Western Washington University

Western Washington University (WWU) invites applications for a tenure-track assistant professor position in­­ environmental toxicology beginning Fall Quarter 2025.  The Environmental Science Department and the College of the Environment support Western’s mission to bring together individuals of diverse backgrounds and perspectives in an inclusive, student-centered university that develops the potential of learners and the well-being of communities.  WWU encourages applications from women, people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and other candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and with diverse experiences interested in this faculty position.  A full job description and online application may be found at:  Careers at Western | Human Resources | Western Washington University (wwu.edu)

All research foci in the broad field of environmental toxicology are encouraged to apply. Potential areas of research include but are not limited to: multi-stressor research; molecular, biochemical, and physiological responses to contaminants; new approach methodologies; and the use of non-mammalian model organisms. The successful candidate would be expected to leverage state-of-the-art approaches to understand responses to contaminants, contributing to our understanding of contaminant impacts on the environment.

Review of applications begins Februrary 18th, 2025; position open until filled. Inquiries about the position may be addressed to the search committee chair, Prof. Manuel Montaño, at manuel.montano@wwu.edu.

WWU is a primarily undergraduate state institution (about 15,000 students) in Bellingham, WA, 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia and 90 miles north of Seattle.  We have developed a strong undergraduate research culture that values excellence in research and teaching.

Professor Haizhou Liu Receives Grant to Clean and Reuse Contaminated Agricultural Water

Haizhou Liu, a professor in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering and an ETOX faculty member, and a consortium of researchers from several other University of California campuses have been awarded a $1.4 million grant to develop new approaches to clean and reuse agricultural water.  More information about their award can be found in a recent UC Riverside News article. The proposed work builds upon recent research by Prof. Liu and other UCR researchers including professors Jay Gann and Yujie Men, two other ETOX faculty members, in which they identified a chemical process where salt commonly found in the wastewater of water treatment plants is able to catalyze the break down of hard-to-degrade poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). This research was highlighted in a May 30th 2024 UCR News article. Our congratulations to Haizhou, Jay and Yujie for their important research and the recognition that it is receiving.  [The photo above is from the May UCR News article and shows water samples being treated with UV light.]

Gopher Visit to Mt. Saint Helens has Lasting Effect on the Soil and Vegetation

In 1983, three years after the eruption of the Mt. Saint Helens volcano, professors Mike Allen of UC Riverside and James McMahon of Utah State University traveled to a devastated area on Mt. Saint Helens and released gophers into fenced enclosures for one day.  They returned six years later and documented that the areas where the gophers had been released contained thousands of plants whereas the untouched plots remained barren.  Now, forty years later Mike Allen, an emeritus professor (and former ETOX faculty member) and Emma Aronson, a professor in the Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology and a current ETOX faculty member, returned and demonstrated that the gopher plots had dramatically different and improved soil microorganisms.  Their work was recently published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiomes and was highlighted in UC Riverside News.  It was also featured in many other news reports such as this report in IFLScience.  Our congratulations to Mike, James, Emma and colleagues for their interesting work and the attention that it has received.  [The photo above is of a gopher and plant near the gopher enclosure fence from 1982. It is from Mike Allen and was published in the UCR News Article.]