This action funds an NSF Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY 2009 and is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The fellowship supports a research and training plan in a host laboratory for the Fellow who also presents a plan to broaden participation in biology. The title of the research and training plan for this fellowship to Angelia Seyfferth is "Physiological Mechanisms Underlying Arsenic Uptake and Transformation in Field-Grown Rice (Oryza sativa L.)." The research and training supported by this fellowship is being conducted at Stanford University under the sponsorships of Drs. Scott Fendorf, Devaki Bhaya, and Peter Vitousek.
It is feared that arsenic (As) contamination of groundwaters in southern and southeastern Asia is causing the largest exposure in human history where more than 140 million people are drinking water with hazardous levels of arsenic. Exposure to arsenic through consumption of rice irrigated with this contaminated groundwater may be of equal or greater importance than exposure through drinking water, particularly for populations that rely on rice for sustenance. Plants do not deal with the various chemical forms of arsenic in the same way. Therefore, it is important to understand the different mechanisms of entry into rice roots and subsequent translocation toward the edible grain. Which chemical form is predominant in the rhizosphere of field-grown rice and within different plant fractions is presently unresolved. The overall goal of this research project is to elucidate the predominant mechanism of arsenic uptake, accumulation, and in planta transformation within field-grown rice utilizing both X-ray absorption spectroscopy and mass-balance with radiolableled arsenic.
The specific training objectives are to gain field experience at the interface of biology, chemistry, geology, and environmental science and to learn new analytical tools and techniques to achieve the stated scientific goals. The broader impacts include outreach to local Cambodian rice farmers and mentoring graduate and undergraduate students.
