Faculty
100,000 Strong in the Americas Innovation Fund Proposal (pending # - 2021): $25,000. From the Desert to the Rainforest, USA-Costa Rica Exchange to Foster International Comparative Analysis of Climate Change. (https://www.100kstrongamericas.org/)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) Space Grant Consortium Higher Education, Hands - on – Training grant, 2021 (pending # - 2021): $51,942. A Novel Hydroclimatic Record from the Southern Great Basin, California and Nevada, USA.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Space Grant College and Fellowship Training Program Cooperative Agreement (pending # - 2021): $50,000. Faculty Competition-RI. Using Metal Loads as Hydrologic Tracers for Particle Transport via Fluvial Processes in an Arid Environment of Southern Nevada.
Spirit of CSN Award (#GF01073– 2020): $ 5,650. Learning by hands-on-research. Evaluating soil bacterial DNA and trace metal interaction (n=6 students).
STEM Innovation and Impact Fund (# GR10836- 2020): $25,000. STEM Institute of Student Engagement through Research (n=20 students).
CSN Foundation Grant Program; Faculty Competition (GR05392 - 2018/19): $7,000. Student hands-on-training using trace element scavenging at the sediment-poor water interface in surficial sediments of an arid region of southern Nevada, USA.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Space Grant College and Fellowship Training Program Cooperative Agreement (# NNX15A- I02H - 2018-2019): $44,948. Faculty Competition-RI. Trace element scavenging at the sediment-poor water interface in surficial sediments of an arid region of southern Nevada, USA.
NV INBRE UROP grant mentor (8 P20 GM103440- 2019), Summer Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP): $6,000. Mentoring 1 UNLV student in summer research of “Methods to identify emerging contaminants such as the metabolites of illicit drugs will increase knowledge concerning their presence in the wider environment”.
STEM Innovation and Impact Fund (GR10104 - 2019): $22,430. Curriculum development of students to industry standards. Technical training program for curriculum development in STEM courses.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) Space Grant Consortium Higher Education, Hands - on – Training grant, 2018/19 (#NNX15AI02H): $50,000. Subsurface Evidence for Postglacial Holocene and Pluvial Lakes at Eldorado Dry Lake: Central Mojave Desert, Nevada, USA.
NV INBRE Pilot grant (UNR19-58 - 2019): $10,000. Fecal coliform and fungi/mold in soft-serve ice cream and frozen yogurt at popular eateries in the Las Vegas Nevada market. Grant requires working with two funded students between June 1, 2019 and December 15, 2019. Mentoring students in laboratory research, data interpretation, writing, and conference presentations.
CSN Foundation Grant Program; Faculty Competition (GR05392 - 2018/19): $7,000. Student hands-on-training using trace element scavenging at the sediment-poor water interface in surficial sediments of an arid region of southern Nevada, USA. Project involves students mentoring during field and laboratory research work, data interpretation, writing and conference presentations. Three student participates over two semesters.
NASA Research Infrastructure Project Grant (NNX15AI02H - 2016-2017): $28,000. Identification of Air Pollution in Meteoric Waters and its Distribution across the Las Vegas Valley, Nevada (USA).
Conference Presentation: Collumb, CJ, D Ferrari, L Guerrissi, AC Hudson, J. LaFranco, A Lopez-Santiago, C Schroeder, DB Sims, J Stordock, R Taggart, 2018. Identification of air pollution in meteoric waters and their distribution across the Las Vegas Valley, Nevada (USA). April 21, 2018, Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science annual conference. [Poster] p. 16
NASA-CoP Grant (NNX14Q94A): $350,000 (Spr. 2014 – Spr. 2017). Provided funding for students at the College of Southern Nevada for hands-on-training during experiential learning. Mentoring students in groups on field and laboratory research, and conference presentations and academic publications.
