New director of Heidelberg research center eyes future

TIFFIN - While recognizing the high quality and value of research that has long taken place in Heidelberg College's National Center for Water Quality Research, the newly appointed director also envisions "tremendous potential for growth."

Dr. Gary W. Winston, currently the chief toxicologist in the Department of Environmental Health of the Israel Ministry of Health, and an adjunct professor in environmental sciences at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, will become the lab's new director June 1. A distinguished scholar and researcher with extensive experience in aquatic and marine toxicology, he also is widely published in the areas of biochemistry, environmental biology and medical biology.

Winston expressed his excitement about leading the center into the future. "The research that is taking place in the NCWQR is of extremely high caliber and I can see the potential for synergy between the center's emphasis on ecology, hydrogeology and water monitoring programs, and my interests in the molecular toxicological aspects of environmental contamination," he said.

He added that he plans to build on the center's nearly four decades of success by entering new research arenas where funding opportunities for current national interests exist. The center is solely supported by research grants, contracts and donations. Throughout his career, Winston has secured grants and contracts from such agencies as the U.S. Department of Education, NATO, National Institutes of Health, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Department of the Interior and the USDA, among many others
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"It is my hope to be able to partner in collaborative research programs of large universities to enhance funding opportunities and to create expanded research capabilities for our students," Winston said.

Dr. Ken Krieger, a senior research scientist in the NCWQR and professor at Heidelberg who chaired the search committee, said the department looks forward to Winston's arrival. "We had hoped to find a candidate who would continue to emphasize the historic and ongoing programs that have led to the successes of the laboratory while at the same time expanding our programs into complementary areas," Krieger said. "We are confident that Dr. Winston will meet that challenge and lead us successfully into the future."

Winston is a prolific writer and presenter, having given more than 150 talks in the U.S. and abroad. Prior to his tenure with the Ministry of Health in Israel, he served as chairman of the Department of Biochemistry at Louisiana State University from 1990-97. He was a professor in the Department of Toxicology at North Carolina State University, and also had teaching and administrative appointments at Louisiana State University and Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.

He received his doctorate in biochemistry from the University of Nevada-Reno in 1979. His master's degree is from Florida Atlantic University and his bachelor's degree is from the University of Florida. Winston completed post doctoral research at Washington State University and Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

Throughout his career, Winston has served on numerous governmental, environmental and academic committees in the U.S. and Israel. In 1989, he was appointed to serve on a NOAA Scientific Support Team to investigate the effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill off the coast of Alaska. He is the recipient of numerous distinguished teaching and research awards. In 1998, he received the University of Nevada Alumni Professional Achievement Award and in 1997, he was honored for his service to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.