Grantee Research Project Results

2001 South Carolina EPA/EPSCoR Program: Strategic Improvement Plan (SIP)

EPA Grant Number: R829424E01
Title: 2001 South Carolina EPA/EPSCoR Program: Strategic Improvement Plan (SIP)
Investigators: Druffel, L. , Scrivens, W. A. , Little, T. Scott
Institution: South Carolina Research Authority , University of South Carolina at Columbia
EPA Project Officer: Chung, Serena
Project Period: October 1, 2001 through September 30, 2003 (Extended to September 30, 2004)
Project Amount: $101,701
RFA: EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) (2000) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: EPSCoR (The Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research)

Description:

A program, designed for the state of South Carolina, and consisting of a Strategic Improvement Plan (SIP) and two Science and Engineering Environmental Research Projects (SEER), is described. Five major objectives to achieve permanent improvements in the State's capacity to conduct nationally competitive environmental research are addressed: investment in academic research infrastructure (human resource and physical); promotion of partnerships with the four-year institutions; support of projects that bridge university and private sector interests; use of prior successful EPSCoR projects as templates; and focus on projects that add measurable value to the existing research strengths. In support of the proposal is the research infrastructure at the University of South Carolina including major academic coastal research centers, state initiatives to support research and education, and current EPA-funded and other active environmental projects. The two research projects are in the general areas of environmental dehalogenation and harmful algal blooms. These research efforts contribute to the maintenance of a pristine coastal environment, which is critical to the tourism industry and thus the economic vitality of South Carolina.

Approach:

The strategies to accomplish the five major objectives to improve the State's capacity to conduct nationally competitive environmental research are: develop the intellectual capital by building multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary teams of researchers working toward a common research goal; purchase significant equipment to build the physical infrastructure; sponsor K-16 and four-year institutional outreach activities that integrate research and education; and consider the State Strategic Plan for Economic Devlopment in the proposed SIP and SEER activities to promote State/Industry/University partnerships.

Expected Results:

The 2001 South Carolina EPA/EPSCoR Proposal will result in the hire of a new faculty member in geological/marine sciences with specialization in the modeling of contaminant transport mechanisms. This hire will significantly impact the competitiveness and development of on-going research at USC focused on understanding the factors controlling the toxicological properties and bioavailability of contaminants in estuarine systems. This individual will bridge environmental, molecular and population biology interests within USC's research programs resulting in a broadened scope of overall research capacity for future funding. Research on Harmful Algal Bloom toxins will occur during a burgeoning period of related research development between the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium, the National Ocean Service, and USC's Baruch Institute of Marine Biology and Coastal Research. These programs, when combined with the K-16 and four-year institutional activities of the Strategic Improvement Plan (SIP), will catalyze current environmental research and education efforts in our state.

Supplemental Keywords:

RFA, Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Scientific Discipline, Geographic Area, Water, algal blooms, Aquatic Ecosystem, Aquatic Ecosystems & Estuarine Research, Ecological Risk Assessment, State, estuarine research, Oceanography, Biochemistry, Ecology and Ecosystems, coastal resources, environmental indicators, marine biology, water quality, estuaries, coastal ecosystems, bioassessment, South Carolina (SC), strategic improvement plan, bloom dynamics, coastal habitats, aquatic ecosystems

Relevant Websites:

polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, sediments, algal blooms.

Progress and Final Reports:

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.