Published results:
Buch, AC, DB Sims, ED Marques, E Silva-Filho, 2024. Case studies of assessment of human health risks after the dam failures of the Córrego do Feijão Mine and Fundão in Brazil, International Journal of Mining, Reclamation and Environment. https://doi.org/10.1080/17480930.2024.2330227
Sims, D.B., Monk, J.R., Garner, M.C. et al., 2024. Occurrence, source, and ecological risk of pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs in surface water in Las Vegas, USA. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-024-05522-x
Woldetsadik, D.D., D.B. Sims, M. Garner, AC Hudson, 2023. Metal(loid)s profile of four traditional Ethiopian teff brands: Geographic origin discrimination. Biological Trace Element Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-023-03736-7
Woldetsadik, D.D., D.B. Sims, M.C. Garner, A.C. Hudson, 2023. United States grown and imported rice on sale in Las Vegas: Metal(loid)s composition and geographic origin discrimination. Biological Trace Element Research https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-023-03942-3
Sims D.B., A. Buch, A.C Hudson, M.C. Garner, J.E. Keller, P. McBurnett, K. Lindley, T. Iipinge, J. Arostegui, R. A. Busch, L.E Beckstrom, J. J. Piacentini, 2023. Trace Metals as Hydrologic Tracers for Particle Transport via Fluvial Processes in an Arid Environment of Southern Nevada (USA). Soil and Sediment Contamination: An International Journal. https://doi.org/10.1080/15320383.2023.2241911
Woldetsadik, D.D., D.B. Sims, M. Garner, AC Hudson, 2023. Metal(loid)s profile of four traditional Ethiopian teff brands: Geographic origin discrimination. Biological Trace Element Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-023-03736-7
Buch, A, D B. Sims; M E F Correia; E D Marques; S Ritcher; E V Silva-Filho, 2023. Preliminary assessment of potential pollution risks in soils: case study of the Córrego do Feijão Mine dam failure (Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, Brazil). International Journal of Mining, Reclamation and Environment. https://doi.org/10.1080/17480930.2023.2226474
Drezner, T.D. 2022. Population structure response and life-cycle compression in different environments in a keystone species. The Southwestern Naturalist. 66(1): 84-86. https://doi.org/10.1894/0038-4909-66.1.84
Sims, D.B., A.C. Hudson, J.E. Keller, D. Ferrari, G.M. Fernandez, J. Garcia-Hernandez, B.D. Kesl, F.W. Rodrigues, S.G. Torres, 2022. Extinct groundwater discharge locality in the Eldorado Valley; eastern Mojave Desert, Nevada, USA. Journal of Sedimentary Environments, https://doi.org/10.1007/s43217-022-00093-8
Wilkinson J., … Sims, D.B., … et al., 2022. Pharmaceutical Pollution of the World’s Rivers. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). 119 (8) e2113947119. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2113947119
Drezner, T.D. and Hüner, P.A. 2021. Seasonal photoinhibition of photosystem II in a cold-climate Canadian cactus (Opuntia cespitosa). Haseltonia. 28: 48-58 https://doi.org/10.2985/026.028.0106
Drezner, T.D. and Drezner, Z. 2021. Informed cover measurement: guidelines and error for point-intercept approaches. Applications in Plant Sciences. 9(9-10): e11446. https://doi.org/10.1002/aps3.11446
Sims, D.B., A.C. Hudson, J.E. Keller, M. Strange, D. Ferrari, G.M. Fernandez, J. Garcia-Hernandez, B.D. Kesl, 2021. Trace elements migrating from tailings to rock varnish laminated sediments in an old mining region from Nelson, Nevada-USA. International J. Sediment Research, 37(2): 202-213. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsrc.2021.08.001
Spaulding, WG, DB Sims, KT Harvey, 2021. Lake Ivanpah: An overlooked pluvial lake in the southern Great Basin, U. S. A., Volume 254, 15 February 2021, 106792.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106792
Sims, DB, AC Hudson, CJ Collumb, DJ Walton, 2019. Uptake of Trace Elements in Leaves of the Larrea tridentata in desert washes in an Arid Environment. Environments 6(6): 1-15
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3298/6/6/58
Collumb, CC , AA Delelegn, GM Fernandez, AC Hudson, KW Kimberley, DB Sims, DJ Walton, 2019. Trace metals in gluten-free pastas and flours from markets located in the Las Vegas, Nevada area. Journal of Food Research, 8(5): 59-70. https://doi.org/10.5539/jfr.v8n5p59
Baker, A., M.C. Garner, K.W. Kimberley, D.B. Sims, J.H. Stordock, R.P. Taggart, D.J. Walton, 2018. Cyanide toxicity of freshly prepared smoothies and juices frequently consumed in the raw and natural food craze. European Journal of Nutrition & Food Safety 8(4): 215-224. https://doi.org/10.9734/EJNFS/2018/44004 (Picked up by KTNV 13 News and presented live)
Sims, DB, H Porter, JH Park, WG Spaulding, V Hodge, AC Hudson, 2017. Buellia dispersa (Lichens) Used as Bio-Indicators for Air Pollution Transport: A Case Study within the Las Vegas Valley, Nevada (USA). Environments 4(4):1-19.
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3298/4/4/94
Sims, DB, WG Spaulding, 2017. Shallow Subsurface Evidence for Postglacial Holocene Lakes at Ivanpah Dry Lake: An Alternative Energy Development Site in the Central Mojave Desert, California, USA. Journal of Geography and Geology 9(1): 1-24.
http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/jgg/article/view/65389
Sims, DB, A Hudson, J Keller, KI Vatalis, K Modis, 2017. Trace Element Scavenging in Dry Wash Surficial Sediments in an Arid Region of Southern Nevada, USA. Mine, Water and the Environment. 36(1): 124-132.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10230-015-0379-8
Sims, DB, C Collumb, VF. Hodge, KI Vatalis, V George, 2015. Larrea Tridentata Uptake of Trace Metals in Mine Tailings of an Arid Region. International Journal of Plant & Soil Science, 9(5). https://doi.org/10.9734/IJPSS/2016/22837
Sims, DB, and J Keller, 2014. Risk associated with redevelopment of abandoned mining sites in hyperarid climates: A Laboratory Experiment and Discussion. Mine, Water and the Environment, 33(4).
