science in ACTION
INNOVATIVE RESEARCH FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
AIR, CLIMATE AND ENERGY (ACE) CENTERS: SUPPORTING AIR QUALITY AND
CLIMATE SOLUTIONS
Background
The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA),
through its Science to Achieve
Results (STAR) program, is
providing $30 million in
funding for three university-
based research centers to
investigate regional
differences in air pollution and
the effects of global climate
change, technology, and
societal choices on local air
quality and health. The
science will be used to
develop effective pollution
control strategies to protect air
quality at the state and local
levels.
Air quality today has
improved since the enactment
of the Clean Air Act and
implementation of the
National Ambient Air Quality
Standards. Science has been
the foundation for the
standards, providing critical
guidance on what pollutants
pose a threat, how they harm
human health and what
technology can be harnessed
to achieve clean air objectives.
Since 1999, EPA has funded
three rounds of research
centers through a competitive
grant process to complement
its own research on the health
effects of air pollutants. The
centers have contributed to a
greater understanding of the
health impacts of particulate
matter (PM); determined how
specific sources of air
pollution cause different
effects and answered
questions about the health
impacts from exposure to
multiple pollutants at one time
instead of one or two at a time.
The Next Step
The three Air, Climate and
Energy Centers are using
integrated and
multidisciplinary scientific
approaches to find new
solutions to protect air quality
in the midsts of a changing
climate and changing energy
production choices.
The centers will be located at
Carnegie Mellon University,
Harvard University and Yale
University.
Carnegie Mellon University
Project Title: Center for Air,
Climate and Energy Solutions
(CACES)
The center is studying regional
differences, multiple
pollutants, and development
and dissemination of tools for
air quality impact assessment.
1
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development

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The research includes:
•	Investigating a range of
technology and policy
scenarios for addressing
the nation's air, climate
and energy challenges, and
testing their potential
ability to meet policy goals
such as improved health
outcomes and cost-
effectiveness.
•	Working to improve
current air quality models
and develop new, faster,
simpler models for
evaluating policy options.
•	Conducting detailed
measurement studies in
Pittsburgh, Los Angeles
and Austin, TX to identify
the factors influencing
regional differences in air
pollution concentrations.
Harvard University
Project Title: Regional Air
Pollution Mixtures: The Past
and Future Impacts of
Emission Controls and
Climate Change on Air
Quality and Health
The center is generating new
scientific knowledge on past
and future air quality and
associated health impacts.
Researchers are:
•	Investigating pollutant
mixtures across the U.S.
using past data and future
projections.
•	Examining how changes in
emissions, climate, and
other factors affect
pollution mixtures.
•	Evaluating how future
changes in social and
economic factors may
affect air pollution and its
health-related impacts.
Studies will be conducted in
Massachusetts and other
locations in the U.S.
Yale University
Project Title: SEARCH:
Solutions for Energy, AiR
Climate and Health
The center is investigating
emerging energy transitions in
the U.S. and factors
contributing to air pollution
and health outcomes using
state-of-the-science modeling
and measurements. The
research includes:
Studying the impact of
changes in the use of energy in
the power and transportation
sectors. As a case study, the
expansion of the port of
Baltimore offers an
opportunity to measure real-
world air pollution changes
using novel methods, such as
sensor technologies.
•	Advancing models to
estimate air pollution
under a range of global
climate change conditions
and assess modifiable
factors affecting regional
and local differences in air
quality.
• Examine how the
predicted changes in air
quality and climate will
affect cardiovascular and
respiratory health, and
investigate regional
variability and other
factors that influence
health outcomes.
Information about the
awards:
https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncer abs
tracts/index.cfm/fuseaction/rec
ipients.displav/rfa id/588
Information about Air
Research Grants:
http ://www. epa. gov/research-
grants
Technical Contact:
Sherri Hunt
EPA
National Center for
Environmental Research
hunt. sherri@epa. gov
June 2016
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development

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