Scientific and Technological Achievement Award (STAA) 2019

2019 STAA Awards

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2019 Level II Scientific and Technological Achievement Awards
2019 Level II Scientific and Technological Achievement Awards
2019 Level III Scientific and Technological Achievement Awards
2019 Honorable Mention Scientific and Technological Achievement Awards

EPA announces the winners of the 2019 Scientific and Technological Achievement Awards, an agency-wide program that recognizes the outstanding scientific work of EPA employees who publish their technical work in peer-reviewed literature.

2019 Level I Scientific and Technological Achievement Awards

Level I awards are for those who have accomplished an exceptionally high-quality research or technological effort. The awards recognize the creation or general revision of scientific or technological principle or procedure, or a highly significant improvement in the value of a device, activity, program, or service to the public. Awarded research is of national significance or has high impact on a broad area of science/technology. The research has far reaching consequences and is recognizable as a major scientific/technological achievement within its discipline or field of study.

Citation	*Authors*	*Nominating Organization*
Development and deployment of a high-throughput assay to detect chemical disruptors of thyroid hormone synthesis.	Steve Simmons Joan Hedge Michael Hornung Kevin Crofton Keith Houck Richard Judson Katie Paul Friedman Eric Watt Daniel Rotroff	ORD National Center for Computational Toxicology

2019 Level II Scientific and Technological Achievement Awards

Level II awards are for those who have accomplished a notably excellent research or technological effort that has qualities and values similar to, but to a lesser degree, than those described under Level I. Awarded research has timely consequences and contributes as an important scientific/technological achievement within its discipline or field of study.

Citation	Authors	*Nominating Organization*
Nationwide study on the prevalence and potential health effects of contaminants of emerging concern in drinking water	Susan Glassmeyer Edward Fulong Dana Kolpin Angela Batt Robert Benson Justin Conley Joyce Donohue Maura Donohue Dawn King Mitchell Kostich Heath Mash Stacy Pfaller J. Scott Boone Jane Simmons Eunice Varughese Stephen Vesper Eric Villegas Nichole Brinkman Vickie Wilson Scott Keely Octavia Conerly Kathleen Schenck Nicola Evans Laura Rosenblum Micheal Ware Megan Vogel William Sander Mary Noriega G Shay Fout Robert Flick Emily Wheaton Jennifer Cashdollar Tripp Boone Craig Vigo Thuy Nguyen Paul Westerhoff Christian Byrne Joseph Ferrario Jacelyn Rice	ORD National Exposure Research Laboratory
Development of New Alternative Methods for Assessment of Developmental Neurotoxicity Hazard	Timothy Shafer William Mundy Chris Frank Jasmine Brown Diana Hall Kathleen Wallace	ORD National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory
A comprehensive description of the toxicity of major geochemical ion mixtures to Ceriodaphnia dubia	Russell Erickson David Mount Terry Highland J. Russell Hockett Dale Hoff Teresa Norberg-King Correne Jenson Kira Peterson Stephanie Wisniewsi Zachary Polaske	ORD National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory

2019 Level III Scientific and Technological Achievement Awards

Level III awards are for those who have accomplished an unusually notable research or technological effort. The awards are for a substantial revision or modification of a scientific/technological principle or procedure, or an important improvement to the value of a device, activity, program, or service to the public. Awarded research relates to a mission or organizational component of the EPA, or significantly affects a relevant area of science/technology.

