Grantee Research Project Results
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development
National Center for Environmental Research
Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Program
CLOSED - FOR REFERENCES PURPOSES ONLY
Fall 2012 EPA Science To Achieve Results (STAR) Fellowships For Graduate Environmental Study
This is the initial announcement of this funding opportunity.
Funding Opportunity Number: (See Section I.D. for descriptions)
| NUMBER | TOPIC TITLE |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-A1 | Emerging Environmental Approaches & Challenges: Environmental Entrepreneurship (A1) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-A2 | Emerging Environmental Approaches & Challenges: Information Science (A2) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-A3 | Emerging Environmental Approaches & Challenges: Social Sciences (A3) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-B1 | Air, Climate & Energy: Clean Air (B1) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-B2 | Air, Climate & Energy: Global Change (B2) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-B3 | Air, Climate & Energy: Green Energy/Natural Resources Production & Use (B3) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-C1 | Chemical Safety for Sustainability: Green Engineering/Building/Chemical Products & Processes/Materials Development (C1) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-C2 | Chemical Safety for Sustainability: Nanotechnology (C2) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-C3 | Chemical Safety for Sustainability: Pesticides and Toxic Substances (C3) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-D1 | Human Health Risk Assessment: Public Health (D1) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-D2 | Human Health Risk Assessment: Risk Assessment and Risk Management (D2) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-E1 | Safe and Sustainable Water Resources: Drinking Water (E1) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-E2 | Safe and Sustainable Water Resources: Water Quality--Coastal and Estuarine Processes (E2) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-E3 | Safe and Sustainable Water Resources: Water Quality--Hydrogeology and Surface Water (E3) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-F1 | Safe and Healthy Communities: Ecosystem Services--Aquatic Systems Ecology (F1) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-F2 | Safe and Healthy Communities: Ecosystem Services--Terrestrial Systems Animal Ecology (F2) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-F3 | Safe and Healthy Communities: Ecosystem Services--Terrestrial Systems Soil and Plant Ecology (F3) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-F4 | Safe and Healthy Communities: Built Environment and Land Use/ Protection (F4) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-F5 | Safe and Healthy Communities: Tribes and American Indian/Alaska Native/Pacific Islander Communities (F5) |
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 66.514
Solicitation Opening Date: September 14, 2011
Solicitation Closing Date: November 8, 2011
Solicitation Closing Time: 4:00 PM Eastern Time (ET) to receive paper applications.
11:59:59 PM Eastern Time (ET) for electronic submission through Grants.gov.
11:59:59 PM Eastern Time (ET) for email submission of All Letters of Recommendation.
Technical Contact: Brandon Jones
Eligibility Contact: James Gentry
Electronic Email Submissions: Todd Peterson
Access STAR Fellowship Application Package and Forms (Forms and Standard Instructions Download Page)
View research awarded under previous solicitations (Funding Opportunities: Archive Page)
SUMMARY OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
Synopsis of Program:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, is offering Graduate Fellowships for master’s and doctoral level students in environmental fields of study. The deadline is November 8, 2011 at 4:00 PM ET for receipt of paper applications, and November 8, 2011 at 11:59:59 PM ET for submittal of electronic applications via Grants.gov. Subject to availability of funding and other applicable considerations, the Agency plans to award approximately 80 new fellowships by July 31, 2012. Master's level students may receive support for a maximum of two years. Doctoral students may be supported for a maximum of three years, usable over a period of five years. The fellowship program provides up to $42,000 per year of support per fellowship.
Award Information:
Anticipated Type of Award: Fellowship
Estimated Number of Awards: Approximately 80 awards
Anticipated Funding Amount: Approximately $4.5 million for all awards
Potential Funding per Fellowship: $42,000 per year per fellowship. Master's level students may receive support for a maximum of two years for a total of up to $84,000. Doctoral students may be supported for a maximum of three years for a total of up to $126,000, usable over a period of five years. Cost sharing is not required. Eligible applicants as defined in Section III below, including those attending institutions with significant minority enrollment, are particularly encouraged to apply. Examples of such institutions include Accredited Postsecondary Minority Serving Institutions as defined in 20 U.S.C. Sec. 1061; 20 U.S.C. Secs. 1059(c) and 1059g(a)(2); and 20 U.S.C. Sec. 1101a(a)(5).
If selected to receive a fellowship, you will be contacted no later than May 1, 2012 and should subsequently receive your official notification of award by July 31, 2012, for the fall term. Please note that this schedule may be changed without notification due to factors that were not anticipated at the time of announcement. The earliest anticipated start date for these awards is September 1, 2012.
- Students must attend a fully accredited U.S. college or university (located in the U.S. or its territories) for their graduate studies.
- Applicants must also be citizens of the U.S. or its territories or possessions, or be lawfully admitted to the U.S. for permanent residence. Resident aliens must include their green card number in their application (you must have your green card at the time of application to be eligible for this Fellowship opportunity). EPA may verify this number with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service of the Department of Homeland Security.
