Extramural Research

About STAA

STAA Archives

The EPA’s STAAs promote and recognize scientific and technological achievement by EPA employees. STAA is among the most prestigious of EPA scientific award programs.

WHAT IS STAA? The STAA program is an agency-wide competition sponsored by the Office of Research and Development (ORD) that recognizes outstanding scientific and technological papers published by EPA employees. Each year since 1980, EPA scientists and engineers have submitted their publications to a panel convened by EPA’s Science Advisory Board (SAB). The SAB convenes an experienced group of scientists and engineers who review and evaluate the nominations. The SAB review panel then produces a set of recommendations that ORD uses to select the actual awards.

WHAT ARE THE CRITERIA FOR ELIGIBILITY? To be eligible, the nominated research must be published in a peer-reviewed journal, initiate or revise a scientific principle or procedure, and be recognized as a major achievement within its field of study. Publication date limits are set each year at the time of the formal announcement. The competition is EPA-wide and only EPA employees are eligible. Each award cycle identifies several categories to recognize for that particular year. In the past, categories have included:

Control Systems and Technology
Ecological Research
Health Effects Research and Human Health Risk Assessment
Monitoring and Measurement Methods
Transport and Fate
Review Articles
Risk Management and Ecosystem Restoration
Integrated Risk Assessment
Social Sciences
Environmental Futures
Environmental Statistics

HOW DOES STAA WORK? Four award levels are granted in each research category:

Level I: $5,000, a congratulatory plaque, a letter of appreciation, and a certificate.
Level II: $2,500, a letter, and a certificate.
Level III: $1,000, a letter, and a certificate.
Honorable Mention: a letter and a certificate.

Monetary awards are distributed according to each author’s contribution to the total effort.

HOW TO APPLY: Application procedures and materials, as well as information on past awards, can be found on: https://www.epa.gov/ncer/staa/annual/2005/staa_faq.html.

CONTACT: Maggie Breville, U.S. EPA, Office of Research and Development, Washington, DC; Telephone: 202-343-9779; Fax: 202-233-0680; or email: breville.maggie@epa.gov.

2004 STAA Level I Award Winners

Dr. Scott G. Leibowitz

Dr. Tracie-Lynn Nadeau

Isolated Wetlands and Their Functions: An Ecological Perspective

Isolated Wetlands: State-of-the-Science and Future Directions

Dr. David M. DeMarini

Dr. Andrew D. Kligerman

Dr. Carolyn L. Doerr

Dr. Alan H. Tennant

Dr. Karen Harrington-Brock

Dr. James W. Allen

Dr. Ernest Winkfield

Dr. Barbara C. Roop

Dr. Marc J. Mass

Methylated Trivalent Arsenicals as Candidate Ultimate Genotoxic Forms of Arsenic: Induction of Chromosomal Mutations but not Gene Mutations. Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis

Dr. Sherry G. Selevan

Dr. Deborah C. Rice

Dr. Karen A. Hogan

Dr. Susan Y. Euling

Dr. Andrea Pfahles-Hutchens

Blood Lead Concentration and Delayed Puberty in Girls

Dr. Christian P. Andersen

Source-Sink Balance and Carbon Allocation Below Ground in Plants Exposed to Ozone

Dr. Douglas S. Kendall

Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure and Iron Treatment of Brass Foundry Waste

Dr. Nena Nwachuku

Health Effects of 'Acanthamoeba' spp. and its Potential for Waterborne Transmission

The 2005 STAA package is provided here for your use.
EPA Scientific and Technological Achievement Award Nomination Guidelines (PDF) (8pp., 109KB, about PDF)
EPA Scientific and Technological Achievement Award Nomination Form (PDF) (4pp., 34KB, about PDF)
EPA Scientific and Technological Achievement Award Nomination Form (WordPerfect format)