research guide - UTEP Magazine - University of Texas at El Paso

Environmental
Science and
Resource
Management
Understanding and protecting natural resources
The duality of the Paso del Norte region—a bustling
international area surrounded by vast expanses of wild Chihuahuan
Desert—creates an ideal living laboratory for studying the impact
of human activity on nature.
The environmental issues are as wide-ranging as the distances
UTEP scientists travel to find answers. Current investigations include:
• Assessing dust and pollution’s impact on air quality and the
respiratory health of children
• Understanding the environmental impact of nanomaterials,
increasingly being used in cosmetics, clothing, electronics
and other products
• Managing the ecological damage caused by invasive plant
species such as salt cedar and tumbleweeds
• Examining plant and animal life in extreme environments—
from UTEP’s 38,000-acre Indio Ranch in remote West Texas
to the Arctic and Antarctic regions
UTEP also is taking a lead role in research on the management
of water, a precious commodity in this desert region. The University
recently established the Center for Inland Desalination Systems, a
research facility that will collaborate with the City of El Paso’s inland
desalination plant, considered one of the world’s largest.
UTEP’s Center for Environmental Resource Management
provides the leadership to coordinate University resources on
environmental research relevant to the Paso del Norte region,
as well as many community outreach programs dealing with
hazardous waste management, and air and water quality.
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