News

At the 2025 Undergraduate Research Conference at UC Davis, Environmental Toxicology students showcased impactful research on emerging environmental health threats. Lalima Saini presented novel findings on the generation of carcinogenic antimony during e-cigarette use. Terra Schamun assessed heavy metal risks in "Preconception Detox" supplements, revealing lead exposures surpassing California’s Prop 65 limits. Emily Richter explored how climate change may influence methylmercury formation in wetlands. Claire Watson investigated the presence and health risks of PFAS in California seafood.

Environmental Toxicology student Claire Watson serves as a peer advisor in the ETOX major. She has been selected as Peer Advisor recipient of the 2025 Eleanor and Harry Walker Academic Advising Award. This award recognizes her outstanding contributions to Academic Advising in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Host Dave Schlom is joined by Zeke Spooner, a Ph.D student at the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory, to talk about microplastics.

They discuss the challenges in determining sources of plastics in the marine environment (note the brightly colored clothing above used to help identify clothing fiber contaminants) and how ubiquitous plastics are in ocean waters.

Dr. Michele La Merrill has been honored with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) "Paper of the Month" award for her paper titled "Consensus on the key characteristics of metabolism disruptors." Published in Nature Reviews Endocrinology, this research identifies 12 key characteristics shared by chemicals that disrupt metabolism, such as impairing pancreatic function and inducing insulin resistance.

ETOX Associate Professor Tran Nguyen has been awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers by the Biden White House! 

This is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers early in their careers.This award “recognizes scientists and engineers who show exceptional potential for leadership early in their research careers.

ETOX Assistant Professor Brett Poulin has been recognized by the America Academy of Environmental Engineers & Scientists as one of the “40 Under 40 Rising Stars in Environmental Engineering and Science”!

The program “was introduced to recognize talented individuals who have, either personally or as part of a team, been responsible for helping to advance the fields of Environmental Science or Environmental Engineering in a demonstrable way within the last 12 months.”

ETOX Professor Qi Zhang has been appointed as the Donald G. Crosby Endowed Chair in Environmental Chemistry!

Professor Zhang's research focuses on understanding air quality, environmental pollution, and the impacts of atmospheric aerosols on climate and human health.

Restoring the Klamath River: A New Era for Salmon and Indigenous Peoples

The Klamath River's journey from being blocked by dams to once again supporting thriving salmon populations is about more than just fish—it's a restoration of Indigenous peoples' ties to their land and traditions. This revitalization symbolizes resilience as communities unite to heal the ecosystem.

A Sacred Journey

Each year the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at UC Davis recognized a select number of alumni for their invaluable contributions and accomplishments. This year, ETX alumni Elizabeth Marder (11’) received this recognition for contributions to the department and students.

Dozens of Alaska’s most remote streams and rivers are turning from a crystal clear blue into a cloudy orange, and the staining could be the result of minerals exposed by thawing permafrost, new research in the Nature journal Communications: Earth and Environment finds.