The State of Montana has recognized the need to stimulate systemic and sustainable improvements both in the quality and capability of environmental science, engineering research, and education. Most campuses of the MUS have environmental research and/or education programs in place, and some campuses have on going research and technology relationships with the State�s environmental industries. The purpose of CERA is to provide a common focus for the EPA:EPSCoR Program, identify new research funding opportunities, improve faculty collaboration within the MUS, enhance technology transfer opportunities to the State�s environmental industrial base and to further develop educational programs that meet the needs of the students and employers of the State of Montana.

The Center will promote, coordinate, and foster growth and sustainability in statewide research activities in environmental science and engineering. CERA�s specific objectives include:

 III. Anticipated activities

To accomplish the objective of a long term success and sustainability in environmental science and engineering research, CERA will;

 IV. Involved agencies, organizations and/or institutions including advisory council information

Initially, the US EPA will be involved as a direct financial sponsor of CERA. Montana Tech of The University of Montana, The University of Montana �Missoula and Montana State University-Bozeman will be the founding University participants of CERA. Montana Tech Office of Research and Graduate Studies will work with the CERA Steering Committee to develop a preliminary operating structure and to appoint a Board of Governors. 

CERA will be advised on long range issues by a Board of Governors selected from a cross section of academic, State, and industrial participants. The Center will be administratively located within the Montana Tech Office of Research and Graduate Studies.

The day to day management of CERA and the Montana EPA-EPSCoR program will be the responsibility of the Steering Committee. This committee will include Dr. Kumar Ganesan from Montana Tech of The University of Montana, as chair, and Dr. Bill Costerton and Dr. Bill Holben as co-chairs from Montana State University-Bozeman and The University of Montana-Missoula respectively.

CERA�s mission is to promote and enhance collaborative research among the MUS campuses in environmental related fields. This mission is with in the scope and role of all the charter institutions of the MUS. 

The US EPA has provided $432,000 of startup funding for CERA for two years. State of Montana matching funds in the amount of $432,000 will be sought for these two years as required by the EPA grant. Long term stability will be pursued by a combination of industrial participation and competitive Federal research funds. 

Active and effective Interdisciplinary Research Centers for Environmental Studies exist at several Universities in the Northwest. Similar Interdisciplinary Centers are:

Objectives/Hypotheses: Four hypotheses will be tested regarding effects of heavy metals on water and watersheds contaminated with metals from past mining operations:

The bacterial community response to metals contamination in terms of impacts on microbial community diversity, structure and function will be determined. In addition, the utility of monitoring bacterial community health as an indicator of overall ecosystem effects will be assessed.

Approach: The proposed studies, which compare impacted and unimpacted microbial communities in similar environmental settings, should provide important baseline information as to what constitutes a "normal" microbial community in riverine systems and how metals contamination affects microbial community diversity, structure and function. We have selected three test-sites within a watershed severely impacted by multicomponent metal contamination representing high and moderate metals concentrations. Each site is matched with a reference site having the same hydrology, channel morphology, geology, and climate. At each site, the water column and river substrate environments will be characterized geochemically in conjunction with detailed microbial community analyses. In situ experiments include biomass, lipid, and activity analyses using incubation, extraction, and radiolabel methods. Molecular methods will be used to establish microbial community structure DNA isolated directly from environmental samples. Each analysis will be applied to natural and artificial substrates over a range of metal concentrations to determine the response of the bacterial community to a spectrum of multicomponent metals contamination.

Expected Results: This project will provide important information regarding the use of microbial community structure and function as a fundamental indicator of ecosystem health by which we can assess trophic level changes in riverine systems. Primary products of this research will be improved risk assessment of metal contamination in rivers and watersheds and monitoring responses to different management practices at a fundamental ecosystem level based on bacterial community indicators.

Objectives: The three objectives of this project are:

Approach: Relationships between As speciation and microbial activity will be determined by comparing As redox kinetics (following total As, As(III), and As(V) with microbial population dynamics within a treatment matrix that will include As concentration, carbon availability, O₂ availability, and pH. Microbial community-level analyses will include (RT)PCR-DGGE to Monitor shifts in total diversity. 16S rDNA sequence information obtained from PCR-cloned DNA will be used to design genotype-specific molecular probes, and functional gene probes will be used to tract the occurrence of relevant genes in the populations of interest. Enrichment culture and dilution-extinction techniques will be used to identify and isolate As redox cycling microbes. Unculturable microbes affected by the treatment matrix will be identified by (RT)PCR-DGGE coupled with sequencing of PCR-cloned 16S rDNA. Isolated organisms and enriched consortia will be characterized for their ability to oxidize or reduce As, with the latter being differentiated between dissimilatory reduction (i.e. electron acceptor) vs detoxification. We will use the same samples from the Silver Bow Creek and Clark Fork river as described by Holben et al (sites 3T and 1R in Table 1 of SEER 2 of the University of Montana proposal).

Expected Results: This study will begin the first detailed analysis of specific microorganisms participating in As transformations in contaminated soils and river sediments. An understanding of the microbial community structure important in As redox cycling under different environmental conditions will improve our current capabilities to predict As transport and bioavailability and our ability to evaluate management alternatives for the remediation of As contaminated sites.