UC Riverside scientists are a good source of information about West Nile virus, which emerged in the New York City area in 1999. Although health officials hoped the virus would not survive the first winter, in early spring 2000 it re-emerged in birds and mosquitoes and spread steadily westward. In 2002, the virus was detected in California and has mostly affected the Southern California counties of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino, where a woman was infected earlier this year. Faculty members can answer media questions about the disease, its spread and effects on both human and wildlife populations. IMPACT ON BIRDS
Tom Scott,
adjunct assistant professor of conservation biology, Department of Earth Sciences
Office: 909-787-5115
Email: thomas.scott@ucr.edu Tom Scott is working on the spatial and temporal patterns of West Nile virus outbreaks, and their impact on birds. He's also helping on the local county West Nile virus task force. His academic specialties include wildlife conservation in fragmented and altered landscapes, including studies of wildlife movement, habitat use, and population biology in oak woodland, sage scrub, and riparian habitats. He also studies the behavioral changes and adjustments in habitat use of woodland bird species in response to human activities, and the conservation and management of island bird species through captive propagation, predator control, and habitat restoration. VECTORS OF HUMAN DISEASE
Mir S. Mulla,
Distinguished Professor, Department of Entomology
Office: 909-787-5818, 3640
Lab: 909-787-2357
Email: mulla@mail.ucr.edu Mir S. Mulla does research on insects affecting human health. He finds practical control strategies for mosquitoes, eye quats, nuisance aquatic midges and other insects of public health concern. Mulla's research activity addresses pest and Vector insect problems in California and at the international scene. He researches the development of new microbial control agents, and the simulation of field conditions and natural breeding sites of mosquitoes in California and Southeast Asia. Small-scale and large-scale field trials are underway in collaboration with the World Health Organization and institutions in developing countries. Also underway is research on management of resistance in mosquitoes to microbial larvicides, which emphasizes the prevention of resistance. William Walton,
associate professor, Department of Entomology
Office: 909-787-3919
Email: william.walton@ucr.edu
William Walton's expertise is in mosquito ecology and mosquito production from man-made wetlands used for water quality improvement from such sources as storm water, municipal wastewater, and agricultural wastewater. Natural and constructed wetlands can be important developmental sites for mosquitoes. Multipurpose wetlands are being constructed to recycle precious water resources in Southern California, to create habitat for wildlife, and to provide recreational activities for the ever-increasing human population in the region. The development of effective mosquito abatement programs that protect the encroaching human population from disease and from nuisance biting of mosquitoes is necessary. A major emphasis of work in Walton's laboratory is the design and implementation of novel and practical management strategies for wetland mosquitoes. WATERSHED
Thomas Meixner,
assistant professor of hydrology and water resources, Department of Environmental Sciences.
Office phone: 909-787-2356
Email: thomas.meixner@ucr.edu
Thomas Meixner's research touches on the West Nile virus's relationship to irrigation runoff, such as car washing, agricultural runoff and water in yards that provide breeding grounds for mosquitoes. His research focuses on improving field techniques of measurement and incorporating the information revealed by these measurements into models of watershed water quality. The majority of his research has been conducted in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, and the Sierra Nevada and San Bernardino Mountains of California. He is currently pursuing the development of agricultural research sites. According to the National Institutes of Health, West Nile virus belongs to a group of disease-causing viruses known as flaviviruses, which are spread by insects, usually mosquitoes. Other flaviviruses include yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, dengue, and Saint Louis encephalitis. West Nile virus has become the most well-known flavivirus and represents an emerging infectious disease in the United States.


The University of California, Riverside is a major research institution and a national center for the humanities. Key areas of research include nanotechnology, genomics, environmental studies, digital arts and sustainable growth and development. With a current undergraduate and graduate enrollment of more than 17,000, the campus is projected to grow to 21,000 students by 2010. Located in the heart of inland Southern California, the nearly 1,200-acre, park-like campus is at the center of the region's economic development.