Building an Effective Environmental Management Science Program: Final Assessment (1997)

The committee will produce two reports that address the science and management needs of the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Environmental Management (EM) Science Program. These reports will be produced in two separate activities as noted below.

The committee will draw on the expertise of its members and other outside experts, the results of the 1996 DOE workshops on research needs, and previous National Research Council (NRC) and federal government reports in order to address the following questions:

1. How can basic research be used to help DOE EM "to complete its mission successfully in the next few decades"?

2. How can a basic research program help add value to DOE EM's cleanup efforts?

3. What kinds of technical challenges would likely benefit from a program in basic research?

4. How can the research program take advantage of the unique capabilities of U.S. universities and federal labs?

5. How can the research program take advantage of research efforts and capabilities in other DOE programs and other federal agencies?

6. What, if any, additional areas of research should be included in the fiscal year (FY) 1997 program announcement as the DOE EM Science Program evolves?

The committee will not attempt to be comprehensive in addressing these questions, but, rather, its focus will be on providing guidance to DOE-EM for use in the FY97 program solicitation.

The committee will produce a final report that provides a more detailed assessment of the science and management needs of the EM Science Program. This report will address the following questions:

1. How can science needs most effectively feed into the development of the EM research agenda?

2. How can the research program be structured to take advantage of research efforts and capabilities in other DOE programs and other federal agencies? (The committee would revisit the issue from the first activity.)

3. How can the research program be structured to broaden the community of researchers that can be called upon to address environmental problems?

4. What areas of basic research are likely to provide the best payoffs for EM cleanup efforts over the next few decades?

5. What additional areas of research should be included in future program announcements as the DOE EM Science Program evolves? (The committee would revisit the issue from the first activity.)

1. How can the DOE evaluate the quality of the basic research it supports and the impact of this research on its cleanup mission?

2. How can DOE identify changing needs for basic research as the program evolves?

3. How should the program be structured and operated in order to assist the DOE in overall reduction of cleanup costs, risks, waste generation, and time requirements?

4. How can the program be structured to take advantage of the unique capabilities of U.S. universities and federal labs? (The committee would revisit the issue from the first activity.)