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2013-14 UNH Faculty Research Excellence Seminar Series Concludes on April 29th
“Climate Change and the Rising Microbial Tide”
Over the last several years the incidence of disease caused by pathogenic Vibrio has risen dramatically,
which has led to shellfish bed closures throughout New England, among other locales. Vibrio are normal
residents of estuaries but a small fraction can cause gastrointestinal disease and in rare cases, severe
wound infections. The ecology of these organisms is poorly understood but their abundance correlates
with warmer temperatures and heavy rainfall, conditions which are becoming more frequent. UNH
researchers Cheryl Whistler, Stephen Jones, Vaughn Cooper, and Thomas Safford are working together
on this problem, studying genetic, ecological, evolutionary, and social aspects in order to improve the
scientific basis for decisions to manage our growing regional oyster beds.
Date and Time: Tuesday, April 29th, 2014; 4:00 – 6:30 p.m.
 Presentations and discussion: 4:00-5:30 p.m.
 Networking reception with refreshments: 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Location:
Squamscott Room, Holloway Commons, UNH in Durham
RSVP:
https://www.events.unh.edu/RegistrationForm.pm?event_id=16474
Presenters:
Cheryl Whistler is an associate professor in the UNH department of
molecular, cellular, and biomedical sciences. Her research involves
characterizing the molecular mechanisms that underlie harmful and
beneficial bacterium-host interactions. With her collaborators, Dr. Whistler
is examining populations of Vibrio species within the context of their native
microbial communities. The researchers are applying genomic and
metagenomic methodologies to generate and test specific hypotheses
about how the interaction of microbes with each other and their physical
environment influence the activities and dominance of specific bacterial
community members, such as pathogenic species in oysters.
Stephen (Steve) Jones is a research associate professor in the department
of natural resources and the environment, and is the current associate
director of the New Hampshire Sea Grant College Program. He investigates
the ecology of pathogenic bacteria in aquatic ecosystems, especially Vibrio
species, focusing on ecosystem and climatic effects on populations, their
potential public health threat, and strategies to eliminate them as
problems. Current approaches include genomic studies of microbial
communities and practical strategies to ensure shellfish safety. Dr. Jones
also investigates municipal scale climate change adaptation and planning,
mercury cycling in estuaries; monitoring for toxic chemicals in the marine
environment; and storm-water-related pollution of estuarine waters.
Vaughn Cooper is an associate professor in the UNH department of
molecular, cellular, and biomedical sciences. He investigates the molecular
basis of adaptation to environmental changes, concentrating on these
questions at the interface of ecology, evolution, and genetics: In his
collaborative work with Drs. Whistler, Jones, and Safford, he studies how
changing climate and land use patterns such as temperature, salinity, and
dissolved nutrients increase the frequency of conditions favorable for
Vibrio in estuaries and thus increase the probability of human infections
from shellfish consumption.
As a faculty fellow in the Carsey Institute at UNH and associate professor in
UNH’s department of sociology, Thomas (Tom) Safford investigates community
resilience to social and environmental challenges. He focuses on analyzing
inter-organizational relationships to understand the roles different public and
private sector organizations play in environmental management. He has
developed methods for integrating social and natural science information to
support policy making and natural resource management for the U.S. Agency
for International Development, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Adminis-tration, coastal Maine and Washington State as a part of Carsey’s
Communities and the Environment in Rural America (CERA) initiative, and most
recently, the Great Bay Estuary in collaboration with Drs. Whistler, Jones, and
Cooper.
Before attending law school, Lori Howell’s education and experience focused on
human health and education issues. She and her husband, Tom, started
Spinney Creek Shellfish in Eliot, Maine, in 1983. After 10 years practicing law she
traded in her business suits for less formal attire to work full time in the
shellfish business. She has been involved with the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation
Conference (the regulatory body for shellfish) since 1993 and has chaired many
committees, including the Vibrio Management Committee, and many
subcommittees and task forces. Like many in this small industry she wears
many other hats and also serves on many local, state and national boards and
committees relating to shellfish, business regulations, and the marine
environment. She has recently been recognized by the Maine Supreme Court
for substantial pro bono service to the legal needs of families challenged by
disability.