Center for Environmental BioInorganic Chemistry

Princeton University, Princeton NJ

Investigators

Abstract

Francois M. Morel, Ward, Groves, Spiro and Stiefel at Princeton; Moffett at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute; Young, and Zylstra at Rutgers; and Bruland, Butle, and Haygood at The University of California are supported by the Division of Chemistry for their interdisciplinary collaboration aimed at elucidating the molecular mechanisms of the function, fate, and effect of trace elements in the environment. This award includes collaborations between Princeton, Rutgers and ExxonMobil to work on hydrocarbon degradation, among three University of California campuses, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and Rutgers to work on iron and Trichodesmium, and between McGill and Princeton to work on the isolation of metalloenzymes from marine diatoms. The team will be focusing on the structure and function of important natural metalloenzymes and metal-binding compounds at the molecular level and creating new tools to study them in the environment. Enhanced understanding of the local and global effects of metals in the environment will lead to a more precise and predictive understanding of and establish the basic knowledge necessary to develop better technologies for pollution control, mitigation and remediation. The interdisciplinary collaborations between researchers at Princeton, Rutgers, three University of California campuses, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and Exxon-Mobil offer unique interdisciplinary training opportunities for the students and postdoctoral researchers involved with this work. Environmental Molecular Science Institute (EMSI) awards are given to interdisciplinary teams of university, industrial and/or national laboratory scientists working on problems aimed at increasing fundamental understanding of natural processes and processes resulting from human activities in the environment at the molecular level. The emphasis in these awards is on collaborative research among teams with complementary research interests and the creation of broad educational experiences for students.