NIEHS Spotlight

Blackshear Lecture Kicks Off Scientific Director Selection

The Scientific Director Candidate Seminar Series commenced on July 2 in Rodbell Auditorium with a talk by Perry Blackshear, M.D., D.Phil., titled "The TTP Family of Tandem Zinc Finger Proteins and their Roles in mRNA Turnover." Blackshear, the first candidate under consideration, reviewed his lab’s recent research on a group of proteins in the Tristetrapolin (TTP) family and potential novel clinical applications of the lab’s findings...read more

NTP Introduces Revised Nomination Review

During the June 22 meeting of its Board of Scientific Counselors (BSC) in Rodbell Auditorium, the National Toxicology Program (NTP) introduced an important revision to its study nomination review process. This process governs the protocol for moving chemicals from initial nomination for toxicology studies to the point at which NTP has approval to design and initiate those studies...read more

Co-op Program Continues to Pay off for NIEHS

When Vanessa Knight began work as a budget analyst at NIEHS in May, she became a member of a select cadre of NIEHS employees who have transitioned into full-time employment through NIEHS administrative co-op programs at local colleges and universities. Knight’s new circle of peers includes what Office of Director (OD) and Office of Management (OM) Lead Administrative Officer (AO) Charletta Fowler recently described as "a unique group of AOs" — some of the leading administrators in their respective divisions...read more

Panel Offers Tips for Scientists Talking to the Media

The auditorium at Duke University’s Bryan Center quickly filled with scientists and science reporters on June 22 for a brown-bag panel discussion titled "Talking to the Public: How Can Media Coverage of Science Be Improved." The event was co-sponsored by Sigma Xi, the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy, and the Council for Advancement of Science Writing. The Science Communicators of North Carolina helped to publicize the event in Triangle scientific community...read more

NTP Board Calls for Expediting Alternative Testing Methods

As the final item on its June 22 meeting agenda, the National Toxicology Program (NTP) Board of Scientific Counselors (BSC) reviewed a draft five-year plan to encourage research, development and validation efforts that will lead to alternative approaches to regulatory testing using animals. William Stokes, D.V.M., director of the NTP Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods (NICEATM) and executive director of the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCVAM) presented the BSC with an overview of the history and progress of the plan’s development...read more

Summers of Discovery Celebrates Class of 2007

On July 25, the 2007 Summers of Discovery program held its annual poster session in Building 101. Of this year’s 75 interns, 58 participants displayed results of their two- to three-months’ work with NIEHS scientists. Thirteen of the posters were presented by high school students. Winners of the competition were announced during the July 27 Awards Ceremony in Rodbell Auditorium, which for many interns marked the completion of their summer at the Institute....read more

Science Notebook

EPA Biologist Reviews Endocrine Disruptors

On June 29 in Rodbell Auditorium, the Frontiers of Environmental Science Lecture Series featured a talk by biologist Suzanne E. Fenton, Ph.D., on "The Mammary Gland as a Sensitive Tissue for Detecting Effects of Environmental Components." The talk was hosted by Laboratory of Molecular Carcinogenesis Fellow Rosemarie Ramos, Ph.D. Fenton attracted a near-capacity crowd of NIEHS scientists who share her research interests in the effects of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) on the reproductive health of mammals and their offspring...read more

Genetic Epidemiologist Speaks on DNA Adducts in Prostate Cancer

During a July 10 visit to NIEHS for an extramural grant review, genetic epidemiologist Benjamin A. Rybicki, Ph.D., gave a presentation titled "DNA Adducts as a Marker of Biologically Effective Dose in Prostate Cancer," Among those attending were his grant administrator, Kimberly McAllister, Ph.D., and DERT Acting Director Dennis Lang, Ph.D...read more

Extramural Update: Short Term Career Development Award (K18) Applications Being Accepted

Applications are now being accepted for the NIEHS Short Term Career Development Award in the Environmental Health Sciences for Established Investigators (K18). The program offers established, well-funded mid-career level investigators support for the development of research capability in the environmental health sciences or in translational research. The awards provide candidates with protected time to achieve a shift in the focus of their research direction, or to learn exposure biology relevant to their ongoing research projects. These short-term mentored career development awards range from three months to one year in duration...read more

