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Tribal Grants Team Honored
Tuesday, May 20, 2003
NCER Staff Writer
EPA's Tribal Grants Team received the Suzanne E. Olive Equal Employment Opportunity Award at the Agency's National Honor Awards Ceremony on Thursday, May 15, 2003. The all-ORD (Office of Research and Development) team was honored for its achievement of outstanding civil rights results by establishing the first environmental grants program focused on tribal populations. The team's first five grants, four of which will be funded through EPA's Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, are slated to be officially announced at the next meeting of EPA Tribal Science Council in September 2003.
The team members include Nigel Fields (coordinator); Christopher Saint; Elaine Francis; and James Gentry from the National Center for Environmental Research; Claudia Walters from the Office of Science Policy; and Suzanne McMaster and Hal Zenick from the National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory. The group has been working together for more than two years to develop a novel research program supporting indigenous peoples in investigating the impact of environmental toxins they might encounter in a subsistence lifestyle.
The purpose of the award is "to give due honor and regard to persons who excel in promoting/providing equal opportunity…" The award, named in honor of Suzanne E. Olive, a former Deputy Director in the EPA Office of Civil Rights, was given to the team for their efforts to craft a grants program that could meet the varied needs and concerns of different tribal populations.
ORD's program gave tribes an opportunity to design, implement, and evaluate new research proposals that are critical for tribal health. Working with tribal scientists and elders, and in partnership with academic or nonprofit institutions, each STAR grant to a tribe will total up to $450,000, creating stable new employment opportunities for aspiring tribal scientists. Another benefit will be the added educational opportunity for promoting the value of traditional knowledge in improving tribal health. An additional grant will be awarded from a multi-agency fund called the Experimental Program to Stimulate Cooperative Research or EPSCoR.
The foundation of this innovative program has been strengthened by the partnership between the EPA and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) of the Department of Health and Human Services, with each providing its own unique research, public health, and communication resources.