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ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH

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Associated Center
Associated Faculty

Selected Research Profiles

• Flooding, hail, tornados and hurricanes. . .who can predict?
• On the trail of antibiotics in the environment
  
  In the last decade, the medical and research communities have striven to cope with the growing threat posed by increasingly drug-resistant bacteria. Scientists are beginning to look at all sources of antibiotic exposure - not merely in the doctor's office but, increasingly, in the food chain and other sources. Each year, up to 20 million pounds of veterinary antibiotics are discharged into the soil, sediment and surface waters of the U.S. Dr. Allison MacKay is interested in tracking what happens to these antibiotics after they are released into the environment and what risks are associated with these veterinary pollutants. With funding from NSF and the Department of Agriculture, Dr. MacKay is investigating the interaction mechanisms of high-use antibiotics with whole soils and soil components, such as clays and organic matter. The key interaction mechanisms will be incorporated into new predictive models for assessing veterinary antibiotic transport through soils.