Scientific Sessions and Presentations

Annual Meeting of the Superfund Research Program

Scientific session speakers shared research findings and implications of their work, with a focus on four topics: halogenated pollutants, emerging contaminants and pollutant mixtures, developmental and other human health effects, and arsenic and heavy metals. Presentations ranged from efforts to better understand health effects, mechanisms of actions, and variability in toxicity of legacy and emerging chemicals, to field work and bench-scale projects to remediate chemicals at hazardous waste sites and near communities.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Opening Statements
Stephania Cormier, Ph.D., Co-Director, LSU Superfund Research Center
F. King Alexander, Ph.D., President and Chancellor of LSU

Scientific Session 1: Emerging Contaminants and Pollutant Mixtures
Co-Chairs: Stephania Cormier, Ph.D., Louisiana State University, and Christopher Olivares, University of Arizona  

• Introductory Remarks
  Stephania Cormier,Ph.D., Louisiana State University
• Spatial analysis of ADHD-related Behaviors and Exposure to Chemical Mixtures Near the New Bedford Harbor Superfund Site
  Veronica Vieira, Ph.D., Boston University
• Coupling Site Specific Passive Sampling Devices and the Embryonic Zebrafish Model to Define the Toxicity of Environmentally Relevant Mixtures
  Robert Tanguay, Ph.D., Oregon State University
• In-vitro screening for Inter-individual and Population Variability in Toxicity of Pesticide Mixtures
  Nour Abdo, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Cardiopulmonary Actions of Environmentally Persistent Free Radicals
  Kurt Varner, Ph.D., Louisiana State University
• Social, Psychological, and Economic Impacts of Superfund and other Contaminated Sites
  James Rice, Ph.D., Brown University
• Chemical Speciation in Soils and Sediments: The Role of Biogeochemistry in Risk Assessment and Environmental Decision Making
  Jim Shine, Ph.D., Harvard University

Scientific Session 2: Environmental and Health Effects of Halogenated Pollutants
Co-Chairs: Larry Robertson, Ph.D., University of Iowa, and Isaac Pessah, Ph.D. University of California, Davis  

• Introduction
  Larry Robertson, Ph.D., University of Iowa
• Structure-activity Relationship of Select Meta- and Para-hydroxylated Non-Dioxin-Like Polychlorinated Biphenyls: From Single RyR1 Channels to Muscle Dysfunction
  Isaac Pessah, Ph.D., University of California, Davis
• Investigating Non-coplanar PCB Tolerance in Atlantic Killifish (fundulus heteroclitus) from New Bedford Harbor
  Erica Fritsch, Ph.D., University California, Davis
• Structure-activity relationship of PCBs in uncoupling CYP catalytic cycles and generation of reactive oxygen species
  John Stegeman, Ph.D., Boston University
• The Role of B-cell Lymphoma-6 (BCL-6) in TCDD-Mediated Impaired Human B-cell Activation
  Ashwini Phadnis, Michigan State University
• Polychlorinated Biphenyl Toxicity is Mediated Through the Cross-Talk of Caveolin-1 and Nrf2
  Michael Petriello, University of Kentucky
• Transport Modeling of PCB Emissions from Indiana Harbor Riverview Ballroom and Ship Canal into the Local Atmosphere
  Andres Martinez, Ph.D., University of Iowa

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Scientific Session 3: Risks of Pollutants during Early Life Exposures
Co-Chairs: Akram Alshawabeh, Ph.D., Northeastern University, and Kelly Hogan, Ph.D., University of Michigan

• Introduction
  Kelly Hogan, Ph.D., University of Michigan
• Epigenetic Mechanisms Linking Environment to Developmental Outcomes
  Carmen Marsit, Ph.D, Dartmouth University
• Proteomics Analysis of Biomarkers of Organophosphorus Exposures
  Judit Marsillach, Ph.D., University of Washington
• Identifying Candidate Susceptibility Loci for Reproductive Toxicants Using Functional Profiling in Yeast
  Chris Vulpe, M.D., Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
• Early Exposure to Flame Retardant Metabolites Impairs Zebrafish Development
  Laura Macaulay, Duke University
• Trichloroethylene Effects in Pregnant Wistar Rats
  Iman Hassan, University of Michigan
• Perinatal PCB 126 Exposure Alters Offspring Body Composition and Glucose Tolerance
  Cetewayo Rashid, University of Kentucky

Scientific Session 4: Arsenic and Heavy Metals
Co-Chairs: Raina Maier, Ph.D., University of Arizona, and Bruce Stanton, Ph.D., Dartmouth University

• Introduction
  Raina Maier, Ph.D., University of Arizona, and Bruce Stanton, Ph.D., Dartmouth University
• Urinary Creatinine: The Grand Enigma - Implications of Its Use as a Urine Dilution Adjustment Factor in Epidemiologic Studies of Metal Exposure
  Megan Hall, Sc.D., Columbia
• Assessing Arsenic Exposure in the Community Surrounding the Iron King Superfund Site
  Ana Sugeng, University of Arizona
• Disrupting Heavy Metal Homeostasis in Arabidopsis: AtOPT3 Affects Iron and Cadmium Partitioning in Roots, Shoots, and Seeds
  Timothy Jobe, University of California, San Diego

Award Presentations

Wetterhahn Award and Presentation Corin Hammond, Ph.D., University of Arizona

KC Donnelly Award Presentations

• Hypoxia Perturbs Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Signaling and CYP1A1 Expression Induced by 3,3',4,4',5-Pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB 126) in Human Cells
  Sabine Vorink, University of Iowa
• Passive Sampling Capacity Building with the KC Donnelly Externship
  Steven G. O’Connell, Oregon State University