The Environmental Institute was established by OSU to serve as a coordinating center for the stimulation and promotion of interdisciplinary research, graduate education, and public education related to understanding, utilizing, and sustaining the natural environment. To achieve this goal, the Institute has set four objectives: the promotion of basic and applied research on scientific, engineering, social, and behavioral aspects of environmental resources and practices; the development of new areas of opportunity in the environmental arena; the maintenance and expansion of the comprehensive graduate educational program in environmental sciences; and the dissemination of information concerning environmental research opportunities, results, and applications.
The Institute acts as an administrative umbrella for activities of the University Center for Water Research (UCWR), the University Center for Energy Research (UCER), the Environmental Sciences Graduate Program, the Mediation of Environmental Disputes program (MEND), and the Spatial and Environmental Clearinghouse (SEIC). This relationship is illustrated in Figure 1. The Institute operates under a lean matrix management style, drawing expertise as needed from more than 150 faculty with established research or research interests in engineering, the natural and applied sciences, and the social sciences.
The UCER supports energy-related research programs and encourages the organization of inter-disciplinary activities. Proposals for funding are submitted to UCER in March of each year and undergo a peer review process with final selection of projects to be funded made by the Director and the Advisory Committee. An important objective of the UCER is the support of new faculty and new and/or innovative research. Funding from the UCER is often used as an initiative. This initiative enables faculty to develop a sound knowledge base in their research areas that will enable them to generate additional funding within two or three years. The projects support students, post-doctoral research associates, and the procurement of state-of-the-art equipment.
In Fiscal Year 1994, the UCER supported eight projects that involved eight departments of the University. Research topics included the following: the development and demonstration of machine capability to interpret refinery sensor data with the best available knowledge and apply to refinery process adjustments; the creation of an experimental facility to study air flow and heat transfer in buildings;Nthe development of a model of down hole fluid behavior to predict corrosion points in natural gas wells; an assessment of the interaction between iron limitation and high light stress, such as that caused by ozone depletion, on a marine cyanobacterium; an investigation of the use of biomarkers, physiological, or biochemical analyses that indicate the exposure of an organism to a toxic chemical at the cellular, physiological, or organism levels to assess environmental contamination at a abandoned refinery site; an analysis of the impacts of the National Energy Policy Act on the electric utility industry; a statewide GIS needs assessment for the state of Oklahoma; and an interdisciplinary program of experimental and theoretical research to develop and advance energy efficient methods of low pressure diamond synthesis for industrial applications.
The UCWR is responsible for the administration of the Oklahoma Water Resources Research Institute , the Environmental Protection AgencyÕs National Center for Ground Water Research, and the Water Research Center developed as a "center of excellence" by the State of Oklahoma. This combination of responsibilities provides the Center with the opportunity to coordinate the UniversityÕs research programs with outside agencies such as the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, the Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Laboratory, the other 53 water resources research institutes throughout the country, and other state and federal agencies involved in water resources research and management programs. This interaction provides a broad base of knowledge and experience from which new research projects evolve, and it allows the UCWR to maximize its available resources. Research projects funded by the UCWR via the three administrative entities in FY 1994 are as follows: the development of a biofilter for treating gas streams that result from remediation of contaminated groundwater via air stripping or soil venting; an investigation of correlations between contaminant accumulation and bioassay responses in fish; the commercial development of the DaphniaQuant bioassay; the evaluation of the use of mammalian species for assessment of human and ecosystem risks associated with the occurrence of immunotoxins; the development of a procedure to evaluate the predictive ability of hydologic/water quality models; an investigation of the use of nondestructive gamma ray tomography to measure and quantify the hydraulics of subsurface flow; a validation and application of water quality models to predict the fate and movement of nitrates in shallow groundwater systems; the investigation of primary producers (algae) as bioindicators of heavy metal contamination; an evaluation of the effects of various carbon and electron donors on pesticide cometabolism; the development of a protocol linking GIS information and soil erodability and pollutant runoff models to facilitate agricultural decision-making; a comparative analysis of risk perception and conflict management alternatives for resolution of Safe Drinking Water Act disputes under the Oklahoma DEQ's environmental mediation program; and a climatonomic modeling of surface water budgets for two diverse Oklahoma watersheds.
The Environmental Institute also funds the Water Resources Presidential Fellowship Program. This program encourages nationally competitive graduate students to pursue advanced degrees in water resources disciplines at Oklahoma State University. In 1994, the Fellowship program supported 10 students in seven different disciplines. Fellowship recipients have made, and continue to make, important contributions to the literature and knowledge base of water resources research.
The Environmental Institute is involved in a number of other information transfer activities that promote and enhance environmental research efforts. The UCWR newsletter, Waterfax, provides a mechanism for communicating the activities of water researchers at OSU, current events in water research, and items of interest to those involved with water resources. Additionally, the Environmental Institute publishes two bimonthly flyers, Upcoming Events and Library Acquisitions.
The Environmental Institute uses conferences and meetings as another means of coordinating water research efforts and transferring information. In 1994, the Institute cosponsored a two- day conference titled ÒWater Resources Studies Along the Arkansas- Oklahoma Border.Ó The Institute is also active in a number of state and national organizations including the Interamerican Dialogue on Water Management, the Interstate Council on Water Policy, the Oklahoma Interagency Water Quality Committee, and the GovernorÕs Council on Environmental Quality.
The Institute also functions as a contact in Oklahoma for current research information. Through continued communication with state and federal agency administrators, legislators, and scientists in academia and the private sector, the Environmental Institute disseminates information essential to sound environmental management.