CSETAC would like to recognize the student presentation winners from our 2017 Annual Meeting in Charleston, South Carolina. Joshua Forbes, a student at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and the 3rd place poster presentation winner, shares how a childhood pet motivated to learn more about toxicology and chemistry.
My decision to pursue a career in environmental toxicology stems from having a pet dog as a child that developed blindness due to a high intake of iron from its food. That incident resulted in enrollment in toxicology and chemistry courses and discovering that there are a wide range of toxicants and pollutants that are being discharged into the environment on a daily basis. My motivation to continue my research is due to the collaborative effort of toxicologists and chemists around the globe striving to understand the fate, distribution, and effects of these toxicants on various taxa in the hope that we can mitigate their deleterious effects. My current research interests include the effects of endocrine disrupting compounds on estuarine fish (Menidia beryllina) and the effects of PAH’s on benthic invertebrates (Crassostrea virginica).
In my personal I life I strive to maintain healthy habits such that my two favorite hobbies, cooking and exercise, have become a cornerstone in maintaining a healthy work/life balance despite hectic lab hours.
