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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 , Scrivens, W. A.
Institution: South Carolina Research Authority , University of South Carolina at Columbia
EPA Project Officer: Winner, Darrell
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)
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:
Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Water, Geographic Area, Scientific Discipline, RFA, Oceanography, estuarine research, Aquatic Ecosystems & Estuarine Research, Ecological Risk Assessment, algal blooms, Aquatic Ecosystem, Biochemistry, Ecology and Ecosystems, State, marine ecosystem, water quality, coastal habitats, coastal resources, strategic improvement plan, environmental indicators, coastal ecosystems, marine biology, bloom dynamics, South Carolina (SC), aquatic ecosystems, bioassessment
Relevant Websites:
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, sediments, algal blooms.
Progress and Final Reports:
2002 Progress Report
2003 Progress Report
Final Report