Recent Interviews

Interviews with researchers in the biogeosciences and their thoughts on the state of the biogeosciences

Geology & Health   << NEW!

Lynda Williams

Arizona State University
Williams' field is geochemistry and her special interest is in clay mineral chemistry, studying fluid-rock interactions in many ways that benefit society and public health. Williams seeks an improved understainding of the interactions between clay minerals and bacteria.
posted 30/5/07

Martin B. Goldhaber

U.S. Geological Survey
Current focus is on a regional study of the geochemistry of soil in northern California (health focus: Cr, Ni, V, As and Hg as well as naturally occurring asbestos and anthropogenic Pb). Goldhaber is also co-chief of a project to map the geochemistry of the soils of all the U.S., and with Canadian and Mexican partners, all of North America.
posted 10/7/06

Martin Schoonen

Stony Brook University (SUNY)
Studying the reactivity of minerals as they interact with the human body. For example … exposure of lung cells to pyrite leads to an increase in the production of reactive oxygen species (hydrogen peroxide, OH radicals).
posted 10/7/06

Catherine Skinner

Yale University
Skinner's field is minerals/mineralogy and her major interests are related to biominerals those in the human body (bones and teeth) or other living creatures including plants.
posted 10/7/06

Nita Sahai

University of Wisconsin - Madison
Researching interactions of biological organic molecules with inorganic ions in aqueous solutions and at mineral/water interfaces, Sahai seeks an improved understanding of reaction mechanisms that control normal and pathological responses of the body to minerals inside the body.
posted 10/7/06

Biogeosciences Interviews

Jochen Brocks

The Austrailian National University

To study very ancient ecosystems, Brocks extracts molecular biological remains from sedimentary rocks. Most microorganisms can’t be cultured and we only know a miniscule fraction of their lipid repertoire. He is now working to combine environmental genomics with a study of the entirety of lipids.

posted 4/4/06

A collection of Interviews with Program Managers from a variety of funding agencies with insight into the program and useful statistics