Institute for Environmental Bioinorganic Chemistry (IEBIC)

由弗朗索瓦·m·m·莫雷尔博士领导的普林斯顿大学环境生物无机化学中心（CEBIC）支持一个关于环境中微量金属的跨学科研究项目，以及广泛的教育活动，包括为K-12教师举办的夏季讲习班、公开讲座、会议和一个网站。CEBIC是一个环境分子科学研究所（EMSI），由美国国家科学基金会化学部和MPS多学科活动办公室以及能源部基础能源科学办公室化学科学部共同资助。金属酶影响微量金属的行为，这些金属对生态系统的正常运作至关重要，但也是许多工业排放的普遍污染物。CEBIC将研究一些影响铁在全球碳循环中的行为的天然金属酶和金属结合化合物。CEBIC参与者的跨学科小组将研究金属在细胞内和细胞外的结合以及水生微生物对金属的吸收，金属酶在微生物对无机碳的吸收和有机碳的呼吸中的作用，以及酶在氮的使用和损失中的作用，氮是海水中的一个关键限制因素。将实验室、现场和模型研究的结果整合到金属动力学和碳循环的整体模型中。预期该研究所将在将生物无机化学方法应用于环境和建立知识库以发展微量金属生物修复的新方法方面产生重大影响。由23名成员组成的调查小组包括来自普林斯顿四个系的10名教员，来自罗格斯大学的3名教员，来自加州大学（圣克鲁斯、圣芭芭拉和圣地亚哥）的4名教员，来自麦吉尔大学（加拿大）的1名教员，以及来自埃克森研究与工程公司的4名研究员和布鲁克海文国家实验室的1名研究员。每年将有约5名博士后、11名研究生和5名本科生参加。

The Center for Environmental BioInorganic Chemistry (CEBIC) at Princeton University, directed by Dr. Francois M. M. Morel, supports an interdisciplinary research program on trace metals in the environment as well as a wide range of educational activities, including summer workshops for K-12 teachers, public lectures, conferences, and a web site. CEBIC is supported as an Environmental Molecular Science Institute (EMSI) and jointly funded by the NSF Division of Chemistry and MPS Office of Multidisciplinary Activities and by the Chemical Sciences Division of the Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Department of Energy. Metalloenzymes affect the behavior of trace metals that are essential for the proper functioning of ecosystems but are also pervasive contaminants emitted by many industries. CEBIC will investigate a number of natural metalloenzymes and metal-binding compounds that influence the behavior of iron in the global carbon cycle. Interdisciplinary teams of CEBIC participants will study intracellular and extracellular binding of metals and their uptake by aquatic microbes, the role of metalloenzymes in the microbial uptake of inorganic carbon and in the respiration of organic carbon, and the role of enzymes in the use and loss of nitrogen, a key limiting element in marine waters. Results of interconnecting laboratory, field, and modeling studies will be incorporated into an overall model of metal dynamics and carbon cycling. The Institute is expected to have a major impact on applying bioinorganic chemistry methods to the environment and on building a knowledge base for development of new approaches to bioremediation of trace metals.The twenty-three member team of investigators includes ten faculty from four Princeton departments, three from Rutgers University, four from the University of California (Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, and San Diego), one from McGill (Canada), plus four researchers from Exxon Research and Engineering Co. and one from Brookhaven National Laboratory. Approximately 5 postdoctoral fellows, 11 graduate students, and 5 undergraduates will participate each year.