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The NHSRC, housed in the Otto York Center for Environmental Engineering and Science (CEES) at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), is a consortium of seven member universities located in EPA Regions I and II: NJIT, as the lead institution, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, Rutgers University, Stevens Institute of Technology, Tufts University and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. The service area of the Center includes all the states in the Northeastern part of the U.S. (i.e., EPA Regions I and II): New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine), as well as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The hazardous substance problems affecting the area served by the NHSRC are those related to the unique attributes of Regions I and II: its aging industrial base, dense population, economic activity, concentration of chemical and pharmaceutical industries, and rapidly developing base of high-tech industry. The region has a significant abundance of urban areas contaminated by high and low levels of organic and inorganic hazardous substances of industrial origin (urban Superfund sites and Brownfields). Site contamination also typically impacts groundwater, posing a threat to those drinking water supplies for urban communities that rely on potentially contaminated groundwater. Redevelopment of Brownfields can be considered a high priority for the region. The region served by the NHSRC contains a large number of sites that have been placed on the National Priorities List due to past inadequate waste handling and disposal practices. Approximately 75 percent of these sites have soil and groundwater contamination, which is difficult and costly to remediate.

To address these issues the Center conducts a broad spectrum of activities, all aimed at providing solutions to hazardous substance-related problems. Such activities include:

The NHSRC's research agenda reflects the unique attributes of Regions I and II: treatment, storage, and disposal facility capacity in the two regions are insufficient, and improved technologies for pretreatment of industrial wastes are needed. There is also a greater awareness of the need to develop more advanced methods of waste stabilization, incineration, chemical, biological or physical alteration, and waste volume reduction. Further, more reliable and efficient methods to assess the degree of risk associated with hazardous substances must be found. Finally, attention is being directed towards producing less hazardous substances through industrial process changes, alternative materials, and in-plant recycling and recovery. Consequently, the research program of the NHSRC reflects the need to remediate, in a cost-effectively manner, contaminated sites for economic development, and to improve technologies for pretreating industrial wastes. The Center’s research agenda is structured along four thrust areas focused on technology development and demonstration:

The Center is the only one of the five HSRC's having one of its thrust areas devoted to incineration research, and one of a few remaining funding sources nationally to support needed research in this area. Research work on characterization and monitoring is centered on the development of analytical techniques and tools to rapidly assess the level of contamination from organic and inorganic hazardous substances in soil and groundwater. The need for improved in-situ sensors and on-site analytical techniques for site characterization are also stressed. In situ treatment of contaminants remains a very economically attractive approach to site remediation. Hence, the development and demonstration of In-situ remediation technologies, especially those based on biological biodegradation, is a major research thrust of the Center. However, the NHSRC recognizes that site remediation will also continue to rely on soil, sediment and groundwater removal followed by thermal, biological, chemical and physical treatment until more effective In-situ remediation technologies are available. Therefore, research projects in this area are also carried out.

The Center’s research activities are supervised by its Science Advisory Committee (SAC), composed of 13 qualified members from EPA, industry, and academia. It provides input into NHSRC's research program, advises the Center Director on relevant research topics, evaluates new and ongoing research projects and recommends research projects for funding.

One of the Center’s goals is to move technologies from the laboratory to the field. This is achieved through a comprehensive technology transfer program. All research projects include, from the start, a plan for possible future technology transfer, if the project is successful. The most promising of those projects are then further developed through technology demonstration projects and field pilot tests.

The Center also conducts a training program, which develops applications expanding or complementing existing EPA and state training. These approaches provide innovative and imaginative concepts that advance the state-of-the-art, meet the defined needs of Regions I and II, and are adapted for broader use. The Center recognizes the importance and use of innovative prevention, remediation and treatment technologies and the growing demand for them. Associated with this demand is the need to have a highly informed cadre of federal, state and local project managers. This is accomplished through conferences, workshops, the use of the electronic media, and the development of training resources.

The Center also recognizes that one of its missions is to help local communities deal with issues related to hazardous substances. This is accomplished through the Center's on-going Technical Outreach Services for Communities (TOSC) program, providing technical assistance and education to communities affected by hazardous substances, assisting them in their participation in the restoration of their environment and neighborhoods, and bringing forward research advances to stakeholders in the context of helping them better understand the scientific and technical basis for their decision-making. For non-communities, the Center carries out conferences, workshops and other training activities.

Finally, because of the increased emphasis on Brownfields, the NHSRC has taken the lead in working with the local communities in the region, providing them education, technical tools and guidance. In 1998 the Center has established a Technical Assistance to Brownfields (TAB) program, aimed at assisting municipal officials, developers, community groups to address the challenges facing sustainable Brownfields redevelopment through education, technical assistance, and the application of good science and technology. This program is implemented through a number of projects developed for local communities in the region.

The technology transfer, training and outreach activities of the Center are reviewed by the NHSRC’s nine-member Technology Transfer and Training Advisory Committee, which provides input into the Center's program. It advises the Technology Transfer and Training Director on the program needs, evaluates new and ongoing projects and activities, and provides program oversight.