Rebecca M. Dickhut

Department Chair, Professor of Marine Science

Email: [[rdickhut]]
Phone: (804) 684-7247
Office: Chesapeake Bay Hall N306
Department: Physical Sciences

Education

• Professor of Marine Science
• B.S., St. Norbert College
• M.S., Ph.D., University of Wisconsin - Madison

Research Interests

My research interests focus on the biogeochemical processes governing the transport and fate of organic contaminants in the environment and their incorporation into food webs. Interdisciplinary research integrating the areas of marine biology, geology, and biogeochemistry is a major aspect of the contaminant transport and fate research program. Our objective is to provide a better mechanistic and quantitative understanding of the behavior of toxic substances in the environment to improve modeling and management strategies.

Selected Publications

• Dickhut, R.M., A. Cincinelli., M. Cochran and H.W. Ducklow. 2005. Atmospheric Concentrations and Air-Water Flux of Organochlorine Pesticides along the Western Antarctic Peninsula. Environ. Sci. Technol., 39:465-470.
• S.E. Walker, R.M. Dickhut, C.J. Chisholm-Brause, S. Slyva and C.M. Reddy. 2005. Molecular and Isotopic Identification of PAH Sources in a highly industrialized urban estuary. Org. Geochem., 36:619-632.
• Chiuchiolo, A.L., R.M. Dickhut, M.A. Cochran and H.W. Ducklow. 2004. Persistent organic pollutants at the base of the Antarctic marine food web. Environ. Sci. Technol. 38:3551-3557.
• Dickhut, R.M., T.V. Padma and A. Cincinelli. 2004. Fractionation of Stable Isotope Labeled Organic Pollutants As a Potential Tracer of Atmospheric Transport Processes. Environ. Sci. Technol. 38:3871-3876.
• Walker, S.E., R.M. Dickhut, C.J. Chisholm-Brause. 2004. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in a highly industrialized urban estuary: Inventories and trends. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 23:2655-2664.
• Cincinelli, A., S. Mandorlo, R.M. Dickhut, L. Lepri. Particulate organic compounds in the atmosphere surrounding an industrialized area of Prato (Italy). 2003. Atmos. Environ. 37:3125-3133.
• Padma, T.V., R.M. Dickhut and H. Ducklow. 2003. Variations in alpha?-hexachlorocyclohexane Enantiomer Ratios in Relation to Microbial Activity in a Temperate Estuary. Environ. Toxicol. Chem., 22:1421-1427.
• Countway, R.E., R.M. Dickhut and E.A. Canuel. 2003. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) Distributions and Associations with Organic Matter in Surface Waters of the York River, VA Estuary. Org. Geochem., 34:209-224.
• Padma T.V. and R.M. Dickhut. 2002. Spatial and Temporal Variation in Hexachlorocyclohexane Isomers in a Temperate Estuary. Mar. Pollution Bullet., 44:1345-1353.
• Arzayus, K.M., R.M. Dickhut and E.A. Canuel. 2002. Effects of Physical Mixing on the Attenuation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Estuarine Sediments. Org. Geochem., 33:1759-1769.
• Walker, S.E. and R.M. Dickhut. 2001. Sources of PAHs to Sediment of the Elizabeth River, VA. Soil & Sed. Contam. 10:611-632.
• Arzayus, K.M., R. M. Dickhut and E. A. Canuel. 2001. Fate of Atmospherically Deposited Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Chesapeake Bay. Environ. Sci. Technol. 35:2178-2183.
• R.M. Dickhut, E.A. Canuel, K.E. Gustafson, K. Liu, K.M.. Murray, S.E. Walker, G. Edgecombe, M.O. Gaylor, and E.H. MacDonald. 2000. Automotive Sources of Carcinogenic Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons to Chesapeake Bay. Environ. Sci. Technol., 34:4635-4640.

Current Students

• Heidi Geisz – MS Thesis topic – Persistent Organic Pollutants in Antarctic Seabirds
• Andrew Wozniak – PhD Dissertation topic – Atmospheric Deposition of Organic Carbon to Coastal Watersheds

Past Students

• Amy Chiuchiolo, M.S. - 2003. Current position - research technician McMurdo Dry Valleys LTER
• Shelby Walker, Ph.D. - 2003. Current position - Project Manager, Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology (JSOST)
• Kimani Kimbrough, Ph.D. - 2002. Current position: Project Manager, NOAA
• Padma Venkatraman, Ph.D. - 2001. Current position: Coordinator, Grad. School Recruitment, Univ. of Rhode Island
• Rebecca Countway, M.S. - 1999. Current position: Environmental Scientist, ARCADIS JSA
• Siddhartha Mitra, Ph.D. - 1997. Current position: assistant professor at SUNY-Binghamton
• Kewen Liu, Ph.D. - 1996
• Caryn Huszai, M.S. - 1995
• Kurt Gustafson, M.S. - 1993, Ph.D. - 1996. Current position: US EPA, Washington, D.C

Courses Taught/Teaching

• Environmental Organic Chemistry
• Fundamentals of Marine Science – Chemical Oceanography

Faculty/Student Awards

• Kurt Gustafson - Recipient of the 1995 Maury and Zeigler student achievement awards
• Sid Mitra - Recipient of the best student paper award at the 1993 the 47th annual meeting of the Virginia Water Pollution Control Board, Norfolk, VA. Recipient of the Hudson River Fellowship 1995. Recipient of the 1996 Maury student achievement award.
• Rebecca Countway - Recipient of the 1997 Hargis award for student achievement and research promise.
• Shelby Walker - Recipient of a 2002 Knauss Fellowship
• Heidi Geisz - EPA STAR Fellowship 2004-2006

Professional Memberships

• Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
• American Chemical Society
• American Geophysical Union

Collaborative/Interdisciplinary Efforts

• Transport and Fate of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in Coastal Antarctic Seas
• Transport and Fate of Organic Pollutants in Estuarine Sediments
• Distribution of Chiral Pesticides in Relation to Microbial Activity and Abundance in the York River Estuary