Administrative Core

University Of Southern California, Los Angeles CA

Investigators

Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY The Administrative Core (AC) supports the mission, scientific vision and objectives of the Southern California Superfund Research and Training Program for PFAS Assessment, Remediation and Prevention Center (ShARP). The overall goal of ShARP is to develop a problem-based, solution-oriented PFAS research and training program applicable to contaminated water supplies from Superfund sites and other sources across the US. The AC provides leadership and administrative support to promote scientific collaboration and to coordinate research translation across the four Research Projects and four cross-cutting Cores. The AC is led by the ShARP director, two deputy directors, one of whom is the Research Translation Coordinator (RTC), and the AC coordinator providing administrative support. The AC and its RTC facilitate dissemination and communication within the AC and ShARP and with other Superfund Research Programs (SRP), SRP staff, local partners and with government, industry, and the public. Specific aim (SA) 1: Provide leadership and infrastructure for scientific and administrative needs of ShARP, promoting a vision of collaborative cross-disciplinary systems science within- and between SRPs. Working groups, seminars, and other enrichment activities, and a yearly symposium, facilitate this aim. Robust local engagement and training programs across ShARP are coordinated with the CEC and with RETTC, respectively. AC coordinated Committees provide advice and guidance; an External Advisory Committee additionally provides a yearly ShARP evaluation. SA2: Promote bidirectional partnerships with ShARP partners in government agencies. The AC has coordinated with projects and cores to establish collaborations with Federal and California state EPA at multiple levels, ATSDR, LA County Department of Health, state and local water districts, among others. Primary vehicles for this engagement include working groups, quarterly ShARP investigators meeting and other enrichment activities. SA3: Promote technology transfer. The AC will engage end users through web-friendly tools with potential to assess mobilization of PFAS from Superfund sites into aquifers; destroy PFAS in Superfund affected water; improve risk assessment; and move biomarker discovery into clinical or other applications. Industry partners have opportunities to develop applications of ShARP research, for example with Small Business Innovation and Technology Transfer Research grants. SA 4: Disseminate ShARP findings widely to other end-users of SRP research. The RTC will support investigators in promoting ShARP Center findings through strategic science communication tools, including media engagement, opinion editorials, and accessible research summaries aligned with Superfund priorities. In coordination with the RETCC and the CEC, the RTC will assist in the development of user-friendly platforms to share results with scientific, regulatory, and Superfund-related audiences. Additionally, the RTC will coordinate with the CEC to organize research-focused briefings and outreach sessions to promote multidirectional communication with local partners and support the Center’s translational mission.