2002 STAA Overview

2002 - Overview | About STAA | Level I Awards | Level II Awards | Level III Awards | STAA Honorable Mentions

A total of 37 outstanding, peer-reviewed publications and/or sets of publications were selected this year for awards through the EPA's Scientific And Technological Achievement Awards (STAA) program. An additional 39 papers and/or sets of papers received Honorable Mentions.

The STAA program is a long-standing partnership between the EPA's offices and its and Science Advisory Board (SAB). Each year since 1980, EPA scientists and engineers have submitted scientific and technological papers through an internal review process managed by the Office of Research and Development (ORD).

(Note: The Agency did not conduct the STAA Program during the 1995 government-wide shutdown.) This review process ensures that the best papers are submitted to the SAB for evaluation. The SAB convenes an experienced group of scientists and engineers who meet to review and evaluate the nominations. The SAB review panel then produces a set of recommendations that ORD uses to prepare the actual awards.

This review process ensures that the best papers are submitted to the SAB for evaluation. The SAB convenes an experienced group of scientists and engineers who meet to review and evaluate the nominations. The SAB review panel then produces a set of recommendations that ORD uses to prepare the actual awards.

The SAB Subcommittee reviewed and evaluated 140 nominations for the 2002 program that were submitted by directors from EPA's research laboratories and program offices. The Subcommittee met on July 10-12, 2002 in Washington, D.C. to determine award recommendations.

The SAB Subcommittee applied its evaluation criteria evenly across all nomination categories, without attempting to ensure equal numbers or percentages of awards in each category. The Office of Policy, Economics, and Innovation (OPEI), and 11 research laboratories and centers within the Office of Research and Development nominated papers that were recommended for awards this year.

The SAB recommends that continued attention be paid to providing opportunities for EPA's scientists, engineers, and other technical personnel to conduct challenging, soundly based studies that result in peer-reviewed papers having high impact on important scientific issues and issues of specific importance to EPA. The announcement for the 2004 STAA award nominations will be posted on NCER's website sometime in October 2003.