Welcome to the Superfund Basic Research and Training Program (SRP) Science Digest!

Below you'll find a compilation of SRP research, which provides practical, scientific solutions to protect health, the environment, and communities. For more information about the program, visit the SRP website.

You also can view past issues of the Science Digest.

Director's Letter

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act, the legislation that established the Superfund Research Program (SRP) within NIEHS. A cornerstone of the SRP is the P42 multiproject center grant program, which funds research at universities nationwide. SRP Centers investigate how environmental exposures affect human health, design strategies to reduce exposures, and identify opportunities to protect health by bringing together researchers from different fields.

Features

The NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) Progress in Research Webinar series featured the latest updates from six multiproject centers funded by SRP in 2025. Awardees are researching a range of contaminants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), PFAS, and heavy metals, to glean insights into the mechanisms that influence how these chemicals affect human health. These centers rely on integrated, multidisciplinary research and collaborations with scientists and communities to complete projects that focus on prevention, intervention, and remediation strategies to protect human and environmental health from Superfund-relevant contaminants.

Science Leadership

People in suits standing in front of ASLA sign

Community Engagement Core leader Galen Newman, Ph.D., and former trainee Rui Zhu, Ph.D., were awarded the Honor Award from the Texas Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) for the publication of their book Vacant Land Regeneration: Novel Strategies for Maximizing Local Impact.

Hot Off the Press

Jay James, Ph.D., launched a small business grounded in his research as an SRP trainee at UC Berkeley. Picoyune offers low-cost sensors to track personal exposure to mercury.

Technology Profile

The Infrared Sorbent Material-Amplified Rapid Trace (IR-SMART) sensor, developed by Max-IR Labs, is an environmental screening tool that uses infrared light to determine PFAS types and concentrations in water. This technology can provide results in 3 – 6 hours, much quicker than conventional PFAS lab testing methods, and allows scientists to conduct testing onsite.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Webcasts

Your Environment. Your Health.

Superfund Research Program
Science Digest

Balancing Scientific Excellence with Research Relevance

Welcome to the Superfund Basic Research and Training Program (SRP) Science Digest!

Director's Letter

Features

Science Leadership

Hot Off the Press

Technology Profile

Past Issues

2026

2024

2023

2022

2021

Superfund Research Program Science Digest Archive