Contact: Maridith Geuder
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Mississippi State toxicologist Janice E. Chambers is being honored with a top research award of the American Chemical Society, Agrochemicals Division.
At the organization's recent national meeting in Washington, D.C., she received the International Award for Research in Agrochemicals in recognition of her "pioneering research on the mammalian toxicity of organophosphorous pesticides and other neurotoxicants."
Chambers is the first woman to receive the honor, which has been presented annually since 1969. A William L. Giles Distinguished Professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine, she directs the university's Center for Environmental Health Sciences.
Her research is particularly significant in identifying the potential impacts of pesticides on adults and children, said Vance Watson, vice president for agriculture, forestry and veterinary medicine. "Her work has far-reaching implications for the state of Mississippi and for the nation as a whole, and Dr. Chambers continues to earn international recognition for her contributions in this field," he added.
Founded in 1876, the ACS represents more than 150,000 professionals in all fields of chemistry in industry, government and education. The Washington-based body is generally recognized as a leading provider of chemical information to the scientific and engineering communities.
"This is the premier honor the society bestows, and it reflects the outstanding research program Dr. Chambers has developed and directs," said Colin Scanes, MSU vice president for research.
Funded primarily by the National Institutes of Health, the center is an interdisciplinary campus effort specializing in pesticide toxicology. With about 30 associated faculty, staff and students, its primary research areas include neurotoxicology, biochemical toxicology, analytical chemistry, biostatistics, epidemiology, computational chemistry, and mathematical simulation.
"My primary research interest is identifying the potential human health effects of exposure to pesticides," Chambers said. Using rodents as an animal model, the work seeks to quantify the biochemical determinants of toxicity levels in adult and developing animals, she explained.
Within the center, Chambers oversees research projects that include neurochemical and behavioral effects of pesticides in developing organisms, pesticide metabolism, mathematical predictions of the effects of mixtures, and exposure assessment of children and adults from contact with a pet dog treated with flea control insecticides.
Chambers has been the principal investigator of more than $20 million in federally funded competitive grants in the field of toxicology, with current or previous funding from the NIH and American Chemistry Council, as well as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Science Foundation.
A fellow of the Academy of Toxicological Sciences and a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology, she has served within the National Research Council Committee of Toxicology, International Life Sciences Institute/Health and Environmental Sciences Institute, Society of Toxicology, and American Chemistry Council.
Most recently, Chambers was named to EPA's permanent Scientific Advisory Panel, one of only three selected for the panel from 12 national nominees provided by the NIH and NSF.
Chambers holds a bachelor's degree from the University of San Francisco and a doctorate from Mississippi State.