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Dr. James Schauer
(January, 2003) Dr. James Schauer, a new Science to Achieve Results (STAR) grantee, was recently honored by the Health Effects Institute (HEI) as the third recipient of the Walter A. Rosenblith New Investigator Award. Named for the first chair of the HEI Research Committee, the award of up to $75,000 a year supports the work of a promising scientist early in his or her career for three years. HEI established the New Investigator Award to provide funding for outstanding investigators who are beginning independent research.
Dr. Schauer's STAR research focuses on the chemical changes of mercury in the atmosphere and the impacts of natural and manmade mercury sources on local and downwind areas. Mercury is a naturally occurring element that is present throughout the environment. As we know, human activity can release some of that mercury into the air, water, and soil. Dr. Schauer's research will investigate the chemical and physical influences on mercury as it moves through the air and is deposited on the earth's surface. This will be determined through an integrated field and laboratory project including a core sampling site at Devil's Lake, Wisconsin. By using these parameters, scientists will be able to predict where mercury will be deposited, the impact of control strategies, and mercury movement or cycling in the ecosystem.
Dr. Schauer received his Ph.D. in environmental engineering science from the California Institute of Technology in 1998. He is currently an assistant professor in the Environmental Chemistry Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 2001, Dr. Schauer was honored with the Haagen-Smit Award presented by Atmospheric Environment Journal for his publication contributing to the field of atmospheric sciences. He has also consulted for the U.S. EPA, U.S. Department of Energy, and the Engine Manufacturers Association.
HEI is an independent, nonprofit corporation chartered in 1980 to provide high-quality, impartial, and relevant science on the health effects of pollutants from motor vehicles and from other sources in the environment. Supported jointly by the EPA and industry (manufacturers and marketers of motor vehicles or engines), HEI has funded over 170 studies, producing important research findings on the health effects of a variety of pollutants, including carbon monoxide, methanol and aldehydes, nitrogen oxides, diesel exhaust, ozone, and most recently, particulate air pollution.
Additional information on the STAR program can be found at the National Center for Environmental Research. For additional information, contact Estella Waldman at waldman.estella@epa.gov.