Dr. CARL EDWARD CERNIGLIA,

72, of Little Rock, Ark., passed away unexpectedly on April 9, 2021, at his second home in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. Carl was born December 5, 1948, in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., the loving and devoted son of the late Samuel Cerniglia and Mary Cerniglia Valentino.

Surviving to cherish his memory are his sister, Joyce Cerniglia Iaccino of Hyde Park, N.Y.; his brother, Ron Cerniglia (Lynne) of Cary, N.C.; stepsister, Joanne Butterfield (Jim) of Clifton Park, N.Y.; stepbrother, John Valentino of Clifton Park, N.Y.; nieces Michelle Iaccino-Robertson, Andrea Iaccino, Joanna Butterfield; nephews, Louis Iaccino, Michael Iaccino, Sam Cerniglia; and Evan Butterfield.

He loved and deeply supported his family, co-workers, and friends, and his Dragonfly Park and River Mountain neighbors. He was a mentor to many, enjoyed sports and travel, and was a passionate runner completing numerous marathons, including Pikes Peak in Colorado. Carl started his day running with his friends from the Little Rock running club or when in Florida heading to the beach on his bicycle for his daily run which was always followed by a stop at local coffee shop. Additionally, Carl had a scientific career that made a global impact improving our health, safety, and environment.

Carl received his undergraduate degree from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, and received his Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Microbiology from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C. Since 1980, Carl served as the Director of the Division of Microbiology at the National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR), Jefferson, Arkansas, and a member of the Senior Biomedical Research Service for the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a job he deeply loved, leading a group of dedicated, world- renown professionals. He received the FDA Commissioner’s Award, the FDA Lifetime Achievement Award, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Outstanding Leader Award in providing mentoring, training, and career advancement opportunities to employees in a diverse workforce. His research career brought together applied and basic research methodologies to address emerging public and environmental health issues including food safety, toxicological risk assessment of antimicrobial drugs, nanomaterials, food additives, and chemical contaminant residues in food, and the impacts and biodegradation of pollutants in the environment. His leadership on remediating the significant environmental impacts related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico led to his recognition by the American Academy of Microbiology. He was also honored for his scientific contributions in environmental biotechnology when a novel high-molecular-weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial isolate was named after him (Immundisolibacter cernigliae).

Carl was elected as a fellow in the American Academy of Microbiology, served as an adjunct Professor in the Dept. of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences, Little Rock, and as an advisor and expert reviewer at the World Health Organization located in Geneva, Switzerland where he was awarded the Silver Medal for outstanding scientific contributions.

Carl’s scientific contributions over his career have resulted in over 430 publications and review articles frequently highlighted in the scientific and popular press along with more than 400 invited presentations at national and international conferences and meetings.

In recognition for this career, he received the Outstanding Alumnus Award from North Carolina State University.

A graveside service will be held on Saturday, April 24, 2021, at 11 a.m. at St. Peter’s Cemetery in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

Professional services are entrusted to the Michael Torsone Memorial Funeral Home, Inc., 218 Mill St., Poughkeepsie, N.Y. A memorial service will also be scheduled in Little Rock, Ark.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made either to the Dr. Carl Cerniglia Memorial Research Endowment at North Carolina State University which will provide undergraduate scholarships and graduate fellowships to aid deserving Microbiology students at https://go.ncsu.edu/cerniglia or via a gift made payable to the NC State College of Sciences Foundation, Campus Box 8201, NC State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, or to the American Cancer Society at https://www.cancer.org/

For online condolences or to send the family a sympathy card, please visit www.torsonememorial.com

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