World-leading Environmental Toxicologist to Join U of S

Posted June 27, 2005


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Monday, June 27, 2005 2005-06-08-OTHER

World-leading Environmental Toxicologist to Join U of S

John Giesy, a world-renowned expert in industrial pollutants and their
effect on people and the environment, has been appointed Canada Research
Chair in Environmental Toxicology at the University of Saskatchewan, the
federal government announced today.

The U of S was awarded $1.4 million over the next seven years for the Chair,
as well as $906,000 from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), the
University, and other partners to buy related laboratory equipment.

"Environmental sustainability is becoming ever more critical as populations
grow and industrial society puts pressure on the natural systems that
sustain us," said U of S Vice-President Research Steven Franklin. "Professor
Giesy's appointment is part of the University of Saskatchewan's vigorous
response to these urgent issues, both in discovery research and in training
the next generation of environmental scientists."

Giesy, currently Distinguished Professor of Zoology at Michigan State
University, will assume his position with the U of S department of
veterinary biomedical sciences in May, 2006. His work will be based at
lab facilities in the U of S Toxicology Centre, newly rebuilt and
refurbished to accommodate a robust research program to study
industry-produced persistent organic pollutants (POPs).

"It is the opportunity of a lifetime to be able to work in a program the
calibre of that at the U of S," Giesy said. "It is a great university in a
great country and I cannot wait to get started. All of the people I have met
and all of the interactions at U of S have been first class all the way."

Giesy will work to develop rapid, sensitive, and cost-effective tools to
test for POPs in the environment, particularly in regions such as Canada's
Arctic where fragile ecosystems and a heavy reliance on native foods make
populations especially vulnerable. Ultimately, these tools and the knowledge
generated will guide policy makers and regulators in prescribing more
environmentally sustainable practices.

Giesy was the first to identify the presence in the environment of
perfluorinated compounds, a class of POPs used in common products such as
paints, cosmetics, and electronics. Though it had been thought that these
chemicals didn't migrate through the environment, Giesy and his colleagues
detected the compounds in animal tissues from all over the world -- from
Ganges River dolphins to North American bald eagles. It is still unclear
what effect these chemicals may have on wildlife and people.

Another of his "firsts" is the discovery that some POPs become more toxic
when exposed to light. He has also worked on the long-term effects of Agent
Orange on Vietnam War veterans, as well as the hormone-disrupting effects of
other POPs on reproductive systems in wildlife.

Giesy is also adept at "green chemistry" - the design of more
environmentally friendly alternatives.

Giesy will lead a world-class training program in eco-toxicology. His group
is expected to include 16 graduate students and five post doctoral fellows,
as well as employ five research technicians and attract three to five
visiting scientists at any given time.

Over the last three decades, his research programs have garnered more than
$57 million in funding and resulted in more than 550 publications, making
him the fourth most-cited author in ecology and environmental science. He is
past president of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, the
world-wide leading academic organization in his field. He has also received
many of the world's top awards in environmental science, including the
prestigious Vollenweider Lectureship from Environment Canada.

With the addition of Giesy's Chair, the U of S has now been awarded nearly
$28 million to support 29 Chairs, as well as nearly $10.4 million in related
CFI and partner infrastructure funding.

A team of academic peers chooses the most outstanding candidates from
nominations submitted to the Canada Research Chairs program by universities.
Giesy's chair is one of 79, together worth $62.9 million, announced today in
Charlottetown.

"Our universities are vital centres of cutting-edge research and
innovation," said Industry Minister David Emerson. "The ideas generated at
these institutions extend the frontiers of knowledge and create a deeper
understanding of the complex world in which we live."

The $900-million Canada Research Chairs Program was created to enhance
universities as centers of world-class research excellence by attracting and
retaining excellent researchers in Canadian universities. When fully
implemented, Canadian universities will have 2,000 new Canada Research
Chairs. For profiles of U of S Canada Research Chair holders, visit
http://www.usask.ca/crc or the national website at http://www.chairs.gc.ca.

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For more information, contact:

John Giesy
Professor
Zoology Department, Michigan State University
(517) 353-2000
JGiesy@aol.com
www.msu.edu/user/giesy

Michael Robin
U of S Research Communications
(306) 966-2427
michael.robin@usask.ca
www.usask.ca/research