Application Materials:
The following application materials must be submitted:
Item 1. Application for Federal Assistance, Standard Form (SF) 424 (for electronic submissions via Grants.gov) or Standard Form (SF) 424 I-Individual (for paper submissions)
Item 2. EPA Key Contacts Form (5700-54)
Item 3. Front Page
Item 4. Personal Statement
Item 5. Proposal Description
Item 6. Background Information:
Item 7. Letters of Recommendation (sent by referees)
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- Education & Relevant Experiences
Publications & Presentations
Course Work
- Education & Relevant Experiences
You may submit only one application under this announcement, which means you can only submit an application under one Funding Opportunity Number (FON) as described below. In instances where more than one application is submitted, EPA will contact the applicant to determine which application(s) will be withdrawn.
You may submit either a paper application or an electronic application via Grants.gov but not both for this announcement (electronic applications are encouraged). The necessary forms for submitting a STAR Fellowship paper application can be found on the NCER web site, https://www.epa.gov/research-grants/funding-opportunities-how-apply-and-required-forms. To apply electronically, you must use the application package available at Grants.gov (see "Submission Instructions for Electronic Applications"). See Section IV for further information on application submission procedures.
Agency Contacts:
Further information, if needed, may be obtained from the EPAhttps://www.epa.gov/research-grants resources listed below. To obtain information most quickly, consult the "Guidance & FAQs." If your question is not covered, then send a query to the contact us page. You will receive a personal response through a return email. Information regarding this RFA obtained from sources other than those indicated below may not be accurate.
Guidance & FAQs: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-09/documents/grant-faqs-2015.pdf
Technical Contact: Brandon Jones
Eligibility Contact: James Gentry
Electronic Email Submissions: Todd Peterson
I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION
A. Introduction
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Center for Environmental Research (NCER), invites applications for the Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Fellowships for graduate environmental study for master’s and doctoral level students. The deadline is November 8, 2011 at 4:00 PM ET for receipt of paper applications, and November 8, 2011 at 11:59:59 PM ET for submittal of electronic applications via Grants.gov. Subject to availability of funding and other applicable considerations, the Agency plans to award approximately 80 new fellowships by July 31, 2012. Master's level students may receive support for a maximum of two years. Doctoral students may be supported for a maximum of three years, usable over a period of five years. The fellowship program provides up to $42,000 per year of support per fellowship. This amount covers a monthly stipend of $2,083 for up to 12 months totaling $25,000 for the year, $5,000 for authorized expenses, and up to $12,000 for tuition and fees. The actual amount awarded per year will vary depending on the amount of tuition and fees and the number of months the stipend is required. These fellowships are intended to help defray costs associated with advanced, environmentally-oriented study leading to a master's or doctoral degree.
Eligible applicants as defined in Section III below, including those attending Accredited Postsecondary Minority Serving Institutions, as defined in 20 U.S.C. Sec. 1061; 20 U.S.C. Secs. 1059(c) and 1059g(a)(2); and 20 U.S.C. Sec. 1101a(a)(5), are encouraged to apply. .
This solicitation contains one important change from the previous year’s solicitation. The topic areas have been re-arranged according to the Office of Research and Development’s new suite of integrated, trans-disciplinary research programs organized around the sustainability paradigm, including Air, Climate & Energy, Chemical Safety for Sustainability, Human Health Risk Assessment, Safe and Sustainable Water Resources, and Safe and Healthy Communities.
B. Background
The STAR Fellowship program was initiated in 1995. Approximately 1,600 STAR fellowships have been awarded since the inception of the program. The U.S. is projected to have considerable human resource needs in the science, engineering, and policy fields (Jackson 2002, National Research Council 2007). The STAR Fellowship program is part of the national effort to help meet those workforce needs, especially in the environmental arena (US EPA 2003). The goal of the fellowship program is to encourage promising students to obtain advanced degrees and pursue careers in an environmental field. This goal is consistent with the mission of EPA, which is to provide leadership in the nation’s environmental science, research, education, assessment, restoration, preservation, pollution prevention and sustainability efforts. The STAR Fellowship program has proven to be beneficial to both the public and private sectors by providing a steady stream of well‑trained environmental specialists to meet society’s environmental challenges (National Research Council 2003). It has also provided new environmental research in engineering and in the physical, biological, health, and social sciences.
The specific Strategic Goals and Objectives from the EPA’s FY 2011-2015 Strategic Plan that relate to this solicitation are:
- Goal 3: Cleaning Up Communities and Advancing Sustainable Development, Objective 3.1: Promote Sustainable and Livable Communities.
The EPA’s FY 2011-2015 Strategic Plan can be found at: https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan.html/
C. Authority and Regulations
The authority for this RFA and resulting awards is contained in the Safe Drinking Water Act, Section 1442, 42 U.S.C. 300j-1; Toxic Substances Control Act, Section 10, 15 U.S.C. 2609; Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, Section 20, 7 U.S.C. 136r; Clean Air Act, Section 103, 42 U.S.C. 7403; Clean Water Act, Section 104, 33 U.S.C. 1254; and Solid Waste Disposal Act, Section 8001, 42 U.S.C. 6981.
For fellowships with an international aspect, the above statutes are supplemented, as appropriate, by the National Environmental Policy Act, Section 102 (2)(F).