*Citation*	Authors	*Nominating Organization*
Using water isotope ratios to derive lake hydrologic parameters for EPA's national lakes assessment	J Renee Brooks John Stoddard John Gibson Marc Weber S. Jean Birk Kent Rodecap	ORD National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory
High-throughput predictions of functional use	Katherine Phillips John Wambaugh Chris Grulke Kathie Dionisio Kristin Isaacs	ORD National Exposure Research Laboratory
(1) Child environmental exposures to water and sand at the beach and (2) Water Ingestion by Swimmers	Stephanie Deflorio-Barker Elizabeth Sams Benjamin Arnold John Colford Alfred Dufour Stephen Weisberg Ken Schiff Timothy Wade Alfred Dufour Thomas Behymer Larry Wymer Matthew Magnuson Ricardo Cantu	ORD National Center for Environmental Assessment ORD National Exposure Research Laboratory
Mercury Methylation in Reservoirs: a detailed study of the mechanisms responsible for increased mercury methylation	Todd Luxton Chris Eckley Jennifer Goetz John McKernan Joe Goulet	ORD National Risk Management Research Laboratory
Impacts of ethanol policy on corn prices: A review and meta-analysis of recent evidence	Heather Klemick Ann Wolverton Nicole Condon-Kaiser	National Center for Environmental Economics
Modeling and Validation of Conventional and Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicles and High Voltage Lithium-ion Battery Packs	Soduk Lee Jeff Cherry Joseph McDonald James Sanchez Ed Nam Anthony Neam	Office of Air and Radiation
An investigation of the effects of urban stream burial on nitrogen uptake and ecosystem metabolism	Jake Beaulieu Paul Mayer Sujay Kaushai Michael Pennino Clay Arango David Balz Ken Fritz Brian Hill Colleen Eionen Jorge Santo-Domingo Hodon Ryu Heather Golden Tim Canfield Christopher Knightes	ORD National Risk Management Research Laboratory
A chemical and Cheminformatics foundation for ToxCast & Tox21 research programs	Ann Richard Christopher Grulke Richard Judson Keith Houck John Wambaugh Thomas Knudsen Grace Patiewicz Antony Williams Russell Thomas Patra Volarath Inthirany Thillainadarajah Chihae Yang James Rathman Matthew Marti Jayaram Kancheria Kamel Mansouri Stephen Little Kevin Crofton	ORD National Center for Computational Toxicology
Advancing High-Throughput Chemical Exposure Models for Consumer and Dietary Pathways	Kristin Isaacs Peter Egeghy Daniel Vallero Chris Grulke John Wambaugh Haluk Ozkaynak Michael-Rock Goldsmith Katherine Phillips Derya Biryol Luther Smith Raina Brooks Chantel Nicolas Graham Glen	ORD National Exposure Research Laboratory
Validation of In Vivo-In Vitro Arsenic Bioavailability Methods for Human Health Risk Assessments at Contaminated Sites	Kirk Scheckel Karen Bradham David Thomas Clay Nelson Michele Burgess Sophia Serda Gary Diamond Albert Juhasz Julie Klotzbach Marc Stifelman Mark Maddaloni	ORD National Risk Management Research Laboratory
For Development and Application of a Natural Hazards Resilience Screening Index to Enhance Community Resilience	J. Kevin Summers Lisa Smith Linda Harwell Kyle Buck	ORD National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory
New mechanistic paradigm for pulmonary and systemic health effects of oxidant and irritant pollutants	Urmilla Kodavanti Andres Henriques Samantha Snow Mette Schladweiler Colette Miller Janice Dye Allen Ledbetter Judy Richards Marie McGee Wanda Williams Kevin Mauge-Lewis Daniel Costa	ORD National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory
Development of a system for assessing the health impact of wildfire smoke	Ian Gilmour Yong Ho Kim Sarah Warren David Demarini William Preston Quentin Todd Krantz Mark Higuchi Matthew Landis Barbara George Mike Hays Charly King Rick Jaskot	ORD National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory
On-the-ground implementation of early detection monitoring	Anett Trebitz Joel Hoffman Gregory Peterson Erik Pilgrim John (Jack) Kelly Tyler Billehus George Grant Michelle Gutsch Henry Quinlan Joshua Schloesser	ORD National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory
Conversion of spent carbon dioxide into value added products	Mallikarjuna Nadagouda Rajender Varma Sanny Verma Nasir Baig	ORD National Risk Management Laboratory
A sustainable approach to empower the bio- based future:upgrading biomass to value added products	Mallikarjuna Nadagouda Rajender Varma Sanny Verma Nasir Baig Christopher Len	ORD National Risk Management Laboratory

2019 Honorable Mention Scientific and Technological Achievement Awards

Honorable Mention awards acknowledge research efforts that are noteworthy but do not warrant a Level I, II or III award. Honorable Mention applies to research that: (1) may not quite reach the level described for a Level III award; (2) show a promising area of research that the Subcommittee wants to encourage; or (3) show an area of research that the Subcommittees feels is too preliminary to warrant an award recommendation at this time.

