ENVIRONMENTAL INSTITUTE

"The Environmental Institute . . . serves 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."

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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 to act as a source 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, and the Spatial and Environmental Clearinghouse (SEIC). The Institute operates under a lean matrix management style, drawing expertise as needed from over 150 faculty with established research or research interests in engineering, the natural and applied sciences, and the social sciences.

Research

University Center for Energy Research

Energy exploration, production, and usage has been inextricably tied to the economic health of the United States for the past 75 years. This is even more evident in Oklahoma and surrounding states where enormous fluctuations in prosperity have occurred as the price and availability of energy resources have oscillated. The University Center for Energy Research (UCER) was established by the State of Oklahoma to provide a multi-disciplinary base to address the complex problems in the field of energy research.

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. The proposals 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 which 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 1996, the UCER supported five projects which involved five departments of the university. Research topics included the following:

the development of an efficient and cost effective olefin recovery process;
examination and demonstration of Pulsed Optically Stimulated Luminescence (POSL) as a means of retrospectively assessing radiation absorbed doses using natural or local materials from nuclear disaster areas;
investigation of the efficacy of conversion of switchgrass to ethanol;
exploration of a novel photoenolization cycloaddition method for synthesis of model compounds to be used in energy related thermochemical studies;
and analysis of the mechanism of the photosynthetic water splitting reaction by photosystem II (PSII), important to the development of techniques to exploit natural solar energy conversion.

University Center for Water Research

Water resources and water-related issues are frequent media topics. In local communities, regional and state jurisdictions, and national and international arenas, considerable attention is focused on the availability of good quality water in sufficient quantities to meet the demands of affected populations. And, as with any natural resource, decisions are inextricably linked to public opinion, environmental impact, economic development, and population growth. At Oklahoma State University, the University Center for Water Research (UCWR) has been studying water issues and providing solutions to water problems for many years. With the philosophy that clean water of adequate quantity and quality is essential to the physical and economic health of individuals, communities, and nations, the UCWR strives to provide funding and information for researchers and information and management protocols for decision makers.

The UCWR is responsible for the administration of the Oklahoma Water Resources Research Institute (OWRRI) and the Water Research Center (WRC) developed as a "center of excellence" by the State of Oklahoma. This combination of responsibilities provides the Center with the opportunity to coordinate the University's 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 two administrative entities in FY 1996 are as follows:

a comparison of mineral-water dissolution and precipitation kinetics in nature to rates associated with laboratory experimentation;
a survey of the wetland communities of the Tall-grass Prairie Preserve;
the effects of vitamin E on water pollutant cadmium-induced toxicity in mice;
enhancements to a water quality management simulation game;
examination of upstream-downstream variations in alkaline phosphatase activity in a stream impacted by agricultural activities;
investigation of quantitative structure activity relationships for environmental contaminants;
integration of the erosion-productivity impact calculator (EPIC) with geographis information system (GIS) software, ARCView;
development of an avian model of environmental genotoxicity;
formulation of a prototype interactive crop growth/chemical transport model;
development of the necessary calibrations for rapid nitrogen and phosphorous analysis of animal waste using infrared reflectance spectroscopy;
investigation of state-of-the-art optical spectroscopy techniques for the purpose of detection of DNA lesions in aquatic species;
photo-remediation of organic contaminated water;
development of alternative methodology for the destruction of chlorinated hydrocarbons;
and examination of the effects of alternative agricultural practices on soil microbial community diversity and function.

Spatial and Environmental Information Clearinghouse

The Spatial and Environmental Information Clearinghouse (SEIC) is a research unit of the Environmental Institute. Through a 1995 National Spatial Data Infrastructure grant, SEIC was established as a node on the National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse to provide rapid search and access to metadata entries and geospatial data via the World Wide Web. SEIC has recently been awarded the ImageNet 2.0 client-server and data management software from CORE Software Technologies to upgrade and expand these services.

Education

Presidential Fellowships for Water, Energy, and the Environment

The Environmental Institute also funds the Presidential Fellowships for Water, Energy, and the Environment. This program encourages nationally competitive graduate students to pursue advanced degrees in various disciplines at Oklahoma State University. In 1996, the Fellowship program supported seven students in six different disciplines. Fellowship recipients have made, and continue to make, important contributions to the literature and knowledge base of environmental research.

Environmental Sciences Graduate Program

The Environmental Institute is also administratively responsible for the Environmental Sciences Graduate Program at OSU. This program provides graduate students with an opportunity to conduct master's (M.S.) or doctoral (Ph.D.) level research that is multidisciplinary in nature. The program capitalizes on the strengths of the Environmental Institute; water resources, renewable natural resources, environmental education, environmental policy and conflict management, and energy, and can be designed to fit an individual's needs. Increasingly, employers are recognizing the relationships between long-term economic vitality, resource availability, and ecological integrity. Current economic development is being directed toward the concepts of sustainable development and total ecosystem management. This has resulted in a job market that exhibits an enlightened view of the necessity for those with skills in environmental science.

Information Transfer

The Environmental Institute is involved in a number of other information transfer activities that promote and enhance environmental research efforts. The Institute newsletter, Prism, provides a mechanism for communicating the activities of researchers at OSU, current events in environmental research, and items of interest to those involved with environmental issues. Additionally, the Environmental Institute publishes a listing of Technical Reports and Publications resulting from sponsored research. The Environmental Institute uses conferences and meetings as another means of coordinating research efforts and transferring information. 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 Governor's 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.