Applicable Regulation: 40 CFR Part 46 (Fellowships)
D. Specific Areas/Topics of Interest
This Request for Applications (RFA) solicits applications from students to perform graduate level investigation towards protecting human health and the environment.
Applications are welcomed from students studying any academic discipline to the extent that the particular topic of proposed research is related to EPA’s mission. This includes students studying in ecology, economics, engineering, modeling, the health sciences, physical sciences, earth sciences, exposure sciences, social sciences, informational sciences, mathematical and computer sciences, and environmental sciences. Applications are also welcomed from students who have not traditionally participated in environmental conversations or research, including those that attend Minority Academic Institutions (MAIs).
The mission of the EPA STAR Fellowships Program is to help ensure that the U.S. meets its current and projected human resource needs in the environmental science, engineering, and policy fields. Thus, the EPA is looking to fund students at the graduate level who are committed to meeting the challenges of today and the next generation by pursuing a career related to protecting human health and the environment. Proposals may come from students in traditional and interdisciplinary academic disciplines; from students studying in emerging fields that will require increased human capacity such as in the social and exposure sciences; from students utilizing multidisciplinary approaches and/or addressing multiple media; and, in areas which focus on environmental justice, environmental education, community-based participation, and/or environmental decision-making.
Selected candidates will have identified skills, achievements, and potential in consort with the STAR Fellowship program’s strategic goals: bolstering the environmental generation of tomorrow, bridging to diverse communities, and boosting excellent research & development that advance the protection of human health and the environment through education. Candidates will be evaluated for their demonstrated commitment to an environmental career, for their potential for success in the proposed area of inquiry, and for their proposal’s potential to have broader societal impacts. More specific information on the evaluation criteria are found in Section V.
This RFA solicits applications from students performing investigations in a variety of environmentally-related research topics which are described below. By providing financial support across disciplines, EPA expects to continue to assist in increasing the nation’s environmental workforce and ability to produce leading edge environmental research, and in advancing the nation’s environmental research and development enterprise (Executive Office of the President 2011).
Funding Opportunity Numbers (FON)/Topics
EPA will select students whose projects meet high standards of scientific excellence and creativity, have the potential to broaden the academic frontiers of protecting human health and the environment today and in the next generation, and fall within the purview of EPA’s authorizing statutes (see Section I.C. “Authority and Regulations” for more details).
Thus, EPA seeks to fund projects that address protection of human health and the environment from a wide variety of perspectives and approaches, focusing on the purposes of pollution prevention and/or control.
In order to assist EPA staff in the review and funding processes, applications must identify a single topic and corresponding Funding Opportunity Number (FON) that is appropriately related to the proposed area of inquiry. The review assignments will be made based on the one FON that you indicate in your application. If your application seems to fit under more than one topic/FON, you still must choose a single topic/FON for purposes of submission. Your application can be submitted to one, and only one, FON. In instances where more than one application is submitted, EPA will contact the applicant to determine which application(s) will be withdrawn. EPA staff will not assist in identifying a topic/FON. Applicants should review the relevant authorizing statutes listed in Section I.C. Additionally, see the glossary of statutes prior to the descriptions.
Note: Your planned course of study/project should focus on one of the following topics of environmental significance and your application should describe the relationship of the topic area to the statutorily required purpose of pollution prevention and/or control.
The applicant’s project must focus on activities within the statutory terms of EPA’s financial assistance authorities; specifically, the statute(s) listed in Section I.C above. Generally, a project must address the causes, effects, extent, prevention, reduction, and elimination of air pollution, water pollution, solid/hazardous waste pollution, toxic substances control, or pesticide control depending on which statute(s) is listed above. These activities should relate to the gathering or transferring of information or advancing the state of knowledge. Proposals should emphasize this “learning” concept, as opposed to “fixing” an environmental problem via a well-established method. Proposals relating to other topics which are sometimes included within the term “environment” such as recreation, conservation, restoration, protection of wildlife habitats, etc., must describe the relationship of these topics to the statutorily required purpose of pollution prevention and/or control.
