82 FR 24120 - Request for Nominations of Experts to the EPA Office of Research and Development's Board of Scientific Counselors

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 100 (May 25, 2017)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking nominations for technical experts to serve on its Board of Scientific Counselors (BOSC), a federal advisory committee to the Office of Research and Development (ORD). Submission of nominations is preferred via the BOSC Web site at: https://www.epa.gov/bosc.

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 100 (Thursday, May 25, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24120-24122]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-10672]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-ORD-2015-0765; FRL-9963-10-ORD]


Request for Nominations of Experts to the EPA Office of Research 
and Development's Board of Scientific Counselors

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking 
nominations for technical experts to serve on its Board of Scientific 
Counselors (BOSC), a federal advisory committee to the Office of 
Research and Development (ORD). Submission of nominations is preferred 
via the BOSC Web site at: https://www.epa.gov/bosc.

DATES: Nominations should be submitted by June 30, 2017, per 
instructions below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public needing 
additional information regarding this Notice and Request for 
Nominations may contact Mr. Tom Tracy, Office of Science Policy, Office 
of Research and Development, Mail Code 8104-R, Environmental Protection 
Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20460; via phone/
voice mail at: (202) 564-6518; via fax at: (202) 565-2911; or via email 
at: [email protected]. General information concerning the BOSC can be 
found at the following Web site: https://www.epa.gov/bosc.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The BOSC is a chartered Federal Advisory Committee that was 
established by the EPA to provide independent scientific and technical 
peer review, advice, consultation, and recommendations about ORD. As a 
Federal Advisory Committee, the BOSC conducts business in accordance 
with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) (5 U.S.C. App. 2) and 
related regulations.
    The BOSC is comprised of an Executive Committee and five supporting 
subcommittees. The subcommittees focus on ORD's research programs: Air, 
Climate, and Energy Research Program; Chemical Safety for 
Sustainability Research Program and Human Health Risk Assessment 
Program; Homeland Security Research Program; Safe and Sustainable Water 
Resources Research Program; and Sustainable and Healthy Communities 
Research Program. Please visit https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-office-research-and-development-ord to learn more about these programs.
    Members of the BOSC are recognized experts in various scientific, 
engineering, and social science fields. EPA will consider nominees from 
industry, business, public and private research institutes or 
organizations, academia, government (federal, state, local, and tribal) 
and non-government organizations, and other relevant interest areas. 
Members are appointed by the EPA Administrator for a period of three 
years and serve as special government employees. EPA values and 
welcomes diversity. In an effort to obtain nominations of diverse 
candidates, EPA encourages nominations of women and men of all racial 
and ethnic groups.

[[Page 24121]]

Expertise Sought

    EPA is seeking nominations of nationally and internationally 
recognized scientists and engineers having experience and expertise in 
one or more of the following areas:

