CAREER: The Interactions of Natural Organic Matter with Biomembranes

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With the support of the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program, Professor Cook and his coworkers at LSU and Southern University are examining the interactions of environmental natural organic matter with biomembranes. Using a combination of NMR and fluorescence spectroscopy, the mechanism of interaction of natural organic matter with biomembrane materials is being determined. This information will help to determine how these interactions affect the permeability of biomembranes to environmental pollutants, and thus the availability of pollutants to living systems. Students are being trained in the analysis of large and complex ecosystems, and undergraduate and graduate students are teaming with local high school environmental science classes to obtain this information. This work will broadly impact fundamental knowledge in areas of ecotoxicology and bioremediation. The results of this work have implications for the design of remediation and water treatment technologies. Using detailed spectroscopic studies of environmentally relevant samples, Professor Cook and his colleagues at LSU and Southern University are examining the permeability of biomembranes to ecological pollutants. Information from this work will be important in developing models for pollutant transport in animal lung tissue, as well as in the development of remediation strategies. Graduate students, undergraduates, and a diverse population of local high school students are involved in this work.