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Overview
The Environmental Institute (TEI) at the University of Massachusetts
Amherst facilitates, develops, and supports environmental research
and education. TEI activities connect traditional disciplines in the
life sciences, natural resources, engineering, social sciences, and
public health sciences. A unit of the Vice Provost for Research, TEI
is guided by an Advisory Council from the Colleges of Natural Resources
and the Environment, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Social and Behavioral
Sciences, Engineering, and the School of Public Health Sciences. The
Institute supports research, special initiatives, and services and
serves as a gateway for public, non-profit, and private groups to tap
into the University's environmental expertise. Underlying Institute
activities, TEI works to create a culture for the environment on campus
that reaches across disciplines, faculty, and student groups to foster
interactions in defining problems and developing solutions to complex
environmental issues. The Institute organizes interdisciplinary working
groups, hosts lecture series and workshops, organizes conferences and
public forums, and develops and manages environmental projects. TEI
partners with public agencies and non-profit groups and collaborators
include the Environmental Protection Agency, Fish and Wildlife Service,
Geological Survey, Department of Energy, Massachusetts Department of
Environmental Protection, Massachusetts cities and towns, and volunteer
water monitoring groups.
Environmental Working Groups
TEI organizes and facilitates environmental Working Groups that bring
together faculty from diverse disciplines and perspectives to collaborate
on research and educational initiatives including lecture series, working
papers, and workshops. Working Group themes have included:
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Water and Watersheds
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Environmental Contaminants
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Energy and the Environment
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Climate Change
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Phytoremediation and Environmental Contaminants
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Environmental Modeling and Monitoring
Environmental Lecture Series
The Institute organizes the University Environmental Lecture Series
each semester to encourage collaborations and dialogue across disciplines
around a central environmental issue. The Series brings natural scientists,
social scientists, engineers, and policy makers to campus to present
public lectures and provide different perspectives on the issue under
discussion and meet with faculty, students, and working groups engaged
in related research and educational activities. The Series has
featured the following themes to date:
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Fall 2007: Water Sustainability
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Spring 2007: Food Systems and the Environment
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Fall 2006: Energy for the Future
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Spring 2006: Disasters, Environment, and Public Policy
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Fall 2005: Global Environment and Health
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Spring 2005: Climate Change: Current Status, Impacts, and Solutions
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Fall 2004: Science, Policy, and Engineering of Hazardous
Waste
Environmental Information Portal
TEI
is working to expand its role as the environmental information portal for the
University. Information that can be accessed online includes the following:
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TEI Website http://www.umass.edu/tei/ provides
overview information on interdisciplinary environmental initiatives
and links to other environmental resources on campus.
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Faculty expertise database http://umatei.tei.umass.edu/tei/tei_facultysearch.cfm can
be searched by key words to locate faculty environmental expertise
on campus.
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Acid rain monitoring database http://umatei.resuo.ads.umass.edu/armproject1/,
developed by the Water Resources Research Center, includes water
chemistry data records beginning with the project inception in 1983.
Samples were collected monthly from 1983 to 1984, semiannually from
1985 and 1986, and quarterly from 1986 to 1993. Current samples are
collected semiannually. More than 43,000 records from nearly 5,600
lakes and streams can be accessed in the database.
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Stormwater database http://www.mastep.net/database/data.cfm,
managed by the Water Resources Research Center, is a searchable database
that includes a catalogue of innovative Best Management Practices
(BMPs) for managing stormwater pollution.
Centers and Services
Massachusetts
Water Resources Research Center
The Water Resources Research Center supports research, education, and
outreach on water resources issues of state, regional, and national
importance as one of 54 Water Centers nationwide belonging to the National
Institutes for Water Resources. The Water Center pioneered the use
of volunteers to monitor water quality of lakes, rivers, and estuaries
and has created nationally known programs such as the Acid Rain Monitoring
Project and the Massachusetts Water Watch Partnership. The Center organizes
the Annual Water Conference which brings together a diverse group of
university researchers, government scientists, extension specialists,
students, policy makers, and representatives from non-profit agencies
and the private sector to present and discuss critical water resources
issues, from research to practice. The Center sponsors an annual research
program and manages water resources projects ranging from acid rain
monitoring to stormwater management.
Environmental Analysis Laboratory
The Environmental Analysis Laboratory, a unit of the Water Center,
provides a range of inorganic analyses of water (e.g., nutrients, inorganic
anions, metals, and phosphorus), sediments, and tissue samples for
environmental research and monitoring activities on campus as well
as public agencies and non-profit clients. The Lab provides expertise
for campus research labs working on analytical and monitoring activities
and is a leader in providing analysis and quality control for volunteer
water quality monitoring groups across the state.
Earth
Sciences Information Office
The Earth Sciences Information Office distributes maps and other cartographic
information, including aerial photographs and space images from federal,
state, and local governmental agencies, and private sources. The Office
also manages GIS site licenses for the University system, the Five
College Consortium, and numerous state and community colleges across
the state.
TEI Overview (PDF)
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