Grantee Research Project Results
2002 Progress Report: 2001 South Carolina EPA/EPSCoR Program: Strategic Improvement Plan (SIP)
EPA Grant Number: R829424E01Title: 2001 South Carolina EPA/EPSCoR Program: Strategic Improvement Plan (SIP)
Investigators: Druffel, L. , Little, T. Scott
Current 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 Period Covered by this Report: October 1, 2001 through September 30, 2002
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)
Objective:
The South Carolina U.S. Environmental Protection Agency/Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPA/EPSCoR) project consists of a Strategic Improvement Plan (SIP) and two Science and Engineering Environmental Research Projects (SEER). This report summarizes the activities of the SIP and management team. The four major objectives that will affect permanent improvements in the state's capability to conduct nationally competitive environmental research are to: (1) develop intellectual capital; (2) build the physical infrastructure; (3) integrate research and education; and (4) promote state/industry/university partnerships. The SIP includes precollege enrichment activities for K-12 students, undergraduate and graduate research programs, and activities to promote public science. The management team is responsible for fiscal management of the SEER projects and to facilitate implementation of the outreach programs. Other activities of the SIP are to secure nonfederal cost-share support and to implement the self-evaluation program through management of the External Advisory Board.
Progress Summary:
The management team has been successful in obtaining nonfederal cost-share support for the project in the amount of $179,415. This money represents new cash contributions to the program. The management team worked with the directors of the two SEER projects to establish and organize an External Advisory Board. Members of the board include: John Trowbridge, Senior Scientist, Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering; Yuzuru Shimizu, Professor of Chemistry, University of Rhode Island; Fredrick G. Prahl, Professor of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University; and Matthew Przybyciel, Vice President and Technical Director, ES Industries. The membership of this board includes academic/scientific and private-sector representatives, and all have expertise in the SEER project areas. The External Advisory Board met in Columbia, SC, on September 26-27, 2002, and prepared a formal evaluation report of the progress toward meeting the program objectives.
Educational and Outreach Activities. Significant progress has been made toward implementation of the described educational and outreach activities. Dr. Art Cohen, Professor of Geological Sciences at the University of South Carolina, has conducted educational outreach activities in both the Okefenokee Swamp and the Everglades-Mangrove Swamp-marsh Complex in Florida. These field exercises were conducted as part of an undergraduate course that addresses the relative effects on ecosystems by both anthropogenic disturbances and natural causes. Eleven undergraduate students and seven graduate students worked in teams to collect samples and return them to the laboratory for study. Research experiences also were provided for an additional eight undergraduate and six graduate students who participated in the field collection of sediments during a cruise in Winyah Bay, SC. The goals of the cruise were to expose students to the design and execution of scientific research in the field, to demonstrate the applicability of the theory they learn in the classroom through a project, and to teach students how to apply scientific knowledge to marine environmental problems.
Supplemental Keywords:
sediment contaminants, education, outreach, field exercise, undergraduate research., RFA, Scientific Discipline, Water, Geographic Area, Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Aquatic Ecosystems & Estuarine Research, estuarine research, State, Oceanography, Aquatic Ecosystem, algal blooms, Biochemistry, Ecological Risk Assessment, Ecology and Ecosystems, bioassessment, marine ecosystem, bloom dynamics, coastal resources, estuaries, marine biology, coastal habitats, strategic improvement plan, aquatic ecosystems, South Carolina (SC), coastal ecosystems, environmental indicatorsProgress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe 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.