*Publication Title*	*Authors*	*Nominating Organization*
Characterization of emissions and residues from simulations of the Deepwater Horizon surface oil burns. Published in Marine Pollution Bulletin Mutagenecity and Oxidative Damage Induced by an Organic Extract of the Particulate Emissions from a Simulation of the Deepwater Horizon Surface Oil Burns. Published in Environmental and Molecular Mutagenicity,	Brian Gullett Johanna Aurell Amara Holder Dale Greenwell William Mitchell Michael Hays Robyn Conmy Dennis Tabor William Preston Ingrid George Joseph Abrahamson Randy Vander Wal Edith Holder William Linak David DeMarini Sarah Warren Katelyn Lavrich Alexis Flen Judith Schmid James Samet	ORD National Risk Management Research Laboratory
Search for hidden costs: A Technology-based approach to the energy efficiency gap in light-duty vehicles. Published in Energy Policy.	Gloria Helfand Michael Kevin Bolon Mandy Sha Amanda Smith Lawrence Reichle	Office of Air and Radiation
A Pilot Study of Fuel Impacts on PM Emissions from Light-Duty Gasoline Vehicles. Published in SAE International Journal of Fuels and Lubricants. Influence of Fuel MP Index and Ethanol on Particulate Emissions from Light-Duty Gasoline Vehicles. Published in SAE World Congress Technical Paper	Aron Butler Rafal Sobotowski Zuimdie Guerra George Hoffman Paul Machiele	Office of Air and Radiation
Modeling the current and future roles of particulate organic nitrates in the southeastern United States. Published in Environmental Science & Technology. On the implications of aerosol liquid water and phase separation for organic aerosol mass. Published in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. Simulating aqueous phase isoprene-epoxydiol (IEPOX) secondary organic aerosol production during the 2013 southern oxidant and aerosol study (SOAS)	Havala O. T. Pye Sri Hapsari Budisulistiorini K. Wyat Appel Kirk Baker Jesse Bash William Hutzell Deborah Luecken Christopher Boyd Benjamin Murphy Donna Schwede Ben Ayres Karsten Baumann Annmarie Carlton William Carter Eric Edgerton Juliane Fry Allen Goldstein Hongyu Guo Jose Jimenez Pawel Misztal Weiwei Hu Gabriel Isaacman-VanWertz V. Faye McNeill Jason Surratt Athanasios Nenes Nga L. Ng Paul Shepson Petros Vasilakos Rodney Weber Lu Xu	ORD National Exposure Research Laboratory
Connecting the Dots: Linking Environmental Justice Indicators to Daily Dose Model Estimates. Published in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Associations between socio-demographic characteristics and chemical concentrations contributing to cumulative exposures in the United States. Published in Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology.	Timothy Barzyk Rogelio Tornero-Velez Hongtai Huang	ORD National Exposure Research Laboratory
Evolution of the United States Energy System and Related Emissions under varying Social and Technological Development Paradigms: Plausible Scenarios for Use in Robust Decision Making. Published in Environmental Science & Technology. Role of future scenarios in understanding deep uncertainty in long-term air quality management. Published in Journal of Air & Waste Management Association.	Kristen Brown Julia Gamas Rebecca Dodder Dan Loughlin Troy Hottle Samaneh Babaee Rubenka Bandyopadhyay Ozge Kaplan Carol Lenox Cynthia Gage	ORD National Risk Management Research Laboratory
Impacts of mountaintop removal and valley fill coal mining on C and N processing in terrestrial soil. Published in Water, Air, and Soil Pollution.	Roger Burke Ken Fritz Chris Barton Dean Hardy Jeff Jack Stephanie Fulton Brent Johnson	ORD National Exposure Research Laboratory
Heavy-duty trucking and the energy efficiency paradox: evidence from focus groups and interviews. Published in Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice. Potential barriers to improving energy efficiency in commercial buildings: The case of supermarket. Published in Journal of Benefit-Cost Analysis.	Heather Klemick Ann Wolverton Elizabeth Kopits Keith Sargent	National Center for Environmental Economics
Dynamic evaluation of CMAQ part I: Separating the effects of changing emissions and changing meteorology on ozone levels between 2002 and 2005 in the eastern US. Published in Atmospheric Environment. Dynamic Evaluation of CMAQ part II: Evaluation of Relative Response Factor Metrics for Ozone Attainment demonstrations. Published in Atmospheric Environment.	Kristen Foley Patrick Dolwick Christian Hogrefe Heather Simon Brian Timin Norm Posseil George Pouliot Shawn Roselle	ORD National Exposure Research Laboratory
Roadside vegetation design characteristics that can improve local, near-road air quality. Published in Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment.	Richard Baldauf	ORD National Risk Management Research Laboratory
Ozone Trends Across the United States over a Period of Decreasing NOx and VOC Emissions. Published in Environmental Science & Technology. Assessing Temporal and Spatial Patterns of Observed and Predicted Ozone in Multiple Urban Areas. Published in Environmental Health Perspectives.	Heather Simon Benjamin Wells Kirk Baker Adam Reff Bryan Hubbell Neil Frank Jia Xing	Office of Air and Radiation
Inhibition of biofilm growth on polymer-MWCNTs composites and metal surfaces. Published in Science of Total Environment. Experimental and modeling studies of sorption of ceria nanoparticles on microbial biofilms. Published in Bioresources Technology.	Endalkachew Sahle-Demessie Hengye Jing George Sorial Christina Bennett-Stampe Ashraf Aly Hassan Bineyam Mezgebe	ORD National Risk Management Research Laboratory
