Superfund Research Program

Administrative Core (ARRA Funded)

Project Leader: Barry Dellinger
Grant Number: P42ES013648
Funding Period: 2009-2011

Project-Specific Links

Final Progress Reports

Year:   2010 

The Administrative Core provides the overall program coordination, management, record keeping, and budget administration functions for the program. The core coordinates the three technical components: biomedical research projects, non-biomedical research projects, and technical support cores. Both internal and external advisory committees provide management and technical oversight of the program as well as advice to the Director and co-Directors on critical issues. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the Administrative Core to ensure that the Program goal, understanding the origin, characteristics, and biological activity of toxic combustion by-products in order to guide the development of treatments and the prevention of related diseases by intelligent risk-based decisions concerning treatment options of Superfund Wastes, is met.

An example of research coordination in the first year is the development of a sample flow between the various projects and cores to ensure quality control and timely analysis. The samples are prepared by the Materials Core. They are sent to Dr. Dellinger for animal inhalation exposure, the Oxidative Stress Core for testing, or another researcher for various types of research studies. After exposure, animals are forwarded to Drs. Dellinger, Backes, and Cormier. The samples received by researchers may be returned to the Materials Core or Oxidative Stress Core for further characterization. Sample labeling and chain of custody forms have been successfully developed.

Using new facilities and videoconferencing facilities, project leaders had regular meetings to progress, problems, and future plans. Regular videoconferences that feature research presentations by graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, or Project/Core Leaders were initiated in the spring and summer. A meeting of the Center's External Advisory Committee was convened in March 2010 to review progress of the new program and to critique the draft of our recompetition proposal. Presentations were made at LSU by Project/Core leaders, with some committee members participating by videoconferencing.