Extramural Research

Extramural Papers of the Month

• Semen Quality Lower when Mother’s Beef Consumption High during Pregnancy
• Iron and Paraquat — Synergistic Risk Factors for Parkinson’s Disease
• Cancer Deaths Still High Decades after Exposure to Arsenic Reduced
• Men with Higher Bone and Blood Lead Levels at Greater Risk for Heart Disease

Intramural Research

Intramural Papers of the Month

• Inhibiting Enzyme Reduces Fluid in the Lung Caused by Viral Infection
• COX-2 Inhibits UVB-Induced Epidermal Apoptosis after Acute Exposure
• Dairy Products and Parkinson’s Disease
• Genetic Polymorphisms and Childhood Asthma and Atopy

Calendar of Upcoming Events

• August 1 in Rodbell, 11:00–12:30 — Summers of Discovery Seminar Series featuring Farhad Imani, Ph.D., speaking on "Respiratory Virus Infections and Immune Responses"
• August 3 in Rodbell, 9:00–10:00 — Frontiers in Environmental Sciences Lecture Series, Speaker and Topic TBA
• August 6 in Rodbell, 10:00–11:30 — DIR Scientific Director Candidate Seminar featuring Rudy Juliano, Ph.D., speaking on "Integrin-Mediated Control of Cell Signaling Events"
• August 6 (Off Campus Event) in Alexandria, Va., 8:30-5:00 NTP CERHR Bisphenol A Expert Panel Meeting II
• August 6 (Off Campus Event) in the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center Plaza Conference Room, 5:00 —Norman Sharpless, M.D., speaking on Murine Models of Lung Cancer
• August 7 in the Executive Conference Room, 12:00–1:00 — Receptor Mechanisms Discussion Group featuring Karen Adelman, Ph.D., speaking on "Poised Polymerases: Sitting in the Starting Gates and Ready to Respond"
• August 7 in Rodbell, 4:00–5:00 — NTP Q&A Session with DIR Scientific Director Candidate Rudy Juliano, Ph.D.
• August 8 in Rodbell, 11:00–12:30 — Summers of Discovery Seminar Series featuring Jack Taylor, M.D., Ph.D., speaking on "A Random Walk Through Biomedical Careers and Gene Polymorphisms"
• August 10 in Rodbell, 9:00–10:00 — Frontiers in Environmental Sciences Lecture Series featuring Redford Williams, M.D., addressing the topic of "Stressful Social Environments and Genes: Effects on Mental and Physical Well-Being"
• August 10 in Rodbell, 1:00–2:30 — Seminar: "DNA Processing in Auto-Immune Disease" by Fred Perrino, Ph.D.
• August 15 in Rodbell and environs, 8:00-5:00 — Friends and Family Day
• August 16 in Rodbell, 8:00–6:00 — Conference: Network Approaches to Investigating Environmental Influences on Human Disease
• August 17 in Rodbell, 9:00–10:00 — Frontiers in Environmental Sciences Lecture Series featuring Ken Olden, Ph.D.
• August 22 in D-350, 12:00–1:00 — LMG Seminar Series with Stephanie Nick McElhinny, Ph.D., speaking on "Leading- and Lagging-Strand Polymerases"
• August 27-29 (Off Campus Event) at Durham Marriott — Conference: "Endocrine Disruptor Research: Basic Biology, Mechanisms, and Translation to Human Health Risk"
• August 31 in Rodbell, 9:00–10:00 — Frontiers in Environmental Sciences Lecture Series with Donald M. Anderson, Ph.D., cautioning his audience, "Don't Eat the Clams: Managing the Threat from the New England Red Tide"

View More Events: NIEHS Public Calendar

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The Environmental Factor is produced monthly by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) (http://www.niehs.nih.gov/), Office of Communications and Public Liaison. The content is not copyrighted, and it can be reprinted without permission. If you use parts of Environmental Factor in your publication, we ask that you provide us with a copy for our records. We welcome your comments and suggestions (bruskec@niehs.nih.gov).