Project Summary (2006-2011)

During the last project period the UNC Superfund Basic Research Program generated over 200 publications in the peer reviewed literature, presented seminars describing the UNC SBRP research to diverse audiences all over the world, collaborated with other researchers and governmental agencies, and generated intellectual property resulting in several issued and pending patents. An important aspect of this program is translating research findings for use by many different groups. Program investigators have specifically targeted researchers and governmental agencies, local government and communities, and technology developers. Different mechanisms are used to translate research for each of these audiences. Major upgrades continue to the UNC SBRP website as a way to make information for a variety of groups readily available. Research publications are posted to the web, as are summaries suitable for the general public. The former Outreach Core has been subsumed under the Research Translation Core. RTC personnel continue the very successful communication with North Carolina State government, local government and community groups, as well as teachers. The goal for the project is to find ways to communicate research findings in a way useful to these audiences. The UNC SBRP has a long history of generating intellectual property. Core staff undertake several efforts to enhance the translation of research findings to the technology developer community, including interaction with local venture capital groups, providing training for UNC investigators and students, and working with the UNC Office of Technology Development.