STAR GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP TOPICS and FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NUMBERS (FON)
| NUMBER | TOPIC TITLE |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-A1 | Emerging Environmental Approaches & Challenges: Environmental Entrepreneurship (A1) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-A2 | Emerging Environmental Approaches & Challenges: Information Science (A2) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-A3 | Emerging Environmental Approaches & Challenges: Social Sciences (A3) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-B1 | Air, Climate & Energy: Clean Air (B1) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-B2 | Air, Climate & Energy: Global Change (B2) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-B3 | Air, Climate & Energy: Green Energy/Natural Resources Production & Use (B3) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-C1 | Chemical Safety for Sustainability: Green Engineering/Building/Chemical Products & Processes/Materials Development (C1) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-C2 | Chemical Safety for Sustainability: Nanotechnology (C2) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-C3 | Chemical Safety for Sustainability: Pesticides and Toxic Substances (C3) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-D1 | Human Health Risk Assessment: Public Health (D1) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-D2 | Human Health Risk Assessment: Risk Assessment and Risk Management (D2) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-E1 | Safe and Sustainable Water Resources: Drinking Water (E1) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-E2 | Safe and Sustainable Water Resources: Water Quality--Coastal and Estuarine Processes (E2) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-E3 | Safe and Sustainable Water Resources: Water Quality--Hydrogeology and Surface Water (E3) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-F1 | Safe and Healthy Communities: Ecosystem Services--Aquatic Systems Ecology (F1) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-F2 | Safe and Healthy Communities: Ecosystem Services--Terrestrial Systems Animal Ecology (F2) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-F3 | Safe and Healthy Communities: Ecosystem Services--Terrestrial Systems Soil and Plant Ecology (F3) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-F4 | Safe and Healthy Communities: Built Environment and Land Use/ Protection (F4) |
| EPA-F2012-STAR-F5 | Safe and Healthy Communities: Tribes and American Indian/Alaska Native/Pacific Islander Communities (F5) |
| All projects should describe the relationship of these topic areas to the statutorily required purpose of pollution prevention and/or control. | |
| Glossary of Statutes | |
| CWA | Clean Water Act |
| CAA | Clean Air Act |
| FIFRA | Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act |
| SWDA | Solid Waste Disposal Act |
| TSCA | Toxic Substances Control Act |
| SDWA | Safe Drinking Water Act |
In general, EPA aims to support research and demonstration projects that will seek sustainable solutions that protect the environment, strengthen our communities and foster prosperity. Sustainability is defined by the Brundtland Commission (WECD, 1987) as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs," and by the President’s Council on Sustainable Development as “…an evolving process that improves the economy, the environment, and society for the benefit of current and future generations.”
A sustainable approach is a systems-based approach that seeks to understand the interactions which exist among the three pillars of sustainability (environment, society, and economy) in an effort to better understand the consequences of our actions. Investigations and study that seek sustainable solutions protects the environment, strengthens our communities and fosters prosperity.
- EMERGING ENVIRONMENTAL APPROACHES & CHALLENGES (A)
EPA-F2012-STAR-A1: ENVIRONMENTAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP (A1)
Applications in this category are for interests in and investigations at the intersection of sustainability and innovative technology development and utilization. More specifically, this category is for applicants whose graduate environmental study and/or project have an entrepreneurial component involving the identification, development, and demonstration of innovative environmental technologies, methods, or management approaches. Innovation is the process of making changes; a new method, custom or device. Innovation can take the form of wholly new applications or applications that build on existing knowledge and approaches for new uses. Game-changing innovations are of special interest.
Projects may include, but are not limited to, research on the following: using “open innovation” R&D practices to identify and create green technologies; demonstrating technologies built on green engineering principles that can help solve environmental problems; developing and utilizing green technologies in the BRIC countries--Brazil, Russia, India, and China; exploring the entrepreneurship aspects of increasing the sustainability of recycling in the United States and developing countries; investigating how policy and non-federal regulatory approaches increase the demand for innovative environmental technologies, etc.
Authorizing statutes: CAA, CWA, FIFRA, SWDA, TSCA, SDWA
EPA-F2012-STAR-A2: INFORMATION SCIENCE (A2)
Applications in this topic are for interests in and investigations on the science of processing environmental information to enhance decision making for pollution prevention and/or control. Proposals in this topic focus on facilitating environmental research and management by developing ways to access and/or integrate databases of environmental information, and developing new algorithms enabling different environmental datasets to be combined to test environmental hypotheses.
Projects may include applying informatics to environmental health, public health, ecosystem services, and/or environmental economics; broadening environmental decision-making and policy-development at the State, Local, and/or Tribal levels by using more expansive information processing techniques; engineering newer informational systems and technologies for environmental protection, etc.
Note: Proposals related to American Indian/Alaska Native/Pacific Islander communities and/or Tribes may also be well suited for the Tribes and American Indian/Alaska Native/Pacific Islander Communities FON/Topic (F5).
Authorizing statutes: CAA, CWA, FIFRA, SWDA, TSCA, SDWA
EPA-F2012-STAR-A3: SOCIAL SCIENCES (A3)
Applications in this topic are for interests in and investigations on enhancing the integrated use of the natural and social sciences into emerging trans-disciplinary environmental research as well as to examine concepts of environmentalism, environmental decision-making, and environmental governance (e.g. ecosystem-based management, social-ecological systems, coupling social and natural systems). Proposals in this topic focus on identifying and expanding the importance of social and cultural dimensions in the protection of the environment and human health.Projects may include, but are not limited to, bringing theories and methods of social sciences to subject areas such as environmentalism, environmental justice, environmental health, ecosystem services, air and water quality, land use, pollution prevention, risk assessment and/or risk management; broadening environmental decision-making schemes using more expansive social theories and methods to develop models, outputs, and interventions that protect human health and the environment; investigating social and cultural factors to gain more comprehensive understandings of the impacts of social indicators (e.g. understandings, behaviors or actions) for the protection of the environment and human health; etc.
Note: Proposals related to American Indian/Alaska Native/Pacific Islander communities and/or Tribes may also be well suited for the Tribes and American Indian/Alaska Native/Pacific Islander Communities FON/Topic (F5).