 Atmospheric Science
    --aerosol chemistry
    --aerosol physical science
    --air quality modeling
    --atmospheric chemistry
    --atmospheric physics
 Biology
    --biogeochemistry
    --cell biology
    --endocrinology (endocrine disruptors)
    --microbiology/molecular biology
    --pharmacokinetics
    --systems biology
 Chemistry
    --analytical chemistry
    --combustion chemistry
    --environmental chemistry
    --green chemistry
    --physical chemistry
    --water chemistry
    --biogeochemistry
 Climate Change/Global Change
    --adaption
    --modeling
    --variability
    --greenhouse gas technology
    --assessment
 Ecology
    --ecosystem services
    --aquatic/systems ecology (freshwater, wetland, estuary, near-
coastal)
    --hydrology/hydraulics (watershed modeling)
    --plant/forestry ecology
    --water resources
    --soil biogeochemistry
    -- system ecology
    --landscape ecology
    --urban ecology
 Engineering
    --biochemical engineering
    --bioenvironmental engineering
    --engineering (drinking water treatment, wastewater treatment, 
stormwater treatment and management, water reuse, water infrastructure)
    --chemical engineering
    --combustion engineering
    --environmental engineering (decontamination, clean-up, management)
    --industrial engineering
    --mechanical engineering
 Information Science
    --information technology
    --computer/web-based tool development
    --information visualization
    --research communication
    --spatial analysis
    --uncertainty analysis
 Nanotechnology/Emerging Materials (exposure and hazard 
characterization)
 Public Health
    --children's health
    --community health
    --environmental health
    --epidemiology/molecular epidemiology
 Exposure Science (human, ecological, chemical fate and 
transport, computational exposure, exposure modeling)
 Risk Assessment (cumulative, mixtures, ecological, human 
health)
 Nutrients (nutrient management/thresholds, best management 
practices, human/ecological health)
 Cyanobacteria/Harmful Algal Blooms
 Watershed Management (surface water, groundwater)
 Sustainability
    --community/urban level planning and sustainability
    --industrial (industrial ecology, life cycle analysis, technology 
policy, systems engineering)
    --energy
    --water, energy and food nexus
 Toxicology
    --computational toxicology (computational biology, genomics, 
proteomics, metabonomics, computational chemistry, high-throughput 
bioassays, informatics, bioinformatics, predictive toxicology)
    --ecotoxicology
    --developmental/reproductive toxicology
    --immunotoxicology
    --molecular toxicology
    --neurotoxicology
    --pulmonary/cardiovascular toxicology
    --carcinogenesis
 Science Policy
 Environmental Justice
 Program Evaluation
 Social Science
    --community disaster recovery and resiliency
    --economics (ecological economics, environmental, natural resources 
and agriculture)
    --socioeconomics
    --sociology
    --decision science
 Behavioral Science
    --psychology
    --ecopsychology
    --environmental psychology
    --conservation psychology
    --social neuroscience
    --risk perception
    --risk/crisis communication
    --community decision making
 Decision Science
    --decision analysis
    --value of information
    --decision support system

Process and Deadline for Submitting Nominations

    Any interested person or organization may nominate themselves or 
qualified individuals in the areas of expertise described above. 
Nominations should be submitted via the BOSC Web site (which is 
preferred over hard copy) at: https://www.epa.gov/bosc. Nominations 
should be submitted in time to arrive no later than July 21, 2017. To 
receive full consideration, nominations should include all of the 
information requested. EPA requests: Contact information about the 
person making the nomination; contact information about the nominee; 
the disciplinary and specific areas of expertise of the nominee; 
committee preference; the nominee's curriculum vita and/or resume; and 
additional information that would be useful for considering the 
nomination such as background and qualifications (e.g., current 
position, educational background, expertise, research areas), 
experience relevant to one or more of ORD's research programs, service 
on other advisory committees and professional societies, and 
availability to participate as a member of the Executive Committee and/
or Subcommittee. Persons having questions about the nomination 
procedures, or who are unable to submit nominations through the BOSC 
Web site, should contact Mr. Tom Tracy, as indicated above in this 
notice.

Selection Criteria

    The BOSC is a balanced and diverse expert committee. The committee 
and each of its subcommittees possess necessary domains of expertise, 
depth and breadth of knowledge, and diverse and balanced scientific 
perspectives. Nominations will be evaluated on the basis of several 
criteria including: (a) Scientific and/or technical expertise, 
knowledge, and experience; (b) availability to serve and willingness to 
commit time to the committee (approximately one to three meetings per 
year including both face-to-face meetings and teleconferences); (c) 
absence of financial conflicts of interest; (d) absence of an 
appearance of a lack of impartiality; (e) skills working on committees 
and advisory panels; and (f) background and experiences that would 
contribute to the diversity of viewpoints on the Executive Committee or 
Subcommittee, e.g., workforce sector, geographical location, social, 
cultural,

[[Page 24122]]

and educational backgrounds, and professional affiliations.
    The EPA's evaluation of an absence of financial conflicts of 
interest will include a review of the ``Confidential Financial 
Disclosure Form for Special Government Employees Serving on Federal 
Advisory Committees at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency'' (EPA 
Form 3110-48). This confidential form allows Government Officials to 
determine whether there is a statutory conflict between that person's 
public responsibilities (which includes membership on an EPA Federal 
Advisory Committee) and private interests and activities, or the 
appearance of a lack of impartiality, as defined by Federal regulation. 
The form may be viewed and downloaded from the following URL address, 
https://www.epa.gov/sap/confidential-financial-disclosure-form-environmental-protection-agency-special-government.

    Dated: May 18, 2017.
Fred S. Hauchman,
Director, Office of Science Policy.
[FR Doc. 2017-10672 Filed 5-24-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P