Grantee Research Project Results
2004 Progress Report: Extension of Expertise on Design and Analysis to States and Tribes
EPA Grant Number: R829095C004Subproject: this is subproject number 004 , established and managed by the Center Director under grant R829095
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
Center: Space-Time Aquatic Resources Modeling and Analysis Program (STARMAP)
Center Director: Urquhart, N. Scott
Title: Extension of Expertise on Design and Analysis to States and Tribes
Investigators: Urquhart, N. Scott , Johnson, Stephen , Davis, Richard A. , Stevens, Don L. , Reich, Robin M.
Current Investigators: Urquhart, N. Scott , Johnson, Stephen , Davis, Richard A. , Stevens, Don L.
Institution: Colorado State University , Oregon State University
Current Institution: Colorado State University , Oregon State University , Water Quality Technology, Inc.
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: October 1, 2001 through September 30, 2006
Project Period Covered by this Report: October 1, 2003 through September 30, 2004
RFA: Research Program on Statistical Survey Design and Analysis for Aquatic Resources (2001) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Ecological Indicators/Assessment/Restoration , Watersheds , Water , Aquatic Ecosystems
Objective:
The objectives of this research project are to: (1) identify and establish the statistical needs of personnel in state and tribal environmental management agencies (target audience) and (2) prepare, test, and deliver various (traditional, electronic, and Web-based) means of delivering relevant information to the target audience.
This is one of several projects conducted by the STARMAP Center. The progress of the other projects is reported in separate reports (see the Annual Reports for R829095, R829095C001 through R829095C003, and R829095C005).
Progress Summary:
The first two first units of the planned learning materials, “Why Sample?” and “How to Sample”, were drafted and tested last year. The interface and preliminary content were evaluated positively by water quality personnel at an evaluation gathering August 13, 2003 at Oregon State University (OSU). Personnel affiliated with Colorado State University’s (CSU) Office of Instructional Services assisted in the development of the materials, and this collaboration will continue. A CSU graduate student attended and videotaped the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) training session at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Western Ecology Division Laboratory. This material will become part of Part 4 of the learning materials. A CSU undergraduate is working with Urquhart to assemble and incorporate material on data analysis into the learning materials. She has made substantial progress on the part of the fifth unit concerning data verification and validation.
The Director invested substantial effort this year in the organization and execution of several meetings having a substantial outreach motivation:
- EMAP 2004: A session was given on the statistical aspects of the linkage of Clean Water Act Sections 305(b) and 303(d).
- Graybill Conference, June 16-18, 2004: This constituted outreach to the statistical community, providing Space-Time Aquatic Resources Modeling and Analysis Program (STARMAP) and Designs and Models for Aquatic Resource Surveys (DAMARS) investigators with an opportunity to present some of their results to both established and young statisticians. It was attended by about 80 statisticians and was sponsored officially by STARMAP. The Director is serving as editor of a special edition of Environmental and Ecological Statistics, which will serve as the conference proceedings. Abstracts from this conference are available at http://www.stat.colostate.edu/graybillconference2004/. Exit
- Monitoring Science and Technology Symposium: The Director organized 2.5 days of sessions on the statistical aspects of natural resource surveys. Three STARMAP graduate students made presentations in other sessions. Abstracts and presentation materials from this conference are available at http://www.stat.colostate.edu/starmap/msts.html. Exit
Contacts were made with EPA personnel (Regions 8, 9, and 10, and the Western Ecology Division, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development) and tribal representatives. Drs. Hoeting and Urquhart and most of the CSU STARMAP-funded graduate students participated in a conference on EPA Science To Achieve Resultsresearch projects on May 12, 2004. Hoeting and Urquhart made a presentation on STARMAP’s work. Presentation materials are available at http://www.stat.colostate.edu/ starmap/pps/hoeting.urquhart.web.pps.
Scott Urquhart, Giovanna Ranalli (CSU), and Don Stevens participated in the Temporal Sampling Workshop, Port Angeles, Washington, November 12-14, 2003, sponsored by the National Park Service. Don Stevens participated in the Pacific Rim Salmon Monitoring and Protocol Review, Welches, Oregon, March 8-12, 2004, representing both DAMARS and STARMAP.
The Director actively recruited high school students into statistics by giving talks to eight advanced placement statistics classes in four high schools, two in Denver and two in Colorado Springs. He also prepared materials for use by teachers of such statistics classes and talked about them at a statistics teachers conference.These materials are available at http://www.stat.colostate.edu/starmap/learning.html.
Future Activities:
During the next reporting period, we plan to do the following:
- The learning materials evaluation will be summarized and made available to interested parties.
- The STARMAP Director will continue to coordinate outreach activities with the National Water Quality Monitoring Council, several Estuarine and Great Lakes Centers, Atlantic Coast Environmental Indicators Consortium, Consortium for Estuarine Ecoindicator Research for the Gulf of Mexico, and Great Lakes Environmental Indicators Program, the Southern California Coastal Water Research Program, the San Francisco Estuary Institute, OSU, and other agencies.
- The Director will nurture contacts with various State and Tribal entities as opportunities develop, including anticipated collaborations with the Northwest Tribal Water Quality Council, EPA Office of Research and Development Tribal Science Council, EPA Office of Water’s Watershed Institute, and the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission.
- Students will be involved in this project as appropriate; Jay Araas, a Masters student in statistics at CSU has been involved this year.
- The Director will continue to contact high school teachers of Advanced Placement statistics to facilitate recruitment of students into undergraduate statistics majors/concentration, as part of an effort to recruit more graduate students into environmental statistics. He will be assisted by Desiree Bailey, a CSU statistics undergraduate student, in this effort.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 59 publications for this subprojectSupplemental Keywords:
outreach, distance learning, web-based learning, needs-based instruction, accommodating cultural differences, RFA, Scientific Discipline, Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Aquatic Ecosystems & Estuarine Research, Aquatic Ecosystem, Environmental Monitoring, EMAP, ecosystem monitoring, spatial and temporal modeling, outreach and training, aquatic ecosystems, water quality, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program, States and Tribes, modeling ecosystems, STARMAPRelevant Websites:
http://www.stat.colostate.edu/starmap Exit
http://www.stat.colostate.edu/graybillconference2004/ Exit
Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractMain Center Abstract and Reports:
R829095 Space-Time Aquatic Resources Modeling and Analysis Program (STARMAP) Subprojects under this Center: (EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
R829095C001 Combining Environmental Data Sets
R829095C002 Local Inferences from Aquatic Studies
R829095C003 Development and Evaluation of Aquatic Indicators
R829095C004 Extension of Expertise on Design and Analysis to States and Tribes
R829095C005 Integration and Coordination for STARMAP
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.
Project Research Results
1 journal articles for this subproject
Main Center: R829095
291 publications for this center
43 journal articles for this center