Authorizing statutes: CAA, CWA, FIFRA, SWDA, TSCA, SDWA
- AIR, CLIMATE & ENERGY (B)
EPA-F2012-STAR-B1: CLEAN AIR (B1)
Applications in this topic are for interests in and investigations on the science of air quality and pollution. Proposals in this topic focus on air pollution assessment, monitoring, transport, transformation, control, management, and modeling.
Projects may include, but are not limited to, studying secondary formation of air pollutants, spatial temporal heterogeneity of particulate matter (PM) size fractions and components, studying the atmospheric science of air pollution mixtures, etc.
Authorizing statutes: CAA
EPA-F2012-STAR-B2: GLOBAL CHANGE (B2)
Applications in this topic are for interests in and investigations on the science of global change, particularly climate variability and change in the U.S. Proposals in this topic focus on global change impacts and mitigation of these impacts on air quality, water quality, ecosystems, human health, and socio-economic systems.
Projects may include, but are not limited to, examining the impacts of global climate change on air quality, water quality, aquatic or terrestrial ecosystems, or human health; adapting air or water quality management systems or decision support tools to respond to risks posed by climate change; understanding the environmental consequences of potential climate mitigation strategies, etc.
Authorizing statutes: CAA, CWA
EPA-F2012-STAR-B3: GREEN ENERGY/NATURAL RESOURCES PRODUCTION & USE (B3) (focusing on multimedia pollution prevention; includes resource extraction)
Applications in this category are for interests in and investigations on the science and engineering of sustainability as they pertain to green energy production or the extraction and use of natural resources. Proposals in this topic focus on 1) the benefits and impacts of green energy production on air quality, water quality, ecosystems, human health, and socio-economic systems, or 2) the impacts of natural resource extraction and use on air quality, water quality, ecosystems, human health, and socio-economic systems.
Projects may include, but are not limited to, examining the links between green energy or natural resource production and use and air quality, water quality, aquatic or terrestrial ecosystems, or human health.
Authorizing statutes: CAA, CWA, SDWA, SWDA
- CHEMICAL SAFETY FOR SUSTAINABILITY (C)
EPA-F2012-STAR-C1: GREEN ENGINEERING/CHEMICAL PRODUCTS & PROCESSES/MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT (C1)
Applications in this category are for interests in and investigations on the science and engineering of sustainability as it pertains to green engineering, green chemistry, and green materials. Proposals in this topic focus on the design and analysis of chemicals, materials, products, or systems.Projects may include, but are not limited to, green synthesis; evaluating use of post-consumer or post-industrial recycled materials for new chemicals, materials, or products; examining life cycle assessment and other materials systems analyses; applying biometric approaches to material, product, or process design, etc.
Authorizing statutes: CAA, CWA, FIFRA, SWDA, TSCA, SDWA
EPA-F2012-STAR-C2: NANOTECHNOLOGY (C2)
Applications in this topic are for interests and investigations on engineered/manufactured nanomaterials. Proposals in this topic focus on how engineered/manufactured nanomaterials (including nano-bio and other emerging compounds) may be used to advance pollution prevention/remediation, and understanding material life cycles such that the impact of these materials can be accurately and rapidly assessed.
Projects may include, but are not limited to applying green chemistry and engineering to nanomaterial synthesis; exploring how nanomaterials can be used effectively to clean up contaminants released into the environment; investigating unique exposure pathways associated with nanomaterials; conducting a life cycle analysis on a particular class of nanomaterials, etc.
Authorizing statutes: CAA, CWA, FIFRA, SWDA, TSCA, SDWA
EPA-F2012-STAR-C3: PESTICIDES and TOXIC SUBSTANCES (C3)
Applications in this topic are for interests in and investigations on the science of understanding (e.g. toxicity), reducing, and/or preventing risks to humans, wildlife, and non-target plants from exposures to contaminants and groups of contaminants. Proposals in this topic focus on the use of molecular tools, pesticides, toxic chemicals, emerging environmental contaminants (e.g. endocrine disrupting chemicals, and pharmaceuticals in the environment), and products of biotechnology (e.g. genetically engineered agents).
Projects may include, but are not limited to, searching for pesticides and/or chemicals which are safer for humans and non-target organisms; developing screening and monitoring techniques used to detect toxic chemicals and/or quantifying the effects of toxic chemicals and chemical mixtures in the environment, including computational toxicology; providing new insights into how pesticides or environmental contaminants may affect wildlife or human populations; understanding the toxicology of environmental contaminants, and developing techniques and tools to predict hazards of environmental contaminants, etc.
Note: Nanotechnology related proposals may be well suited for the Nanotechnology FON/Topic (C2).
Authorizing statutes: CAA, CWA, FIFRA, SWDA, TSCA, SDWA
- HUMAN HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT (D)
Applications in this topic are for interests in and investigations on the science of human health risk assessment, including understanding exposures and health effects that can lead to protection of human health. Proposals in this topic focus on advancing the field of risk assessment, including cumulative risk research; community-based risk assessment research; exposure assessment; susceptible subpopulations and lifestages research; and tools for risk management decisions.
