The Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL) was founded in 1951 by Dr. Eugene P. Odum of the University of Georgia, who began ecological baseline studies on the Savannah River Site (SRS) with financial support from the Atomic Energy Commission, a predecessor agency of the Department of Energy. The University of Georgia has continued to operate SREL since its inception SREL’s mission, as defined in its Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is to provide an independent evaluation of the ecological effects of SRS operations through a program of ecological research, education, and outreach. This program involves basic and applied environmental research, with emphasis upon expanding the understanding of ecological processes and principles and upon evaluating the impacts of industrial and land use activities on the environment. This mission is accomplished through a broadly based program of field and laboratory research conducted on the SRS and published in the peer-reviewed scientific literature; by providing education and research training for undergraduate and graduate students from colleges and universities throughout the United States and abroad; and by engaging in community outreach activities and service to professional organizations. More details on SREL’s research, educational, and outreach activities can be found on the SREL website

Program Manager

Mr. Paul Bayer
Environmental Remediation Sciences Division
Office of Biological and Environmental Research
SC-23.4/Germantown Building
U.S. Department of Energy
1000 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20585-1290

e-mail: Paul.Bayer@science.doe.gov
Phone: (301) 903-5324
Fax: (301) 903-4154