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10230-014-0297-1
Conference Presentations:
Iipinge, T., A.T. Salom, B. Mapani, M. Kasonde, D.B. Sims, 2021. Life beyond excitement and fanfare of mining industry: A review of mine closure framework in Namibia. The 3rd Biennial CEMEREM Conference on “Sustainable Mining and Natural Resource Management in Africa: Implications for post-COVID-19 Renaissance.” Kenya, 16th-17th September 2021.
Sims, DB, AC Hudson, JE Keller, M Strange, D Ferrari, GM Fernandez, J Garcia-Hernandez, BD Kesl, 2020. Trace element scavenging at the sediment-poor water interface in surficial sediments of an arid region of southern Nevada, USA. 2020 Desert Symposium; Note: Face-to-face canceled by California State University Fullerton over concerns about the corona virus. [Poster] p. 246
Sims, DB, J Wilkinson AC Hudson CJ Collumb, MC Garner, J Monk, 2020. Emerging contaminants detected in surface waters of the Las Vegas Wash, Las Vegas, Nevada. Nevada Water Resources Association, annual meeting, Las Vegas, NV, February 11-13, 2020. [oral] p. 29
Manacop, K, Y Yang, CJ Collumb, DB Sims, E Yoon, 2019. Fecal coliform and fungi/mold in soft-serve ice cream and frozen yogurt at popular eateries in the Las Vegas Nevada market. 2019 NIH IDeA Western Regional Conference, IDEA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence; October 7-9, 2019. [Poster]
Monk, J, MC Garner, AC Hudson, K Lindley, DB Sims, 2019. Method for Detecting Emerging Contaminants in the Environment. UNR INBRE Summer 2019 Undergraduate Research Symposium. August 7, 2019. [Poster]
Sims, DB and AC Hudson, 2019. Geochemical proxies in Late Pleistocene wetlands in Nevada: preliminary results from the Eldorado Valley. April 19-20: The 33th Annual Desert Symposium. [Poster] p. 203
Spaulding, WG, DB Sims, 2018. A glance to the east: Lake Ivanpah —an isolated southern Great Basin paleolake. April 21, 2018: The 32th Annual Desert Symposium. [Oral] p. 121
Sims, DB, Spaulding, WG, 2018. Evidence of Post-Glacial and Pluvial Lakes in Ivanpah Valley. Spring 2018 Seminar Series. April 11, 2018. Invited by Dr. Stephen Rowland, UNLV Professor of Geoscience. [Oral]
Sims, DB, WG Spaulding. Evidence for Post-Glacial Lakes in the Ivanpah Basin, NV and CA. April 15, 2016, The 30th Annual Desert Symposium. [Oral] p. 135
Sims, DB, WG Spaulding. Post-Glacial Lakes in the Ivanpah Valley, Nevada and California. April 16, 2016, Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science annual conference. [Oral]
Fauber, M, J Garcia, V Hodge, CM Linares, JH Park, H Porter, DB Sims, (2016) Preliminary data on tracking air pollution in the Las Vegas Valley using Lichen as ground markers. April 16, 2016, Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science annual conference. [Poster]
Dhalai, A, M Garner, R Gullickson, Sims DB, D Trujillo, (2016) Evaluation of metals in underarm cosmetics and tooth paste as it relates to human exposure. Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science annual conference, April 16, 2016. [Poster]
Curiel, N, M Fauber, J Garcia, C Linares, Y Martinez, C Santos, S Savoia, DB Sims, N Williams. Preliminary Data on the Paleoclimatic Changes of Ivanpah Dry Lake California using Chemical Evidence of Obliterated Shorelines. Nevada NASA EPSCoR and Space Grant Consortium Annual Meeting; Las Vegas, NV. April 30 – May 1, 2015. [Poster]
Sims, DB and GK Gillmore, (2015). Preliminary Investigation into Paleoclimatic Changes at Ivanpah Dry Lake California using Chemical Evidence of Obliterated Shorelines. April, The 29th Annual Desert Symposium, p 333. [Poster]
Sims, DB, AC Hudson, JE. Keller, KI Vatalis, K Modis and PS Hooda, (2015). Trace Elements Transport and associated Desert Varnish in a Dry Ephemeral Wash Containing Former Metal Mining. April, Desert Symposium, p 333. [Oral]