Projects may include, but are not limited to, studying exposures and health effects of environmental contaminants (especially unique exposures from cultural practices, unique geographic regions, or environmental justice communities) and cumulative risks posed by exposure to mixtures of contaminants (and/or a combination of chemical, physical, biological and social/psycho-social stressors); providing new insights into how environmental contaminants may affect vulnerable populations (e.g., children and older adults) and susceptible populations that are at high risk of suffering the adverse effects of environmental factors (e.g., minority, low-income and indigenous populations, populations with pre-existing medical conditions, populations that are linguistically isolated, etc.); what key factors impact exposures of these subpopulations; developing and evaluating novel exposure assessment tools (e.g., methods, models); evaluating alternative exposure metrics in epidemiologic studies; evaluating the effectiveness of State, Local, and/or Tribal policy, regulatory and risk communication actions to reduce health risks resulting from exposure to environmental contaminants; applying health impact assessment on State, Local, and/or Tribal policy policies, projects or programs dealing with environmental health issues, etc.
Subtopics—applicants to this topic area must choose one of the subtopics below:
EPA-F2012-STAR-D1: PUBLIC HEALTH (D1)
(e.g. environmental epidemiology, biostatistics, human exposure, health economics, health physics, health impact assessments, etc.)EPA-F2012-STAR-D2: RISK ASSESSMENT & RISK MANAGEMENT (D2)
(e.g., cumulative risk research; community-based risk assessment; exposure assessment; susceptible subpopulations and lifestages research; tools for risk management decisions; intervention strategies; environmental health communications and education; environmental justice, etc.)Authorizing statutes: CAA, CWA, FIFRA, SWDA, TSCA, SDWA
- SAFE AND SUSTAINABLE WATER RESOURCES (E)
EPA-F2012-STAR-E1: DRINKING WATER (E1)
Applications in this topic are for interests in and investigations on the science of drinking water quality. Proposals in this topic focus on protecting drinking water sources, producing and distributing safe drinking water, managing health risks associated with exposure to waterborne contaminants, and promoting the safety and sustainability of water resources and water infrastructure.
Projects may include, but are not limited to, developing assessment tools to characterize the occurrence of waterborne contaminants in drinking water supplies and quantify the extent of exposure from drinking these sources; adapting management and monitoring strategies to protect surface and ground water sources of drinking water; developing treatment technologies and/or understanding their efficacy; characterizing microbial ecology within distribution systems, etc.
Authorizing statutes: SDWA, CWA
WATER QUALITY (E2, E3)
Applications in this topic are for interests in and investigations on the science of water quality. Proposals in this topic focus on assessing, protecting, and restoring surface and ground water quality, aquatic ecosystems, watershed management, and source control management.
Projects may include, but are not limited to, developing better tools and technologies for assessing, monitoring and managing the impacts of nonpoint source pollution; developing approaches, tools, technologies, and models to characterize and manage the combined effects of multiple stressors on aquatic life and water quality; studying harmful algal blooms; adapting management strategies to assess surface and ground water quality; determining causes of impairments; developing sustainable and innovative tools to manage, restore, and protect these resources, etc.
Subtopics—applicants to this Water Quality topic area must choose one of the subtopics below:
EPA-F2012-STAR-E2: COASTAL and ESTUARINE PROCESSES (E2)
EPA-F2012-STAR-E3: HYDROGEOLOGY and SURFACE WATER (E3)
Authorizing statutes: CWA, SWDA, SDWA
- SAFE AND HEALTHY COMMUNITIES (F)
ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
Applications in this topic are for interests in and investigations on the science of understanding, protecting, and restoring ecosystems. Proposals in this topic focus on improving knowledge to protect and restore the ecosystem services that are important for supporting humans and all organisms, such as clean air; clean water; and unpolluted, fertile soil which can aid in waste composition, water filtration and degradation of environmental contaminants. This includes developing data, methods, models, and tools needed by states, communities, and tribes to understand the cost and benefits of using ecosystem services, as well as, developing the underlying science for the characterization, quantification, and valuation of ecosystems services as responses to and/or regulators of environmental exposures to humans and ecosystems.
Projects may include, but are not limited to, ecosystem restoration from pollution, landscape ecology for pollution prevention, studying pollutant effects on plants, animals and/or habitats, furthering knowledge on ecosystem services valuation (including but not limited to monetization), exposure scenario construction, model formulation and/or mapping for ecosystems services and their responses, and multimedia fate and transport models for exposures to the full range of stressors that interact with ecosystems services, etc.
Subtopics—applicants to the Ecosystem Services topic area must choose one of the subtopics below:
EPA-F2012-STAR-F1: AQUATIC SYSTEMS ECOLOGY (F1) (focusing on freshwater endpoints)
EPA-F2012-STAR-F2: TERRESTRIAL SYSTEMS ANIMAL ECOLOGY (F2) (limited to pollution effects on animals or habitat)
EPA-F2012-STAR-F3: TERRESTRIAL SYSTEMS SOILS and PLANT ECOLOGY (F3) (limited to soils and plants that can serve as a media for contaminant transport)
Authorizing statutes: CAA, CWA, FIFRA, SWDA, TSCA, SDWA
EPA-F2012-STAR-F4: BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND LAND USE/PROTECTION (F4)
Applications in this category are for interests in and investigations on the science and engineering of sustainability as it pertains to the built environment, protecting the nation's land, and protecting public health from exposure to land-based contaminants, particularly solid waste. Proposals in this topic focus on strategies for waste and contaminant management, treatment, and reduction; extractive industries and land protection; landfills and leach testing for material reuse; and, protection through urban and regional planning.
