Background - CERA

The Board of Regents of Higher Education Authorizes the establishment of the Center for Environmental Remediation and Assessment within the School of Mines at Montana Tech of The University of Montana in January 2000. All three research campuses of the MUS will participate in the program, which will be managed by Montana Tech of The University of Montana.

CERA 2000 Purpose

  • To 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.

CERA 2000 Planned Objectives

  • Enhance competitiveness of Montana’s senior faculty members and researchers.

  • Provide additional research opportunities for junior and new faculty.

  • Produce research results that will help Montana and other similar states in solving environmental problems related to mining activities.

  • Improve the quality of research in environmental science and engineering and increase the visibility of Montana faculty and scientists at the national level

  • Improve the quality and numbers of graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and visiting scientists working on environmental risk reduction projects.

  • Attract high quality faculty members and students to the Montana University System.

  • Increase Federal, State, and private funding of academic research and development in Montana

  • Increased collaboration among Montana University System faculty and private sector researchers to cultivate and nurture team work and multi-disciplinary problem-solving by maximizing resources and by building competitiveness.

CERA 2000 Planned Activities

  • Coordinate environmental research efforts within the EPA EPSCoR program to better address local, regional, and global issues;
  • Enhance research in environmental science through increased funding for instrumentation and research in universities;
  • Facilitate better communication and coordination among university researchers, industry, and state and federal agencies;
  • Stimulate understanding of remediation efforts in the state through publications and workshops;
  • Disseminate research information to improve the awareness between the public and the interested parties in environmental science and engineering.