Research Management Organization
The Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) currently serves as the Research Management Organization for the Texas Environmental Research Consortium (TERC). HARC was chosen because of its unique capabilities as a "boundary organization" that specializes in developing science that addresses key policy issues.
TERC is led by a "decision maker" board of directors, where stakeholders of varied and sometimes opposing positions can address science and policy issues. These stakeholders include representatives from state, county and city governments and academic, business, environmental and health organizations.
In contrast HARC, a non-profit research management organization, is kept separate from policy decision making. HARC accomplishes this by using a group of world renowned air quality scientists (the Science Advisory Committee) to prioritize research projects that address the most pressing policy needs. HARC then selects the appropriate member of its Research Team to develop a detailed scope of work and execute the project. HARC stays closely connected to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to ensure that the research work performed will supplement the agency's goals and not duplicate other efforts.
The Project Managers for TERC Projects are:
- Jay Olaguer - Air Quality Program Manager/Senior Research Scientist
- David Hitchcock - Transportation Program Manager/Senior Research Scientist
- Alex Cuclis - Project Manager/Research Scientist
Additional biographical information is below.
Jay Olaguer, Air Quality Program Manager/Senior Research Scientist
Dr. Eduardo (Jay) Olaguer holds a Ph.D. in Meteorology from MIT. He has designed and built complex 3-D models of the global atmosphere with climate dynamics, chemistry, and multi-media (i.e., air-soil-water) interactions. He has also assisted in the construction of human exposure models and been involved in the development and implementation of air pollution policies, including those pertaining to stratospheric ozone protection, climate change, and regional and local air quality. Dr. Olaguer has been a major contributor to various industry, state, federal, and international panels evaluating, planning, funding, or overseeing research on atmospheric pollution. This includes the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the California Air Resources Board's Reactivity Research Advisory Committee, and the NARSTO Reactivity Research Work Group. Dr. Olaguer also served on the editorial board of the peer-reviewed science journal, Environmental Science and Pollution Research- International. Dr. Olaguer has been especially involved in the issue of long-range transport of air pollution, and its implications for tropospheric ozone, climate, and air toxics. He has broad experience working with various stakeholders, including the research and consulting communities, the chemical industry, and regulatory agencies. Dr. Olaguer is currently a Senior Research Scientist at the Houston Advanced Research Center, where he is responsible for directing air quality research under the aegis of the Texas Environmental Research Consortium.
David Hitchcock, Transportation Program Manager/Senior Research Scientist
Mr. Hitchcock is an urban and regional planner with more than 25 years of experience addressing a wide range of urban development, energy and environmental issues. Since joining HARC in 1989, he has served as the Associate Director of the Center for Global Studies, the Deputy Director of the Environment Group and Senior Project Director. Mr. Hitchcock is involved in transportation, environmental and energy projects and programs that address sustainable development and air quality. Currently he is directing the Transportation and Air Quality Forum, part of the Texas Joint Center for Air Quality. He is also Project Director for HARC's Cool Houston Project which seeks to advance the understanding of urban heat island effects through increased vegetation and use of reflective materials for roofing and paving.
Mr. Hitchcock has served on the Regional Air Quality Planning Committee for the Houston region and the Transportation Research Board's Alternative Fuels Committee. He has authored several acclaimed reports on sustainable development and environmental improvement in the Houston region. He previously served as the Director of the Joint Center for Urban Mobility Research at Rice Center in Houston.
Education
- B.A., Sociology, Oklahoma State University
- M.R.C.P. (Regional and City Planning), University of Oklahoma
- Ph.D. (coursework only), Environmental Health/Urban Affairs, University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs
Alex Cuclis, Project Manager/Research Scientist
Alex holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from UT-Austin, a M.S. in Analytical Chemistry from UI-Urbana, and a M.A. in Behavioral Sciences from the University of Houston-Clear Lake. Alex worked in Cameroon, West Africa as a Peace Corps Volunteer Leader where he supervised 45 Math/Science Peace Corps Volunteer teachers. He worked for 15 years at Shell's Deer Park Refinery and Chemical Plant as a process engineer, an analyzer engineer and in various other positions. Alex spent 3 years working on air quality projects for the University of Houston, including acting as coordinator of the "Task Force for Ozone Reduction Strategies", a multi-stakeholder group that reviewed the best science available in air quality modeling for the purpose of recommending policies that could be incorporated into state regulations that impact the greater Houston-Galveston Area. Alex also taught Sustainability Science to undergraduates at UH Clear Lake. Alex began working at HARC in April 2004 as a Research Scientist, where he manages various air quality projects related to analytical measurements of pollutants and emissions inventories.
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