Category Archives: About Us
News: Oceans and Human Health Center
CCEE faculty to advance understanding of toxic algae blooms, protect human health as part of new NSF, NIEHS Center at NC State
Obenour will lead a project with Dietrich and Natalie Nelson (Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering) focused on the development of models to predict the transport of cyanotoxins — toxins produced by cyanobacteria released in algae blooms — in coastal environments. The models will focus on coastal North Carolina, especially the estuaries and sounds where freshwaters mix with saline waters. With the models, researchers will evaluate where cyanotoxins may collect and where they may originate. They will also evaluate scenarios of future climate, such as how changes in temperature, river flows, and sea levels may affect the transport of cyanotoxin.
According to Obenour, “the research will protect public health by identifying cyanotoxin hotspots and by informing management actions to reduce cyanotoxin risks in the future.”
2024/02/28 – NCSU College of Sciences
NC State Receives $6.9 Million From NSF, NIEHS to Fund New Oceans and Human Health Center
NC C-CAPE will carry out three research projects. The goal of the first project is to understand the dynamics of harmful algal blooms and learn more about the presence and distribution of microcystin — a liver toxin — across the Pamlico-Albemarle Sound System, the country’s largest lagoonal estuary. They will then link spatiotemporal patterns to the contamination of seafood. The second project will define how microcystin mixtures influence mechanisms of liver toxicity in regulatory-relevant mammalian models and at-risk human populations. In the third project, researchers will work to predict microcystin distributions in water and seafood based on various environmental controls — and assess exposure risk in a changing climate. They will do so by integrating diverse data sets and coastal circulation modeling within a probabilistic modeling framework.
Jack selected for Climate Leaders Program
Congrats to Jack!
Johnathan gets his Diploma
Johnathan is now a research oceanographer with the USGS in St. Petersburg, but he returned to NCSU for his graduation ceremony. It was great to see him again, hood him at the ceremony, and congratulate him. We are proud of Johnathan!
Tomás wins Scott C. Hagen Excellence in Scholarship Award
Congratulations to Tomás!
Scott Hagen was a professor at UCF and LSU, a leading researcher in the development of models for coastal circulation and flooding, a devoted educator and mentor to hundreds of students in his career, and a great friend. This award is a great way to honor his memory.
News: Department Social Media
YouTube
Jack Voight was featured on social media in a video about his summer research in our REU program. He is running simulations of storm surge and coastal flooding as part of a project about total water levels at coastal infrastructure. Glad he is part of our team!
Jessica is CoE Masters Scholar of the Year for Research
Jessica’s research is centered on finding answers to this question: During a hurricane, where will the beaches and dunes ‘fail’ along our coast? These systems are heavily engineered – communities invest in and rely on beaches and dunes to protect homes and lives during storms. She has become a leader in research with computational models to advance understanding of storm-driven erosion and flooding of coastal regions.
This award was publicized by both the CoE and our department.
Congratulations to Jessica!
Jenero selected as Global Change Research Fellow
The fellowship program is designed to train the next generation of global change scientists by providing financial, scientific, and professional development support for graduate students who are interested in multi-disciplinary research. They come together across disciplines to discover, collaborate, and share their knowledge with diverse stakeholders. Learn more about the program at the SECASC web site.
Congratulations to Jenero!