Research Project Description

Integration of Lid/Green Infrastructure into Community Decisions
Research Participation Program
Office of Research and Development
National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Narragansett, RI

EPA-ORD/NHEERL-AED-2013-01

Project Description:

A postgraduate research project training opportunity is currently available at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory(NHEERL), Atlantic Ecology Division (AED) in Narragansett, Rhode Island.

AED conducts research to enhance the understanding of the effects of human activity on land and waters of the Atlantic seaboard. Researchers collect and analyze data to provide tools for diagnosing and predicting the effects of this activity on aquatic resources and wildlife. AED provides research support to EPA Program and Regional Offices and state and local governments.

An interdisciplinary research team is studying how Green Infrastructure (GI) and Low Impact Development (LID) can be more effectively integrated into community decisions to produce a more sustainable society, economy and environment while addressing environmental regulations. The research participant will learn how to apply city planning principles towards better environmental management, compile data on resources, benefits, and practices, analyze patterns of behavior, identify impediments, design workshops, and develop skills to communicate with municipalities, NGOs, regional staff, and other collaborating scientists.

The participant will be involved in research on benefits, barriers, and processes of incorporating Green Infrastructure into community decisions on stormwater, land remediation, waste water, climate adaptation, and socio-economic aspects of environmental management and sustainability. The participant will learn:

• about technical tools and resources with EPA that municipalities and planners can use,
• how to design and run an interdisciplinary research program,
• how to write and publish research papers,
• what EPA and other federal agencies currently do to assist with LID/GI implementation,
• what data gaps and uncertainties exist, and what research is underway, pertaining to implementation of GI and LID,
• about the use of databases,
• about integrated social-economic-environmental systems modeling, and
• how EPA, states, tribes, and municipalities use scientific knowledge and regulatory process to manage ecosystem services.

Results from this research will provide data on the effectiveness, costs, and co-benefits of integrating GI at the community and aggregate watershed scale. The ultimate end-users of ORD research projects include developers and communities at multiple scales (such as: small non-MS4 communities that may fall under the revised stormwater rule, current MS4 communities, and larger communities dealing with CSO and land redevelopment problems), watershed organizations that are in the midst of planning restoration programs or Watershed Implementation Plans, permit writers in both the States and Regions, and developers of state stormwater guidance documents. ORD will participate in collaborative research with EPA Regions and program offices to develop processes and products to facilitate the knowledgeable integration of GI into systems thinking and local plans and permits developed by the states and communities.

Qualifications:

Applicants must have received a master’s degree in city planning with a bachelor’s degree in environmental science or a closely related field within five years of the desired starting date, or completion of all requirements for the degree should be expected prior to the starting date.

U.S. citizenship is required. The program is open to qualified individuals without regard to race, sex, religion, color, age, physical or mental disability, national origin, or status as a Vietnam era or disabled veteran.

This appointment is full time for one year and may be renewable upon the recommendation of EPA and contingent on availability of funding. The participant will receive a monthly stipend. Funding may be made available to reimburse the participant’s travel expenses to present the results of his/her research at scientific conferences. No funding will be made available to cover costs for pre-appointment visits, relocation costs, tuition and fees, or a participant's health insurance. The participant must show proof of health and medical insurance. This can be obtained through ORISE. The participant does not become an EPA employee.

Technical Questions:

Dr. Marilyn Buchholtz ten Brink will be the mentor for this project. She can be contacted at tenbrink.marilyn@epa.gov.

How to Apply:

The Research Participation Program for EPA ORD is administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. Please reference Project # EPA-ORD/NHEERL-AED-2013-01 when calling or writing for information. For additional information and application materials contact: Research Participation Program/EPA-ORD, Attn: Betty Bowling, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, P.O. Box 117, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-0117, Phone: (865) 576-8503 FAX: (865) 241-5219 e-mail: betty.bowling@orau.org.

An application can be found at www.orau.gov/orise/edu/EPA/app-gugrgpd.pdf.