B
iologist Jose M. Eirin-Lopez knows marine organisms can genetically adapt to pollutants, something that has implications for the health of marine species and the people who eat them. He conducts research to help develop new tools for monitoring marine pollution, including red tides and oil spills.
Jose M. Eirin-Lopez
Eirin-Lopez is a scientist with the Center for Aquatic Chemistry and the Environment, which brings together chemistry, ecology, engineering and public health researchers to inform water contamination science and remediation. It is a key component of the College of Arts, Sciences & Education’s Institute of Water and Environment, which unites the university’s top centers and programs focused on global water issues and broader environmental challenges.
Institute researchers are working locally and globally to investigate sources of water contamination including pesticides, oil spills, industrial contaminants, pharmaceuticals and more. Director Todd Crowl is currently studying the impacts of droughts, hurricanes and other disturbances on tropical stream ecosystems in Puerto Rico. It is just one of many research projects being conducted by the nearly 110 faculty and their students. Institute scientists are also working on the other side of the world to implement water supply and sanitation hygiene programs in West Africa. Todd Crowl
Water
under pressure Researchers fight to save an essential resource
As pressures continue to mount on the environment, research is desperately needed on the threats plaguing the world’s water supplies. Capacity must also be expanded for programs that support clean drinking water and sanitation for water-challenged areas.
FIU researchers at the Institute of Water and Environment are working internationally and locally to tackle some of the most pressing threats of our time. The institute brings together an interdisciplinary team, including public health, chemistry and ecology to address critical environmental challenges including red tides, oil spills, toxic algae blooms, and chemical pollution. Support is needed to expand our reach and safeguard the global water supply. To learn more about how you can help these efforts, contact givetocase@fiu.edu | 305-348-4349.