Columbus, Ohio Ohio Sea Grant has completed reviews for its 2020-2022 research grants program, submitting eight projects at universities across Ohio and along the Lake Erie coast to the National Sea Grant Office for funding consideration. The selected projects focus on various aspects of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the Lake Erie ecosystem, as well as harmful algal bloom management and the human health impacts of algal toxins, in an effort to continue to help solve critical issues affecting the state’s environment and economy.
“We once again had a strong set of submissions for this proposal review cycle, and these projects in particular address both current state agency needs and national Sea Grant priorities,” said Dr. Christopher Winslow, Ohio Sea Grant’s director. “We believe they’ll deliver important information to those working to protect Lake Erie’s ecosystem and the health of local communities.”
Researchers will collectively receive about $930,000 in Ohio Sea Grant support over two years as part of the following projects:
- On-site and in laboratory quantitative analysis of pharmaceuticals and PFAS in fish by solid-phase microextraction technology coupled to mass spectrometry
Emanuela Gionfriddo, The University of Toledo
- High-throughput analysis of human toxicity and therapeutics targets of emergent chemicals of concern in liver and kidney systems in health and disease
Steven Haller, The University of Toledo
- Characterization of in-stream phosphorus cycling from high-frequency dissolved phosphorus time series
James Hood, The Ohio State University
- Occurrence and sources of veterinary pharmaceuticals in Lake Erie tributaries
Laura Johnson, Heidelberg University
- Variation in contaminant concentrations in wastewater and in biota of streams in NW Ohio
Kevin McCluney, Bowling Green State University
- Assessing nitrogen dynamics in a closed, integrated aquaponics system
Silvia Newell, Wright State University
- Dredged material blended with organic rich sources to amend farm soils
Angélica Vásquez-Ortega, Bowling Green State University
- Assessing the impact of shore management on the resilience of coastal environmental microbiomes
Trisha Spanbauer, The University of Toledo
Information about Ohio Sea Grant research topics, funding and current opportunities can be found at ohioseagrant.osu.edu/research. Reviews of research proposals for the next year of the Ohio Department of Higher Education’s Harmful Algal Bloom Research Initiative will be completed in early 2020.
The Ohio State University’s Ohio Sea Grant Program is part of NOAA Sea Grant, a network of 34 Sea Grant programs dedicated to the protection and sustainable use of marine and Great Lakes resources. For more information, visit ohioseagrant.osu.edu.