Projects may include, but are not limited to, developing technologies or analyses that enable multi-media pollution prevention of agricultural processes and practices; developing sustainability metrics and indicators that inform regional or industrial decision-making; green buildings; developing more cost-effective tools, technologies, models, and methods related to land preservation and solid waste collection, disposal, and management; studying effects of sediment dredging on biota and contaminant re-suspension; developing effective modeling and sampling methods to reduce uncertainty in analysis of vapor intrusion from land-based contamination and solid waste into homes and buildings; developing modeling tools such as GIS to assist urban and regional planners in protecting land from pollution; reducing uncertainty in modeling of (land based) oil spill fate and effects, etc.
Authorizing statutes: SWDA, SDWA, CAA, CWA
Please note that projects falling only under the purview of CERCLA (the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act - Superfund) cannot be supported by this fellowship.
EPA-F2012-STAR-F5: TRIBES AND AMERICAN INDIAN/ALASKA NATIVE/PACIFIC ISLANDER COMMUNITIES (F5)
Applications in this topic are for interests and investigations at the intersections of American Indian/Alaska Native/Pacific Islander communities and/or Tribes (including indigenous populations in other global regions) and protecting human health and the environment. Proposals in this topic focus on related environmental health, sustainability, and pollution prevention/remediation strategies and issues.
Projects may include, but are not limited to, assessing the impacts of environmental challenges on American Indian/Alaska Native/Pacific Islander communities and/or Tribes such as climate change, mining activities, water quality, drinking water reliability, invasive species, and land-use changes; exploring how American Indian/Alaska Native/Pacific Islander lifeways may be connected to unique risk and exposure pathways; exploring sustainability through tribes' traditional ecological knowledge and/or local ecological knowledge of an area; expanding the understanding of cumulative risk in tribes, American Indians/Alaska Natives/Pacific Islanders and related communities; analyzing environment-related governance amongst American Indian/Alaska Native/Pacific Islander communities such as risk management, multi-sectoral or emerging approaches, ecosystem-based management approaches, etc; exploring integrated approaches to providing reliable supplies of safe drinking water to American Indian/Alaska Native/Pacific Islander communities, etc.
Authorizing statutes: CAA, CWA, FIFRA, SWDA, TSCA, SDWA
E. References (i.e., examples of supportive documentation)
Jackson, Shirley Ann. The Quiet Crisis: Falling Short in Producing American Scientific and Technical Talent, Building Engineering and Science Talent (2002). Available at http://www.bestworkforce.org/PDFdocs/Quiet_Crisis.pdf (12 pp, 2.08 MB).
National Research Council. Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future. Available at http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11463(2007).
Environmental Protection Agency. “Investing in Our People II: EPA’s Strategy for Human Capital 2004 and Beyond” (2003). Available at https://www.epa.gov/nscep/index.html by searching for “Investing in Our People”
Environmental Protection Agency. EPA Strategic Plan, 2011-2015. Available at
https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/strategicplan.html.
National Research Council. The Measure of STAR. Available at http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10701.html(2003).
Executive Office of the President. “Innovation, Education, and Infrastructure: Science, Technology, STEM Education, and 21st Century Infrastructure in the 2012 Budget.” Available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/FY12-rd-fs.pdf (15 pp, 253KB) (2011).
F. Special Requirements
Agency policy and ethical considerations prevent EPA technical staff and managers from providing applicants with information that may create an unfair competitive advantage. Consequently, EPA employees will not review, comment, advise, and/or provide technical assistance to applicants preparing applications in response to EPA RFAs. EPA employees cannot endorse any particular application.
The fellowship awards expected to be made under this RFA may involve the collection of "Geospatial Information," which includes information that identifies the geographic location and characteristics of natural or constructed features or boundaries on the Earth or applications, tools, and hardware associated with the generation, maintenance, or distribution of such information. This information may be derived from, among other things, a Geographic Positioning System (GPS), remote sensing, mapping, charting, and surveying technologies, or statistical data.
It is anticipated that a total of approximately $4.5 million will be awarded under this RFA, depending on the availability of funds, the quality of applications received, and other applicable considerations. The EPA anticipates funding approximately 80 fellowships under this RFA. The projected award per fellowship is $42,000 per year total costs. Requests for amounts in excess of a total of $84,000 for Master’s level students and $126,000 for Doctoral students will not be considered. Master's level students may receive support for a maximum of two years. Doctoral students may be supported for a maximum of three years, usable over a period of five years.
The EPA reserves the right to reject all applications and make no awards, or make fewer awards than anticipated, under this RFA. The EPA reserves the right to make additional awards under this announcement, consistent with Agency policy, if additional funding becomes available after the original selections are made. Any additional selections for awards will be made no later than six months after the original selection decisions.
