Release Date: 3/17/2009

Columbus, OH, USA—Battelle will introduce two winners of the new Battelle Student Research Award , as well as a Student Travel Award at the Society of Toxicology’s 48th Annual Meeting and ToxExpo in Baltimore, MD on March 15-19.  The two $2,500 Student Research Awards recognize outstanding dermal toxicology research and development.  The third annual Student Travel Award will go to a student of Hispanic origin or a student working on a project related to Hispanic health issues.

The recipients of the Student Research Awards are:  Michael G. Borland, Laboratory of Dr. Jeffrey M. Peters Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, The Penn State University for “Analysis of coactivator and corepressor recruitment mediating PPARß/d modulation of AhR-dependent signaling,” and Leshuai Zhang, Laboratory of Dr. Nancy A. Monteiro-Riviere Center for Chemical Toxicology Research and Pharmacokinetics, North Carolina State University for “Inhibition of multi-walled carbon nanotubes in human epidermal keratinocytes by lectin or niacinamide.”

The 2009 Student Travel Award for the Hispanic Organization of Toxicologists (HOT) will go to Dr. Jorge Muniz Ortiz, a post-doctoral fellow at the Department of Environmental Protection Agency in Research Triangle, N.C. for his poster, “A transgenic model for arsenic methylation and its biological effects in drosophila.”

Battelle’s core purposes calls for it to be a significant benefactor for educational and charitable enterprises.  Battelle strives to create positive change in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education on a national scale, and to promote it equally with its science and technology mission.

Battelle is the world’s largest non-profit independent research and development organization, providing innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing needs through its four global businesses:  Laboratory Management, National Security, Energy Technology, and Health and Life Sciences.  It advances scientific discovery and application by conducting $5.2 billion in global R&D annually through contract research, laboratory management and technology commercialization.  Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Battelle oversees 20,400 employees in more than 130 locations worldwide, including seven national laboratories which Battelle manages or co-manages for the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Battelle is also one of the nation’s leading charitable trusts focusing on societal and economic impact and actively supporting and promoting science and math education.

For more information contact Public Relations Manager Katy Delaney at +1 (410) 306-8638 or at delaneyk@battelle.org or Media Relations Specialist T.R. Massey at +1 (614) 424-5544 or at masseytr@battelle.org.