Melissa Bolotaolo

Student Representative (Term 2017-2019)
UC Davis
mbolotaolo@ucdavis.edu

Melissa Bolotaolo is a PhD student in the Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry Graduate Group at UC Davis. She currently works in Dr. Swee Teh’s laboratory. Her research focuses on the interactive toxicity of pesticides and cyanotoxins on Japanese medaka by evaluation of oxidative stress as well as utilizing GC/MS and LC-MS/MS to identify how cyanotoxins distribute within a range of mediums including water, sediment, and fish tissue. She obtained her B.S. in Biology at UC Santa Cruz where she studied enzyme kinetics of soybean lipoxygenase inhibitors related to inflammatory pathways associated with prostate cancer. Before pursuing her PhD, Melissa worked at Genentech for over three years working in bacterial fermentation. During her time at Genentech Melissa was an active member of Green Genes, which focused on promoting environmentally sustainable lab practices.
Melissa joined NorCal SETAC because she appreciates how the organization promotes a platform for scientific communication and community outreach. As a student representative she hopes to foster these goals as well as communicate to her peers and the general public about the importance of environmental awareness and in our everyday lives.