Degradation Studies of Multiwall Carbon Nanotube Reinforced Polypropylene During Environmental Aging. Published in Carbon. Evaluating weathering of food packaging polyethylene-nano- clay composites: Release of nanoparticles and their impacts. Published in Nanoimpact. Effects of source and seasonal variations of natural organic matters on the fate and transport of CeO2 nanoparticles in the environment. Published in Science of the Total Environment.	Endalkachew Sahle-Demessie Amy Zhao Teri Richardson Jonathan Pressman Eunice Varughese George Sorial Zhen LI Changseok Han Jun Wang	ORD National Risk Management Research Laboratory
Uterine Artery Flow and Offspring Growth in Long-Evans Rats following Maternal Exposure to Ozone during Implantation. Published in Environmental Health Perspectives. Aspirin Pre-Treatment Modulates Ozone-Induced Fetal Growth Restriction and Alterations in Uterine blood flow in rats. Published in Reproductive Toxicology.	Colette Miller Mette Schladweiler Aimken Farraj Janie Dye Urmila Kodavanti Allen Ledbetter Samantha Snow Charles Wood Judy Richards Leslie Thompson Andres Henriquez Erica Stewart Mendi Hazari	ORD National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory
Vegetation land cover near residence is associated with reduced allostatic load and improved biomarkers of neuroendocrine, metabolic and immune functions. Published in Environmental Research. Environmental risk factors for T. gondii infections and the impact of infections on allostatic load in residents of Central North Carolina. Published in BMC Infection Diseases.	Andrey Egorov Shannon Griffin Timothy Wade Reagan Converse Elizabeth Sams Edward Hudgens Laura Jackson Jennifer Styles Elizabeth Klein Anthony Wilson	ORD National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory
Comparison of modeling approaches to prioritize chemicals based on estimates of exposure an exposure potential. Published in Science of the Total Environment. A decision analytic approach to exposure-based chemical prioritization. Published in PLOS ONE Advances on a Decision Analytic Approach to Exposure-Based Chemical Prioritization. Published in Risk Analysis.	Daniel Vallero Perter Paul Egeghy Elaine Cohen Hubal Jade Mitchell John Wambaugh Antony Williams Matthew Wood Igor Linkov Jon Arnot Sastry Isukiapalli Oliver Jolliet Panos Georgopoulos Surajit Dasgupta Muhilan Pandian Nicolas Pabon Zachary Collier Kenton Piourde Sabrina Larkin	ORD National Exposure Research Laboratory
Key ecological responses to nitrogen are altered by climate change. Published in Nature Climate Change.	Tara Greaver Jana Compton Chris Clark Jill Baron Dena Vallano Alan Talheim Chris Weaver Larry Band Eric Davidson Lingli Liu Jason Lynch Christine Goodale Rick Haeuber Emmi Felker-Quinn Christina Tague Kris Novak Jeff Herrick	ORD National Center for Environmental Assessment
Sunlight-Driven Reduction of Silver Ions by Natural Organic Matter. Published in Environmental Science & Technology.	Richard Zepp Brittany Stuart Roberta Howes Wen-che Hou	ORD National Exposure Research Laboratory
Development of a conceptual framework depicting a child's total (built, natural, social) environment. Published in Journal of Environmental and Health Sciences. Contributions of a child's built, natural, and social environments to their general Cognitive Ability. Published in PLOS ONE. Chemical and non-chemical stressors affecting childhood obesity: a systematic scoping review. Published in Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology.	Nicolle Tulve Jazmin Ruiz Kim Lichtveld Sally Darney Jim Quackenboss Kent Thomas	ORD National Exposure Research Laboratory
Application of the Human Well- Being Index to Sensitive Population Divisions: a Children’s Well-Being. Published in Child Indicators Research. Evaluating the Transferability of a U.S. Human Well-Being Index (HWBI) Framework to Native Americans. Published in Social Indicators Research. A model for change: An approach for forecasting well-being from service-based decisions. Published in Ecological Indicators	Nicolle Tulve Jazmin Ruiz Kim Lichtveld Sally Darney Jim Quackenboss Kent Thomas	ORD National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory
Thoracic and respirable particle definitions for human health risk assessment. Published in Particle and Fibre Toxicology.	James Brown Terry Gordon Owen Price Bahman Asgharian
Oxidative C-H activation of amines using protuberant lychee-like goethite. Published in Nature Climate Change. Photocatalytic C-H activation and oxidative esterification using Pd@g-C3N4. Published in Catalysis Today. Hydroxylation of benzene via C-H activation using bimetallic CuAg@g-C3N4. Published in ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering.	Mallikarjuna Nadagouda Rajender Varma Sanny Verma Nasir Baig	ORD National Risk Management Research Laboratory
Increasing the credibility of regional climate simulations by introducing subgrid-scale cloud- radiation interactions. Published in Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres.	Jerold Herwehe Kiran Alapaty Tanya Spero Christopher Nolte	ORD National Exposure Research Laboratory
Bayesian framework for water quality model uncertainty estimation and risk management. Published in ASCE Journal of Hydrologic Engineering.	Mohamed Hantush Abhishek Chaudhary	ORD National Risk Management Research Laboratory