Madeline Vera-Colon Receives BMS Research Training Award at the Society of Toxicology Meeting

Madeline Vera-Colon, an ETOX M.S. alumna and current Ph.D. student at UC Irvine received the Bristol Myers Squibb Graduate Student Research Training Award to Promote Diversity in Toxicology.  Madeline works in the laboratory of Professor Nicole Sparks, another ETOX alumna.  The award was presented during the recent Society of Toxicology meeting San Diego.  Both Madeline and Nicole were invited to the podium. Several photos from the award ceremony are below. Our congratulations to Madeline on this well deserved award.  

Environmental Toxicology Faculty Recognized at 2026 UCR Awards Reception

On March 5, 2026, UC Riverside held a Faculty Recognition Reception at the Riverside Convention Center 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: Sihem Cheloufi and Jernej Murn.

Advancement to Professor Step VI: Jikui Song. 

Manuela Martins-Green - Elected as Fellow of the Wound Healing Society and as a member of its Board of Directors.

Mihri Ozkan - Selected for the Invention Ambassador Award by the National Academy of Inventors.

Changcheng Zhou Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Our congratulations to these faculty members for their promotions and recognitions.  [The photo above of Mihri Ozkan (on right) and her husband Cenziz Ozkan is from the Inside UCR article.]

Prof. Martins-Green Receives Lifetime Achievement Award from the Wound Healing Society

Manuela Martins-Green, Professor of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, and an ETOX faculty member, has been selected to receive the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Wound Healing Society. As described in an Inside UCR article on the award, the award is "given to an individual who has been recognized and nominated by their peers in the field, The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes the work of a scientist who has provided leadership or made significant discovery in the field of wound healing and advanced wound care and research.... Martins-Green will receive the award at a ceremony on April 10 during the annual meeting of the WHS in Charlotte, North Carolina. She said she is “deeply honored and grateful” to receive the award in recognition of her efforts to advance wound healing research and treatment". 

John Hoang Wins 1st Place in the SCCSOT Abstract Competition

Current ETOX student John Hoang recently won 1st place in the abstract competition at the fall meeting of the Southern California Chapter of the Society of Toxicology (SCCSOT).  The SCCSOT newsletter announcing the awards noted that "Following a rigorous application review process by our committee, these individuals were selected for their scientific merit, clarity, and impact on the field of toxicology". Our congratulations to John for this nice recognition.  [The above photo is from the SCCSOT newsletter.]

Researchers Warn of Potential Hazard of Second Hand Vaping Aerosols

ETOX student Wonsik Woo, his advisor Prof. Ying-Hsuan Lin, a professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences and ETOX faculty member, and their collaborators, recently published their research on e-cigarette aerosols, the production of reactive oxygen species within ultra fine particles, and their implications for those exposed to second-hand vapors in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.  As noted in a a recent article in Newsweek magazine on their research, the authors analysis showed "that the aged aerosols went on to create radicals, with ultrafine particles notably producing around 100 times more radicals relative to their weight than larger-grade particles".  The research was the focus of American Chemical Society Chemistry for Life news article.  Our congratulations to Wonsik, Ying-Hsuan and their collaborators for this nice recognition of their work.  [The image above is from the journal article mentioned above.]

Catherine Gibbons Spotlighted by the USEPA

Catherine Gibbons, ETOX alumna who has worked at the USEPA since graduating in 2008, was the spotlighted on the USEPA Science Matters webpage last year.  I only recently became aware of the interview.  It is an enjoyable read and a good introduction to Catherine, and her background and perspectives. Our congratulations to Catherine for this nice recognition. [The photo above is from the USEPA webpage and shows Catherine on top of Paw Paw Tunnel, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal in Maryland.  Catherine has become an avid bike rider (when she can find the time).  

John Hoang Receives Travel Award from the UCR Emeriti Association

Current ETOX PhD student, John Hoang, recently received a travel award from the UCR Emeriti Association which he will use to attend the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) - Europe meeting in Maastricht, The Netherlands in May.  Our congratulations to John and Tzu-Chia Chen, an Entomology graduate student, who also won a travel award.  [The photo above was generously provided by Cristina Otegui, Director of the UCR Retirement Center.  John Hoang is on the right, Tzu-Chia Chen is in the middle, and Prof. Darleen DeMason who presented the award, is on the right.]