Jade Mitchell, professor and associate department chair in the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering at Michigan State University, was appointed to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Science Advisory Board, or SAB, and Chemical Assessment Advisory Committee. Hui Li, professor in the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences was appointed to the SAB and to the Agricultural Sciences Committee.
“The highest standards of science create the foundation of everything we do at EPA.” said Tom Brennan, director of the Office of the Science Advisory Board at the EPA. “Drs. Mitchell and Li will provide independent advice to the Administrator on a wide range of topics important to EPA and America. EPA is fortunate to have such talented experts on the Science Advisory Board.”
Mitchell’s research focuses on health risks associated with contaminants in the environment. Her research portfolio spans prioritization of chemicals to microbial risks for water quality and food safety. Her recent projects to assess trade-offs between microbial water quality and disinfection byproducts contributes to her expertise for the SAB and Chemical Assessment Advisory Committee. The CAAC provides advice on EPA guidance documents, methodologies and assessments that look at human health effects resulting from exposure to environmental hazards.
The SAB was established in 1978 by the EPA under the direction of Congress by the Environmental Research, Development, and Demonstration Authorization Act. The SAB is authorized to review the quality and relevance of the scientific and technical information being used by the EPA or proposed as the basis for Agency regulations. They also advise the EPA on broad scientific matters.
“I am honored to serve on the SAB and bring the diversity of my skill sets and specific expertise to this role.”said Mitchell. “It is of critical importance that science used to make policy decisions is peer-reviewed and representative of the current state of knowledge on each topic. The SAB contributes to this process.”
The SAB process begins with subcommittee and panel work. Most of the preliminary work of the advisory board is done by subcommittees or panels, which are chaired by SAB members. Any recommendations from subcommittees are brought to the SAB group for discussion. Recommendations are only forwarded to the EPA if the SAB determines that they are appropriate.
The advisory committees and panels are non-EPA scientists, engineers, economists and other social scientists who are recognized experts in their respective fields. When looking to add new members to the committee, an announcement is made to provide opportunities to the public to nominate experts to serve on the chartered SAB.
This story originally appeared on the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering website.
