EDUCATION

2002 B.S. in Environmental Biology and Ecology - California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, CA

2002 B.S. in Zoology - California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, CA

RESEARCH FOCUS

The bioavailability and uptake of selenium (Se) species to a keystone species, Neanthes succinea , within the Salton Sea.

My study relates to the investigation of the uptake and accumulation of different selenium species to Neanthes succinea, a euryhaline polychaete that is a key organism in the Salton Sea food web.  Selenium has been shown to cause teratogenic effects in fish and bird populations feeding on selenium-contaminated prey, therefore, studying the uptake of selenium within these organisms could ultimately provide a better understanding of the risks involved with Se toxicity to higher trophic organisms within this system.

PUBLICATIONS

Xie, L., Thrippleton, K., Irwin, M.A., Siemering, G.S., Mekebri, A., Crane, D., Berry, K., Schlenk, D. 2005. Evaluation of Estrogenic Activities of Aquatic Herbicides and Surfactants Using a Rainbow Trout Vitellogenin Assay. Toxicological Sciences, 87 (2), 391 - 398.

Mason, A.Z., Perico, N., Moeller, R., Thrippleton, K., Potter, T., Lloyd, D. 2004. Metal donation and apo-metalloenzyme activation by stable isotopically labeled metallothionein. Marine Environmental Research, 58, 371-375.