NIEHS Spotlight

Grantees Host Sebelius During Gulf Visit

During a community roundtable in New Orleans, HHS Secretary Sebelius engaged in candid discussions about the public health implications of the Gulf oil spill.

CDC Taps Portier to Head Programs

Senior Advisor Chris Portier, Ph.D., left NIEHS July 29 to serve as director of the Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry and National Center for Environmental Health.

EHP Takes Environmental Health Education to the Next Level

Science teachers gathered at NIEHS July 7-8 for a workshop sponsored by the EHP Science Education Program and the UNC Superfund Research Program.

Nominations Requested for SOT Anniversary

NIEHS and NTP are helping the SOT mark its 50th anniversary next year with a special poster, banner, and Website commemorating "Benchmarks in Toxicology."

Superfund Grantee Wins NASA Fellowship

University of Arizona Superfund Research Translation Coordinator Monica Ramírez will soon transition into a fulltime Ph.D. student, thanks to a NASA space grant fellowship.

Profiling NIEHS Recovery Act Success Stories

Recipients of NIEHS funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 have been able to develop new, or expand existing, research capabilities.

NIEHS and the Action Agenda on Chemical Exposures

A dedicated group of NIEHS professionals is helping to create a comprehensive national action agenda on chemicals in the environment.

Postdocs Play Key Role in Summer Training

Throughout July, Summers of Discovery students learned about environmental effects on human health in a series of interactive seminars presented by trainees and lab staff.

A Fitting Tribute to Colin Chignell

The journal Photochemistry and Photobiology honored deceased NIEHS Principal Investigator Colin Chignell, Ph.D., with a special "Symposium in Print."

Staff Recognized with NIH Director's Awards

Four NIEHS employees joined representatives from all of the other NIH Institutes and Centers recognized at the 2010 NIH Director's Awards Ceremony July 15.

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Inside the Institute

Campers Engage Hands-on with Nutrition and Fitness

For its fifth annual Science Summer Day Camp June 19, the SEE program took aim at the growing problem of overweight, obesity, and related health issues.

Library Pioneer Dav Robertson Retires

NIEHS Library Chief Dav Robertson marked a career milestone on June 29 as friends and colleagues celebrated his retirement after 33 years at the Institute.

Veteran Biologist Larry Champion Begins Second Career

Laboratory of Molecular Genetics Biologist Larry Champion made it clear June 29 that he was separating after 30 years of federal service, but not really retiring as he looks forward to teaching fulltime.

NIEHS Receives 20,000th Grant Application

With a special cake to mark the event, the NIEHS Division of Extramural Research and Training celebrated a milestone July 22 - receipt of its 20,000th grant application.

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Science Notebook

Chromatin Remodeling and the Glucocorticoid Receptor

NCI geneticist Gordon Hager, Ph.D., shared his recent research findings on epigenetic modification of chromatin in an afternoon seminar July 7 at NIEHS.

Tox21 Welcomes FDA as Partner

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officially joined Tox21, a powerful federal interagency consortium to advance toxicology in the 21st century.

Fellows Honored for Research Excellence

NIEHS set records during the 2011 NIH FARE competition for the numbers of awards to predoctoral fellows and of consecutive awardees.

Summer Students Flock to Lecture Series

Half or more of the 50 students in the Summers of Discovery attended the first three seminars in July, proving that the new format was a formula for success.

Investigating Rare Diseases in Search of a Common Cure

NIH Clinical Center Director John Gallin, M.D., visited NIEHS July 15 to tour the new NIEHS Clinical Research Unit and deliver a presentation as part of the Clinical Director's Seminar Series.

NIEHS Launches NanoHealth Signature Program

A novel project is now underway to investigate the health effects of widely used engineered nanomaterials in susceptible populations.

NTP Holds Symposium on Pathology

NTP sponsored a satellite session that organizers billed as a "Pathology Potpourri" June 19 as part of the 2010 joint symposium of two toxicologic pathology societies.

Chemistry Is Key to Mercury Levels in Saltwater Fish

A new study by NIEHS-funded researchers at Duke University reports on the chemistry of methylmercury (MeHg) degradation in the freshwater and ocean environment.

This Month in EHP

The cover of the August issue of EHP features an eye-popping close-up of oil- and dispersant-polluted water to highlight news features on the Gulf oil spill.

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Extramural Research

Extramural Papers of the Month

• Link Discovered Between Particulate Matter Air Pollution and Sleep-Disordered Breathing
• Living, Breathing Lung-on-a-Chip
• Transcription Termination Flips Out
• Fetal Leydig Cell Protein Regulates Sertoli Cell Proliferation

Intramural Research

Intramural Papers of the Month

• The Structural Elucidation of the 8odGTP-adenine-pol beta Ternary Complex
• Cholesterol Trafficking Linked to Inflammatory Response
• Ozone and TLR4 Lead to Asthma
• C. elegans Genes Increase Lifespan and Resistance to Cadmium

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Calendar of Upcoming Events

• August 4, in Rall F193, 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. - Laboratory of Neurobiology Seminar Series with John Hepler, Ph.D., speaking on "RGS14 Integrates G Protein and MAP Kinase Signaling Pathways Important for Hippocampal Synaptic Plasticity and Learning Behaviors"
• August 5 (Offsite Event), in the McKimmon Center at North Carolina State University, 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. - 9th Annual NC State Undergraduate Research Summer Symposium
• August 16, in Rodbell Auditorium, 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. - DERT Director Candidate Seminar, speaker and topic TBA
• August 17, in Rall Building Mall, 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. - Vendor Trade Show
• August 20, in Rodbell Auditorium, 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. - DERT Director Candidate Seminar, speaker and topic TBA
• August 27, in Rodbell Auditorium, 2:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m. - Years of Service Ceremony emceed by NIEHS/NTP Director Linda Birnbaum, Ph.D.

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) (https://www.niehs.nih.gov/), Office of Communications and Public Liaison. The text 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)