"The mission of the ERCEC is to establish the infrastructure and coordinated faculty base to conduct wide range of large-scale externally-funded research initiatives designed to protect public health from emerging contaminants."

"The vision of the ERCEC is to establish Missouri S&T and the UM System as the recognized leading research institution focused on the fate, effects and control of emerging contaminants."

Emerging contaminants include compounds and microorganisms that have just recently begun to be released into the environment, or that have significant health effects that have only recently been understood.