www.vims.edu/research/departments/eaah

Research within the Department of Aquatic Health Sciences emphasizes understanding the fates of contaminants and pathogens in estuarine and marine environments and their effects on important species as well as humans. A diverse faculty consisting of environmental chemists, toxicologists, ecotoxicologists, biochemists, microbiologists, molecular geneticists, and pathobiologists collaborate to achieve these goals. A key mission of the department is to identify and detect toxicological, pathobiological and biochemical agents in the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed that affect the health of important aquatic organisms and surrounding human populations. Research questions are pursued at all levels of biological organization from the molecular and cellular to the organismal and population levels. Activities reflect a strong commitment to provide technical support to environmental managers and stakeholders who regulate and protect the waters and natural resources of the Commonwealth regional and federal management agencies, and marine-related industries.

Preparatory Studies

Successful Aquatic Health Sciences students typically possess a degree in a natural science and should have strong written and oral communication skills. Depending on research interests, advanced course work in biology (e.g., biochemistry, molecular biology, and genetics), chemistry (organic or inorganic), physics, calculus and statistics is expected. Students lacking these courses are strongly advised to complete them before matriculation rather than while in graduate school. Before applying, students should contact prospective mentors in the department to discuss their research interests and experiences, academic background, training, and career objectives.

Typical Course of Study

The program prepares students for careers as environmental scientists, educators and managers. Since departmental research and educational programs are interdisciplinary, incoming students are expected to have strong backgrounds in biology and chemistry. Following satisfactory completion of the SMS core curriculum, students may pursue courses and research in any of the major program areas (environmental chemistry, toxicology, environmental risk assessment, environmental microbiology or pathobiology). The department offers a number of relevant courses including MSCI 559 - Parasitology , MSCI 560 - Fundamentals of Ecotoxicology , MSCI 562 - Environmental Pollution , MSCI 563 - Environmental Chemistry , MSCI 565 - Principles of Pathobiology , MSCI 583 - Molecular Genetic Data Analysis, Bioinformatics , MSCI 640 - Quantitative Ecotoxicology , MSCI 642 - Practical Environmental Statistics , MSCI 644 - Aquatic Epidemiology  and MSCI 673A - Principles of Molecular Biology  (with corequisite MSCI 673B - Metagenomics & Bioinformatics (Prokaryotes)  or MSCI 673C - Principles of Molecular & Phylo-genetics (Eukaryotes) ). Students are expected to select at least two departmental offerings and typically complement their curriculum with additional courses offered by this and other departments. Students in the department are also expected to enroll in MSCI 515B - Aquatic Health Sciences Seminar  each fall and spring semester.

Areas of Research

Environmental Chemistry

Departmental research includes elucidating sources, transport, fate, bioavailability and impacts of synthetic and natural contaminants in coastal watersheds.  Recent efforts have focused on characterizing the behavior of antifoulants and microplastics in marine and estuarine systems, investigating links between anthropogenic nutrient pollution and environmental health, identifying the sources of emerging contaminants, isolating and characterizing novel algal toxins, and applying geographic information systems (GIS) for modeling spatial distributions of environmental data. AHS faculty, staff, and students collaborate with international researchers, federal and state agencies (e.g., EPA, NOAA, DOE, VA Dept. of Environmental Quality, VA Dept. of Health and VA Marine Resources Commission), as well as private industry, allowing our research to have real-world applications in environmental and public health.  Recent student research has examined the binding of pesticides to natural organic matter and subsequent impact on bioavailability and toxicity; bioremediation of tributyltin-contaminated sediment in a created wetland; factors influencing the degradation rate of crop protectants in natural waters; the development of rapid and deployable immunology-based contaminant detection systems; the fate of brominated flame retardants in birds of prey and the fate of biosolid constituents in ecosystems; and the utility of stable isotope chemistry in determining the source of nutrients, natural or anthropogenic, driving algal toxin production and growth of harmful algal blooms.

Environmental Microbiology

This program focuses on studies of pathogenic microorganisms in environmental waters. A particular strength is multidisciplinary research on microorganisms that pose a significant threat to human and aquatic animal health, the aquaculture industry, commercial fisheries, tourism and recreational water use. Research includes studies aimed at understanding environmental influences on pathogenic microbes, genetic characterization and evolution of strains, and development and validation of new methods for detection of pathogens.

Toxicology

Effects of toxic chemicals are measured from organismal to ecosystem levels. Research focuses on examining:  1) uptake and elimination of toxicants by individual organisms, 2) the impact of toxicants on vital processes (mortality, growth, reproduction), and 3) mechanisms of internal distribution, biotransformation, and clearance of xenobiotic and natural products. Organismal responses are being evaluated as a basis for predicting population effects at sublethal concentrations.

Diseases of Marine Animals

Members of the department have significant expertise in this field ranging from virology, protistology and parasitology, to disease ecology and the evolutionary consequences of disease. Research in this field 1) focuses on infectious and noninfectious diseases of fish and shellfish, 2) determines the mechanism(s) by which pathogens cause disease in the host organisms, 3) examines pathological consequences of exposures of estuarine animals to contaminants, 4) studies etiology and epidemiology of pathogens in estuarine and marine organisms, 5) investigates host defense mechanisms in order to develop diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines for use in aquaculture, and 6) seeks to understand the impact of toxic materials on disease processes. The pathobiology group uses modern histological, microbiological, immunological, and molecular techniques to study diseases in shellfish and fish. The department has developed a curriculum to train students in modern laboratory and field techniques to study diseases in marine organisms.

Molecular Genetics

Studies focus on genomic analyses of marine and estuarine animals and pathogenic organisms. Environmental water quality studies involve molecular detection, identification and examination of the effects of environmental parameters on harmful algal bloom (HAB) organisms and human pathogens. Phylogenetic, population genetic, and genomic research targets shellfish, as well as parasites and aquatic pathogens.

Environmental Risk Assessment

Risk assessment tools are applied to evaluate the risk associated with exposure to hazardous chemicals, pathogens, bacterial agents, both individually and collectively in complex mixtures. The goal is to provide a conceptual framework that will improve environmental management by allowing resource agencies to focus their limited resources on those issues of greatest importance.