Institute for Environmental Bioinorganic Chemistry (IEBIC)

普林斯顿大学环境生物无机化学中心（CEBIC），由弗朗索瓦·M。M.莫雷尔，支持环境中痕量金属的跨学科研究计划以及广泛的教育活动，包括K-12教师的夏季研讨会，公开讲座，会议和网站。 CEBIC是一个环境分子科学研究所（EMSI），由NSF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的细胞内和细胞外结合及其被水生微生物吸收，金属酶在微生物吸收无机碳和有机碳呼吸中的作用，以及酶在氮的使用和损失中的作用，氮是海洋沃茨的关键限制因素。 互连实验室，现场和建模研究的结果将被纳入金属动力学和碳循环的整体模型。该研究所预计将在将生物无机化学方法应用于环境和建立知识库以开发微量金属生物修复新方法方面产生重大影响。研究小组的23名成员包括来自普林斯顿大学四个系的10名教师，罗格斯大学的3名教师，加州大学的4名教师（圣克鲁斯、圣巴巴拉和圣地亚哥），一名来自麦吉尔（加拿大），加上四名来自埃克森研究和工程公司的研究人员和一名来自布鲁克海文国家实验室。 每年约有5名博士后研究员，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.