Updating social media and news on the website has been more and more challenging a somewhat redundant. That is why we have decided to move the NEWS section to our Facebook space, where you can catch up with the latest at Eirin-Lopez’s Chromevol Lab at FIU! Still, we will be posting some cool stuff every once in a while here so don’t erase us from your bookmarks!
Victoria Suarez-Ulloa defended her PhD dissertation last week with perfect scores!, this completes a very productive stage in her academic trajectory with 10 papers published, several presentations in international conferences and most importantly, a postdoctoral position already lined up in Europe to continue working with population epigenomics. Vicky, we’re really proud of you and wish you the best for the future!!!
Our own Michelot Michel (Biology senior) has been awarded with the Exemplary Service Award from the College of Arts, Sciences and Education, congrats!!! Michelot is also one of the finalists for the Outstanding Student Life Awards that will be announced tomorrow evening in a gala dinner and also for the Cuervo Prize awarded by FIU’s Biology Department. If all of that is not enough, Michelot is giving the final touches to his Honors dissertation, focused on the epigenetic responses of the flat tree oyster Isgonomon alatus to seasonal changes in Northern Biscayne Bay. Michelot will be defending his dissertation on April 17th at WC130, MMC Campus, FIU. We all look forward for a great presentation!
Our latest work “Effects of Florida Red Tides on histone variant expression and DNA methylation in the Eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica” has been accepted for publication in the journal Aquatic Toxicology (3.557 impact factor, ranked 3/104 in Marine & Freshwater Biology). The unformatted version of the paper is available at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166445X17300760 and HERE. This work was developed by our lab at FIU (Environmental Epigenetics group, Dept. Biology, Institute of Water and Environment, CREST Center for Aquatic Chemistry and Environment) in collaboration with the Ecotoxicology Lab (SERC) and the University of Vigo, in Spain. We also collaborated with Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve during this research. Our results provide a basis to better understand how Florida Red Tides affect oysters and epigenetic mechanisms participating in their responses to environmental stress, opening new avenues to incorporate environmental epigenetics approaches into management and conservation programs. We are currently building on this work in collaboration with Mote Marine Lab as well as with aquaculture stakeholders in south and central Florida.
Vicky Suarez-Ulloa is on an end of year winning streak! after getting a Dissertation Year Fellowship last month, she has been presented with the outstanding InWE-MERI grad student award (FIU’s Institute of Water and Environment, Marine Education and Research Initiative). Congratulations Vicky, on track to defend your Ph.D. dissertation this summer!!!
Last week we had the chance of participating in a session focused on environmental epigenetics in the world congress of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. It was really great to see so many people interested in using epigenetic approaches to address environmental problems, involving a wide range of new model organisms encompassing environmental and ecological relevance. From our side, we presented works investigating the epigenetic modifications involved in responses to Florida Red tides in Eastern oysters (talk by Dr. Eirin-Lopez), the different genetic networks activated during responses (Victoria Suarez-Ulloa) as well as the first results from our most recent efforts to elucidate the epigenetic mechanisms underlying coral responses to nutrient stress in the ocean (Javier Rodriguez-Casariego). Overall, we left with a great feeling and looking forward to see environmental epigenetics grow and its links with ecology, toxicoloy and physiology being further explored in the future!
With a $5,000,000 grant from the National Science Foundation support (Division Of Human Resource Development), Florida International University will establish the Center for Aquatic Chemistry and the Environment (CREST). Our group participates in this 5-year project led by Biology Professor Todd A. Crowl.
Human-derived environmental contaminants are recognized as having significant effects on ecosystems and biota as well as on human wellbeing. It is critical to understand the biogeochemical processes that govern the fate of these compounds and their impacts on the ecosystem. Center for Aquatic Chemistry and the Environment research will address the sources, transport, transformation and ecosystem responses to contaminants, pollutants and other natural stressors, under changing land-use and environmental conditions. The proposed research will advance current efforts on the biological effects, transport, transformation and distribution of contaminants in the environment into new collaborative research areas that investigate the sources and transport of contaminants and pollutants in aquatic systems. The Center articulates three research subprojects organized around environmental chemistry, biogeochemistry, ecology and data synthesis and modeling as they pertain to regional water resources. In doing so, the Center for Aquatic Chemistry and the Environment will establish innovative opportunities for students to experience authentic and socially relevant environmental research and foster their development as future STEM professionals.
Dr. Eirin-Lopez will be presenting the conference “The Epigenetics Revolution Reaches the Ocean” next Friday, April 15th, at the Murray E. Nelson Government Center in Key Largo, FL. A meet & greet will take place at 6 pm, followed by the conference at 7 pm. We’re looking forward to meet our Friends Of The Key Largo Cultural Center.
Our own Gabriel (Lu) Diaz is a new Fellow in the 2016 Ronald E. McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement Program (mcnairscholars.com), BIG congratulations!!! The McNair Scholars Program is a federal TRIO program funded at 151 institutions across the United States and Puerto Rico by the U.S. Department of Education. It is designed to prepare undergraduate students for doctoral studies through involvement in research and other scholarly activities. McNair participants are either first-generation college students with financial need, or members of a group that is traditionally underrepresented in graduate education and have demonstrated strong academic potential. The goal of the McNair Scholars Program is to increase graduate degree awards for students from underrepresented segments of society. The induction ceremony will take place next Tuesday, March 29th at 6pm, in the MMC Campus at FIU.
Javier graduated from the University of Havana, Cuba (B.S. Biology, 2008; M.S. Marine Biology, 2012) and has worked as a research scientist for the Marine Research Center at this institution until his transition to FIU. During the last 2 years he acted as senior research technician for FIU’s Ecotoxicology Laboratory before joining the Biology Graduate program. Javier is already participating in several Chromevol projects examining environmental epigenetic responses in marine invertebrates. His collaboration has been instrumental for the simulation of HAB episodes using Eastern oysters last summer (he presented preliminary results about this work in the Biosymposium last month), as well as for the analysis of coral samples exposed to nutrient loading. Those preliminary results will constitute the conceptual basis for his Ph.D. project. Welcome!!!
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