Dr. Joann Burkholder,

Dr. Joann Burkholder, Professor of Applied Aquatic Ecology, NC State University. Dr. Burkholder conducted ground-breaking research in the early 1990s which linked Pfiesteria to massive fish kills, nutrient pollution and human illness. Her findings resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in water quality improvements and additional scientific research for the Neuse River and other coastal estuaries. Her amazing discovery was the topic of a NY Times best-selling novel “And the Waters Turned to Blood” by Rodney Barker. The numerous beach closings, bans on fishing, and the thousands of children at summer camps who were prevented from swimming in the Neuse River in the mid 1990s likely prevented mass illness and unnecessary public exposure to Pfiesteria’s dangerous neurotoxins.