Superfund Research Program
Administrative Core
Project Leader: Robyn L. Tanguay
Grant Number: P42ES016465
Funding Period: 2009-2025
Project-Specific Links
Project Summary (2013-2020)
The Administrative Core is responsible for defining the mission of the Oregon State University (OSU) Superfund Research Program (SRP), ensuring the paths to pursue that mission are clearly communicated within and without the SRP, providing investigators with necessary tools to achieve those goals, developing a long-term vision to meet stakeholder needs and fill in missing gaps in the science required to make the most informed regulatory decisions possible.
The Core is innovative and engaged. The organization is unique among SRPs in that they employ an Internal Advisory Committee (lAC) of key administrators, established the position of Research Coordinator, and formed a partnership with a National Laboratory. The lAC was instrumental in obtaining strong institutional support and the Research Coordinator proved a powerful conduit between projects and cores, acting as a "catalyst". The Core was able to "hit the ground running" as an SRP due to a long history of the Administrative Core staff in managing multi-disciplinary, multi-investigator extramural programs, and institutional Centers.
A key component of the success to date has been an engaged External Advisory Committee (EAC), formed two years before OSU SRP was funded. The EAC was active in their initial proposal, pursuit of their mission over the previous funding period, and developing the vision for the renewal.
OSU officially recognized the SRP as an institutional Center which enhances their visibility, ensures centralized monetary support, and provides for control of a significant portion of indirect funds generated by this grant. This has allowed OSU SRP to make important investments in early development years and to rapidly respond to events such as the Deepwater Horizon spill.
OSU SRP is now positioned as leaders in the field of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs are not only found at Superfund Sites, but often are the main driver for risk assessment and remediation. The Center continues to develop new technologies and innovative approaches for studying PAHs. The Administrative Core is poised to not just manage, but act as a guide as OSU pursues the NIEHS-SRP mission.