The West Virginia University Center for Environmental Research (CER), with a new focus and approach, aims to coordinate environmental research activities at the University and to serve as a point of contact for citizens of the state who have environmental questions or problems.

Established through funding from the WVU Research Corp. in 2003, the Center has been under the new leadership of Dr. Roger C. Viadero, Jr. since May 2005.

A member of the WVU faculty since 1998, Dr. Viadero is a Robert C. Byrd Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources. He is a leading scholar in the fields of aquatic environmental engineering, remediation of impaired ecosystems and aquacultural engineering.

I am very pleased that Dr. Viadero has agreed to take on the leadership of the Center,said John D. Weete, WVU vice president for research and economic development.He is very well qualified. We have a diversity of environmental research activities currently under way at WVU , and we want to generate more synergy through the Center and address environmental issues of importance to the state and nation.

One of the primary goals of the CER is to establish a collaborative interdisciplinary environment that will coordinate all environmental research being conducted at WVU . The CER strives to enhance research, and provide direct support of scientific research, technology development and transfer, and economic development.

Initially, the focus of our work will be in three major areas: environmental restoration and remediation; watershed functions and processes; and environmental policy, legal issues, and economics,said Dr. Viadero.Through this approach, the existing strengths of WVU researchers from across campus will be amplified, in an effort to strengthen our position as we work toward becoming a national leader in environmental research.

Multidisciplinary teams of WVU environmental researchers are already conducting several projects.

As part of one project, team members are working to develop treated mine waters as a resource to raise fish that can be stocked in regional streams or sold at market. Through this work, investigators are helping to make efficient use of West Virginias water resources, while simultaneously supporting economic development in the state.

For additional information, visit the Center for Environmental Research website:http://www.wvu.edu/~cer/