Q: Are there research opportunities for me with the Toxics Program?

A: Each U.S. Geological Survey Toxic Substances Hydrology (Toxics) Program investigation is carried out by a multidisciplinary research team composed of scientists from the USGS, other federal and state agencies, universities, and industry. These field-based investigations often are conducted at sites maintained and characterized over long periods of time to achieve ideal research conditions, effectively developing a "field laboratory." These field laboratories provide significant opportunities for collaboration. For example, the Toxics Program's investigation of subsurface contaminant transport on Cape Cod has a subsurface multilevel sampling array with over 10,000 sampling points. This array has been used to conduct a wide variety of tracer tests by many researchers. The Program’s Amargosa Desert Research Site research team has developed its own Research Collaboration Policy Statement that gives guidance on how non-USGS scientists can get involved in the project. USGS project coordinators provide a collaborative and productive working environment through research planning and discussion sessions, and joint field activities that maximize interdisciplinary understanding and prevent interference among experiments. To join the research team you should contact a project coordinator who will discuss your participation and if appropriate bring you into the project planning process. The Toxics Program does not offer research grants.

Research grants from organizations such as CALFED, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have enabled non-USGS researchers to participate in Toxics Program activities.

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