Courtesy of GSU Communications
Grambling State University is partnering with Southern University and A&M College on a $893,779 National Science Foundation (NSF) Excellence in Research project focused on the environmental effects of tire-wear pollution while expanding research and training opportunities for Grambling State students.
The three-year project brings together researchers and students from two Louisiana HBCUs to study 6-PPD quinone, or 6-PPDQ, an emerging environmental contaminant associated with tire wear. Dr. Sanjay Batra, Professor and Chair of the Department of Environmental Toxicology at Southern University, serves as Principal Investigator, with Dr. Waneene C. Dorsey, Professor at Grambling State University, serving as Co-Principal Investigator.
This project began in September 2026 and will continue through August 2029.
“This award represents a significant milestone for Grambling State University and demonstrates the strength of collaborative research among Louisiana’s HBCUs,” Dorsey said. “We are pleased to continue our work with Dr. Sanjay Batra and Southern University to provide students with meaningful research experiences that prepare them for graduate education, scientific leadership and careers in STEM.”
The research centers on 6-PPDQ, a transformation product of 6-PPD, a chemical widely used in automobile tires. As tires wear, these chemicals can enter the environment. Researchers will examine how 6-PPDQ affects the molecular processes cells use to respond and adapt to environmental stress.
Using human lung epithelial cells, the research team will combine molecular biology, high-resolution imaging, transcriptomics, proteomics and computational approaches to better understand how the contaminant affects cellular processes. The findings are expected to contribute to a broader understanding of how emerging environmental contaminants interact with biological systems.
For Grambling State students, the project will provide direct opportunities to participate in research throughout the academic year. Six students will receive research training each year, and two Grambling State students will receive competitive $6,000 summer internships in Batra’s laboratory at Southern University.
Participating students will work alongside faculty members, doctoral students and graduate researchers while gaining experience in environmental toxicology, molecular and cellular biology, advanced imaging, computational modeling and data analysis.
The collaboration is also designed to strengthen pathways from undergraduate STEM education at Grambling State to advanced study. Students will gain exposure to Southern University’s Environmental Toxicology Ph.D. program while receiving faculty and graduate-student mentoring and experience with research technologies used in graduate education and scientific careers.
Southern University doctoral students will also serve as near-peer mentors, providing Grambling State undergraduates with additional research support while developing their own leadership, teaching and mentoring experience.
At Grambling State, students will have opportunities to participate through the Laboratory Apprentice Mentoring Program (LAMP), an intensive research training initiative designed to prepare students for graduate education and scientific careers.
The new NSF project builds on an established research partnership between Dorsey and Batra and previous NSF-supported work involving students from both universities. Their collaboration has provided Grambling State undergraduates with opportunities to work alongside Southern University faculty and doctoral students in environmental toxicology, molecular and cellular biology and computational research.
Dorsey also mentors undergraduate researchers through Grambling State University’s Molecular Toxicology Research Laboratory. In 2026, 17 students from the laboratory were selected for summer research internships at universities, medical centers and industry research programs, including MD Anderson Cancer Center, Johnson & Johnson, the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Yale University, the University of Notre Dame and other research institutions.
The NSF project will also extend beyond the two universities through K-12 STEM outreach designed to introduce younger students to environmental science, toxicology, biotechnology and computational research.
Through the partnership, Grambling State and Southern University will continue providing students with opportunities to conduct research, work across scientific disciplines and prepare for graduate education and careers in STEM.