The fellowship provides up to $42,000 per year of support per fellowship. A maximum of $84,000 will be provided for master's fellows (two years) and up to $126,000 (three years) for doctoral fellows. The $42,000 annual support covers stipend, tuition, and expenses as follows:
Stipends: For the 2012-2013 academic year, stipends will be $25,000 for 12‑month tenure, prorated monthly at a maximum of $2,083 for shorter periods. Funds for unused months are forfeited. Stipends are paid directly to the fellow. At its discretion, the institution may supplement a fellow's stipend from institutional funds in accordance with the supplementation policy of the institution.
Tuition and Academic Fees: Up to $12,000 per year (apportioned over the various academic semesters/quarters) will be provided directly to the institution. For the purposes of this fellowship, health insurance is an expense, not an academic fee.
Expense Allowance: Up to $5,000 will be provided directly to the institution to pay for items and activities for the direct benefit of the student's education and research, such as health insurance, books, supplies, computers, data analysis, publication costs, equipment, travel to technical and scientific meetings, and domestic and international travel required to conduct the proposed research. Specific instructions regarding the disbursement and management of the expense allowance will be provided during the award process.
EPA Fellowship Conference: Fellows are expected to attend the EPA Graduate Fellows Conference as long as they are in the program. Resources to support this travel are to be taken from the expense allowance.
International Activities: The Fellow's proposed research may be conducted outside the U.S. However, EPA allows only $5,000 for all expenses, including travel. See "Expense Allowance" above for details. If it becomes necessary to travel outside the U.S. or its territories, you must notify your Project Officer six (6) months in advance. You will also be required to obtain local permits in other countries to conduct research there. Your Project Officer will obtain the necessary EPA and State Department approvals before the fellowship funds can be used to conduct these activities. Fellows who travel overseas using federal funds will be required to comply with the provisions of the Fly America Act.
A. Eligible Applicants
Applicants must attend a fully accredited U.S. college or university (located in the U.S. or its territories) for their graduate studies. Individuals must be citizens of the U.S. or its territories or possessions, or be lawfully admitted to the U.S. for permanent residence. Resident aliens must include their green card number in their application. Resident alien applicants must have their green card at the time of application to be eligible for this Fellowship opportunity. EPA may verify this number with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service of the Department of Homeland Security.
Applicants do not need to be enrolled in or formally accepted into a full‑time graduate program at the time they apply for a fellowship, but proof of enrollment or acceptance must be produced prior to the award of the fellowship. To be eligible for this fellowship, applicants must be pursuing a master's or doctoral degree in an environmentally-related topic area at a fully accredited U.S. college or university (based in the U.S. or its territories).
Applicants who are in a graduate program at the time of application and meet either of the following two criteria as of November 8, 2011 ARE NOT eligible to receive a fellowship: 1) have completed more than one year in their current master's program; or 2) have completed more than four years in their current doctoral program. However, applicants enrolled in a master's program who intend to pursue a doctoral degree beginning in the fall of 2012 may apply for a doctoral fellowship.
This fellowship does preclude receiving other federal fellowships. However, acceptance of this fellowship does not necessarily preclude acceptance of another private, state, regional, local, or non-profit scholarship, fellowship, traineeship, research assistantship, teaching assistantship, or grant aid.
Employees of the U.S. government may apply, but must be able to prove separation from Federal service before accepting this fellowship.
Diversity: EPA recognizes that scientific, technical, engineering and mathematical (STEM) competence is essential to the Nation’s future well being in terms of national security and competitive economic advantage. For instance, the health and vitality of the economy is predicated, in part, on the availability of an adequate supply of scientists, technicians, engineers and mathematicians, to develop innovative technologies and solutions. In other words, this country must engage all available minds to address the challenges it faces. Minorities, persons with disabilities, and women historically have been under-represented in the STEM fields. For this reason, EPA strongly encourages all eligibile applicants, including women, minorities, and persons with disabilities to apply. At the same time, the EPA seeks to expand environmental conversations by including members of communities which have not previously participated in such dialogues; therefore EPA strongly encourages such eligible applicants, including applicants from Minority Academic Institutions, to apply.
B. Cost-Sharing
Cost sharing is not required.
C. Other
Applications must substantially comply with the application submission instructions and requirements set forth in Section IV of this announcement or they will be rejected. In addition, where a page limit is expressed in Section IV with respect to parts of the application, pages in excess of the limitations will not be reviewed. Applications must be submitted electronically to Grants.gov or received by the EPA (via major courier; e.g., UPS, FedEx, DHL, etc.) on or before the solicitation closing date and times as identified in Section IV of this announcement or they will be returned to the sender without further consideration. All applicants must also follow the instructions for verifying that their application was received by NCER or their application may be rejected without review. Also, applications exceeding the funding limits described in Sections I and II will not be reviewed. Further, applications that fail to demonstrate a public purpose of support or stimulation (e.g., by proposing research which primarily benefits a Federal program or provides a service for a Federal Agency) will not be funded.
Applicants must only submit one application under this fellowship announcement and therefore can apply for only one FON. In instances where more than one app
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.