UVM Dean Domenico Grasso Featured in EPA Report of Science Advisory Committee Accomplishments

UVM Dean Domenico
Grasso Featured in EPA Report of Science Advisory
Committee
Accomplishments
A soon-to-be
published report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Science
Advice for EPA - Current and Future Challenges, recognizes the service and
accomplishments of EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) members, including former
SAB Chair and University of Vermont Dean of the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences,
Domenico Grasso.
Dr. Grasso, an environmental
engineer, served as Vice Chair of the overall EPA Science Advisory Board and
Chair of the EPA Science Advisory Board Committee on Valuing the Protection of
Ecological Systems and Services from 1998 through 2007. He is
also Chair Emeritus of the SAB Committee on Environmental
Engineering. Grasso is featured in the report along with EPA
Science Advisory Board colleagues from Harvard, Carnegie-Mellon, Stanford, Georgia Tech, and the World
Bank.
EPA's strategy to reorient the Agency's ecological
research program around the concept of ecosystem services was evaluated by Dr.
Grasso's committee featured in the report.
"Strengthening EPA's ability to assess the value of
ecological protection is a priority for the Agency because life depends on
ecosystems and the services they provide" says Grasso. The
Committee's goal was to help EPA improve its ability to identify, quantify, and
assess the value of the ecological effects of its activities, thereby helping
decision makers to make more informed choices among environmental policy
options. This novel and important approach has
"the potential to be transformative for environmental decision making as well as
ecological science," according to the report.
"I considered my EPA
advisory role a unique chance to serve and strengthen our nation's scientific
abilities and decision-making around environmental and economic issues," said
Grasso, "It was an honor to work with so many distinguished colleagues from
across the U.S. and hope our efforts continue to inform and advance the nation's
21st century environmental policies."
On-line of the EPA report are available on the
website:http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/WebSABSO/AccomplishmentsRepor...
Dawn Densmore, Director Outreach & Public
RelationsUVM, College of Engineering and Mathematical
SciencesPhone: 802-656-8748