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Dr. Zofia Gagnon and Students Present at Montreal Conference

Associate Professor of Environmental Science Zofia Gagnon and three undergraduates presented their research findings at an international scientific conference in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in mid-September 2008.

Juniors David Reens (Syosset, NY), Jacob Cawley (Newport, RI), and Britney NeJame (Pleasant Valley, NY) traveled with Dr. Gagnon to the 30^th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR), held Sept. 12-16 in Montreal. The students and Dr. Gagnon co-authored a research presentation titled “Effects of Platinum Group Metals Treatment on the Bone of Developing Chick Embryo.”

Britney NeJame, David Reens, Dr. M. Hicham Drissi from U of Connecticut, and Jacob Cawley at the ASBMR Conference in Montreal

Their presentation was based upon studies conducted in Spring and Summer 2008 by Dr. Gagnon’s research group, which has been focusing for several years on the toxicological effects of platinum group metals (such as platinum, rhodium, and palladium) on plant and animal systems. The research being reported at the ASBMR conference in September looked at how platinum group metals affected the length, diameter, and density of developing bones in chick embryos, as well as bioaccumulation rates of these metals in bone tissues.