Region 7 Science Program
What is the Regional Science Program?
The Regional Science Program links EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) with EPA's Regional Offices and emphasizes building networks and partnerships between Regional and ORD scientists, effectively transferring research results on high-priority regional science issues and conducting science outreach to the states, tribes, and communities.
On this page:
- Success Stories
- ORD Research and Small Business Funding Opportunities
- Upcoming ORD Events, Webinars and Training
- ORD Publications, Products, Resources and Toolkits
EPA Region 7’s Science Priorities aim to:
- Study impacts of emerging contaminants such as PFAS, ethylene oxide (EtO), and microplastics.
- Use social science research to assist communities with climate and resiliency planning.
- Evaluate/address climate impacts of harmful algal blooms and nutrients on water resources.
- Develop remote sensing techniques to measure burn areas/impacts on downwind communities.
- Identify preventive and mitigating approaches for community resiliency.
- Develop real-time measurement methodologies to characterize EtO emissions.
- Develop technologies to expedite large-scale, complex mining/mineral processing site remediation.
The cross-cutting Issues of technical support, environmental justice, climate change, and reuse are included in each science priority.
Success Stories
Region 7 Science Academy Webinar Series, May 2024: Electric Vehicle Adoption Potential and Environmental Implications
Dr. Jeremy Michalek, Carnegie Mellon University, presented this ORD STAR grantee research project on plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) and the potential for helping to mitigate climate change and reduce health damages from air pollution when charged with clean power sources.
View the May 2 recording online.
Abstract: In this webinar, Professor Michalek presented key findings from recent and ongoing research on technical, economic, environmental, and policy dimensions of electric vehicles, including:
- Effects of technology advancement on consumer adoption of electric cars, SUVs, pickup trucks, and delivery trucks.
- Trends in EV consequential life-cycle emissions and the biggest levers to reduce them over the next decade of transition.
Link to publication: Cleaning Up While Changing Gears: The Role of Battery Design, Fossil Fuel Power Plants, and Vehicle Policy for Reducing Emissions in the Transition to Electric Vehicles
ORD Research and Small Business Funding Opportunities
Models to Predict the Removal of Emerging Micropollutants from Water by Novel Adsorbents in Fixed-Bed Column Processes – EPA, through the Innovative Water Technology Grant program, is seeking applications for research to develop, test, and deploy predictive models for novel adsorbents and estimate the effectiveness of these adsorbents to remove emerging micropollutants in drinking water and wastewater treatment operations.
- Opened: July 30, 2024
- Closes: Oct. 2, 2024
- Solicitation/Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) number: EPA-G2024-ORD-F1
Developing and Demonstrating Nanosensor Technology to Detect, Monitor, and Degrade Pollutants – EPA, as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, is seeking applications for research to develop and demonstrate nanosensor technology with the potential to detect, monitor, and degrade per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in groundwater or surface water that may be used as drinking water sources.
- Opened: July 31, 2024
- Closes: Nov. 13, 2024
- Solicitation/BAA number: EPA-G2024-STAR-G1
EPA Research Grants – EPA’s Research Grants Program aims to stimulate and support scientific and engineering research that advances EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment.
- Research Grant Topics (on left at link above): Air Research, Climate Change Research, Ecosystems Research, Health Research, Safer Chemicals Research, Sustainability Research, and Water Research
- Opens and closes: See “Open RFAs” at link above
- Award amounts: Vary by topic
If you are interested in receiving email RFA updates on research funding opportunities, sign up on EPA’s website.
Recording of Region 7 Science Program/ORD Special Webinar: EPA STAR and P3 Program Overview
- Recorded Monday, June 26, 2023
- Want to learn more about ORD’s research funding opportunities for colleges and universities? ORD’s Dr. Intaek Hahn conducted a one-hour webinar on two researching funding opportunities:
- Science to Achieve Results (STAR)
- People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) Student Design Competition
- Dr. Hahn presented on both STAR and P3, solicitation announcements, criteria, process for submittals, timelines, and the process from submission to award to implementation.
Upcoming ORD Events, Webinars and Training
21st Annual EPA Drinking Water Workshop – Small Systems Challenges and Solutions
- Tuesday-Thursday, Sept. 17-19, 2024
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Upcoming event for primacy agencies! This year, the workshop will be open to tribal, state, and territory agencies within the U.S. that are responsible for public water systems, and it will focus solely on PFAS and lead topics.
- Register here
- Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, from noon to 3 p.m. CDT
- Informational flyer
- Presenter bios
- Register here
- Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, from 1 to 2 p.m. CDT
- Register here
- Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, from 11 a.m. to noon CDT
- Register here
ORD posts upcoming events, webinars and training several months in advance, which EPA's research staff is participating in, hosting, or supporting in other ways.
Check out the EPA Research Events page often for updates.
ORD Publications, Products, Resources and Toolkits
Strategic Research Action Plans, Fiscal Years 2023-2026
ORD published the FY23-26 Strategic Research Action Plans (StRAPs) for these six National Research Programs (NRPs):
- Air, Climate, and Energy (ACE)
- Chemical Safety for Sustainability (CSS)
- Health and Environmental Risk Assessment (HERA)
- Homeland Security (HS)
- Safe and Sustainable Water Resources (SSWR)
- Sustainable and Healthy Communities (SHC)
As part of the StRAP development process, ORD identified six cross-cutting topics – environmental justice, climate change, cumulative impacts, community resilience, children’s environmental health, and contaminants of immediate and emerging concern – for close coordination throughout strategic research planning and implementation. Importantly, the plans also anticipate emerging issues.
Region 7 had 23 representatives (internal and external) working with ORD to incorporate our science priorities into the StRAP. This is the most involvement Region 7 ever had, and the Region hopes to continue that level of involvement in future StRAPs to address our science needs.
- Updates to Regional Environmental Health Data Visualization Application (REHD) Tool
- EPA Tribal Research Resources
- EPA Science Inventory for Publications
- EPA Science Models and Research Tools (SMART)
- EPA Science Matters Newsletter
- EPA Resources to Support States
- EPA Participatory Science for Environmental Protection
Story Map
Region 7 Science Program’s Research Projects
In this story map, you can learn about the Region’s collaborative research projects that address environmental and health concerns. Extensive details and interactive maps about the 40-plus projects are in six categories: Water, Air, Cleanup and Remediation, Tool/Method Development, Contaminants of Concern, and SBIR/P3/STAR.