Projects

We are evaluating the organ distribution of nanoplastics in zebrafish.

PhD Student: Rui Zhang
Funding: China Scholarship Council and Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University

Using high throughput sequencing tools, we are identifying: 1) conserved patterns of response to oil across multiple species; 2) subtle effects resulting from exposure to oil that may have implications for future fisheries management practices, and; 3) novel hypotheses regarding the effects of oil on ecologically important fish species in the Gulf of Mexico.

MS Student: Maggie Wigren
PhD Student: Elizabeth Allmon
Funding: Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative RFP VI
PI: Robert J Griffitt

We evaluated how temperature influences sex differentiation in fathead minnows. We induced non-directional sex reversal after exposing embryos and larvae from 0 h post fertilization to 45 days post hatch to fluctuating temperatures. Expression of hsp70 cycled with temperature.

Student: David Coulter(PhD) (was co-advised with Tomas Höök)
Funding: Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of diseases (virus, bacteria, and helminths) from exotic silver and bighead carps from the Wabash River, IN.

Student: Kensey Thurner
Funding: Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR)

We quantified PPCPs at the Baca Wildlife Refuge, CO and evaluated their impact to native fish such as the Rio Grande chub. We also conducted laboratory experiments with fathead minnows and examined mechanisms of toxicity of DEET, triclocarban, cotinine, and complex mixtures.

MS Student: Jenny Zenobio
Funding: United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant

We have identified and validated a set of miRNAs from D. pulex that are responsive to heavy metal exposure.

PhD Student: Shuai Chen (co-advised by Krista Nichols)
Funding: Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University

The objective of these studies was to assess the mechanism of vascular toxicity of nanosilver.

PhD Student: Jiejun Gao
Funding: China Scholarship Council and Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University

Using the zebrafish, we evaluated how a developmental exposure to atrazine results in later-in-life effects.

Funding: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
PI: Jennifer Freeman

We evaluated the combined effects of extreme dissolved oxygen, temperature, salinity and oil on growth and survival of Fundulus grandis.

MS Students: Jennifer Serafin and Christopher Klinkhammer
Funding: Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative