Sarah L. Milton

Sarah L. Milton

Chair and Professor

Biological Sciences

Boca Raton, SC 140

p: 561-297-3331

smilton@fau.edu

Education

  • Ph.D. in Biological Oceanography, University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS), 1994

Research Interests

  • Animal models of anoxia and hypoxia tolerance
  • Neuroprotective pathways in brain anoxia
  • Reactive oxygen species and aging
  • Sea turtle physiology and conservation

Research Description

My research is broadly described as Environmental Physiology, investigating the effects of environmental stressors on animal physiology and adaptive mechanisms of survival. I currently have two main branches of research: (1) survival of the brain in the absence of oxygen, using whole animal and cell cultures to examine the physiological, cellular, and molecular adaptations that allow anoxia-tolerant organisms to survive without oxygen, using the model organisms  Trachemys scripta  (turtle) and  Drosophila melanogaster  (fruit fly) to look for new therapeutic targets for stroke, aging, and other diseases of ischemia, anoxia, and oxidative stress, and (2) Sea turtle physiology and conservation, with a variety of projects ranging from the energetics of hatchling disorientation, the impacts of climate change on turtles (nest success, hatchling physiology, erosion and flooding) to developing therapeutic treatments for sea turtles exposed to toxic red tides.

Recent Publications

  • Sposato, Patricia; Keating; Patricia; Lutz, Peter, and  Milton, Sarah.  2021. Evaluation of immune function in two populations of green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) in a degraded versus a non-degraded habitat.  J. Wild. Dis.  In press.
  • Tezak B., Sifuentes-Romero I.,  Milton S., Wyneken J. 2020. Identifying Sex of Neonate Turtles with Temperature-dependent Sex Determination via Small Blood Samples.  Sci Rep.  2020 Mar 19;10(1):5012.
  • Reiterer, Melissa* and  Milton, Sarah. 2020. Induction of foxo3a protects turtle neurons against oxidative stress.  Comp. Biochem. Physiol. A  May 2020 243.
  • Bladow, Rachel* and  Milton, Sarah.  2019. Embryonic mortality in green (Chelonia mydas) and loggerhead (Caretta caretta) sea turtle nests increases with cumulative exposure to elevated temperatures.  J. Expt. Mar. Biol. Ecol.  September 2019 518

Scholarly Activities

  • See all publications
  • Marine Lab
  • Co-Director, MS Program in Marine Science and Oceanography
  • President (2016-2018) and Vice President (2018-2021) of Southeast Regional Sea Turtle Network (SERSTN)
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