Jani Ingram is a professor of chemistry and

biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology ...

Northern Arizona University Northern Arizona University (NAU) is a public research university based in Flagstaff, Arizona. It was founded in 1899 as the final public university established in the Arizona Territory, 13 years before Arizona was admitted as the 48th state. ...

. Ingram researches the chemistry and health impacts of environmental pollutants, especially uranium and arsenic. Ingram is a member of the

Navajo The Navajo (; British English: Navaho; nv, Diné or ') are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people of the Southwestern United States. With more than 399,494 enrolled tribal members , the Navajo Nation is the largest fe ...

tribe, and the Naneesht’ezhi clan. She leads the Bridging Arizona Native American Students to Bachelor's Degrees (NIH Bridges to Baccalaureate) program and the Native American Cancer Prevention Program. She promotes educational and professional opportunities for Native American students in chemistry through a number of initiatives and for this work was awarded the 2018

American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all ...

Award for Encouraging Disadvantaged Students into Careers in the Chemical Sciences.

Education

Ingram began her academic studies at

Yavapai Community College Yavapai College is a public community college in Yavapai County, Arizona. The main campus is in Prescott, with locations in Clarkdale, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley and Sedona. History Yavapai College was established in 1965 by means of a c ...

in Arizona where she earned an associate's degree. She subsequently studied at

New Mexico State University New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a public land-grant research university based primarily in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest public institution of higher education in New Mexico and one of the stat ...

and earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry. Her Ph.D. is in chemistry from the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. ...

Career and research

Ingram's research areas are

analytical chemistry Analytical chemistry studies and uses instruments and methods to separate, identify, and quantify matter. In practice, separation, identification or quantification may constitute the entire analysis or be combined with another method. Separati ...

and

environmental chemistry Environmental chemistry is the scientific study of the chemical and biochemical phenomena that occur in natural places. It should not be confused with green chemistry, which seeks to reduce potential pollution at its source. It can be defined as t ...

. She specializes on environmental uranium and arsenic contamination and how they effect the food chain and water supplies of the Navajo nation. She also researches traditional Navajo food ingredients and their health benefits, for example juniper ash as a calcium source. In light of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

, her research laboratory repurposed their facilities to produce hand sanitizer which was donated to the

Navajo Nation The Navajo Nation ( nv, Naabeehó Bináhásdzo), also known as Navajoland, is a Native Americans in the United States, Native American Indian reservation, reservation in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwe ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ingram, Jani Northern Arizona University faculty Navajo scientists Yavapai College alumni New Mexico State University alumni University of Arizona alumni Analytical chemists American women biochemists 21st-century American women scientists Native American women scientists 21st-century Native American women 21st-century Native Americans Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Chemists from Arizona