Junior biochemistry major Ethan Walker ’16 prepares to load a slide with a blood sample as Kestutis Bendinskas of the chemistry faculty observes.
A $99,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health will help chemistry faculty member Kestutis Bendinskas, James MacKenzie of the biological sciences department and three undergraduate students advance understanding of how low levels of lead affect children’s cardiovascular health. Building on the work of a previous $1.8 million, multi-institutional NIH grant, Bendinskas is trying to identify how environmental lead in very small amounts—from lead paint chips, piping, gasoline and other manmade sources—damages the circulatory systems of children.