Greg McCurdy sets up a GeonorTM weighing precipitation gage for measuring precipitation at high elevations

The Center for Environmental Remediation and Monitoring (CERM), one of four interdisciplinary science centers at the Desert Research Institute (DRI), was created in 2003 as part of a generous gift to the Institute in honor of Frank H. Rogers, the first chief operating officer of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Nevada National Security Site (NNSS), formerly called the Nevada Test Site. CERM was designed to promote and build on DRI's successful interdisciplinary research for DOE in environmental remediation, monitoring, and public health protection for other research sponsors in Nevada, elsewhere in the United States, and internationally. 

Approaches

• Build on DRI's success in environmental remediation, monitoring, and public health research for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
• Facilitate interdisciplinary research across DRI's three divisions (Hydrologic Sciences, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, and Atmospheric Sciences).
• Collaborate with other universities and research institutions, national laboratories, and private industry; and partner with land and resource management agencies.
• Develop technologies, strategies, and approaches that address environmental remediation, restoration, and public health concerns in innovative and long lasting ways.

Research Focus Areas

Although many CERM-sponsored research projects and programs have touched on or are addressing more than one, the center has sought opportunities in the following research focus areas:

• Addressing fate, transport, and human health implications associated with contaminants in air, water, and soil.
• Developing novel methods and strategies for environmental remediation, restoration, and monitoring.
• Creating long-term stewardship strategies for contaminants left-in-place and sites where residual risk remain that pose human health and ecological risks.
• Involving stakeholders in environmental management, including data collection, interpretation, and decision making.
• Expand application of DRI monitoring expertise in areas such as nuclear nonproliferation, emergency response, and public safety.

See under Research Areas for descriptions of CERM-sponsored research in each of these focus areas which also highlight research capabilities and expertise of DRI.