Environmental Protection Agency Greater Research Opportunities (GRO) Undergraduate Student Fellowships Newsletter Issue 2, 2006
ALUMNI INTERVIEW:
CYNTHIA WILLIAMS
Why did you apply for the GRO
Fellowship Program?
I first heard of the Minority Academic Institution
(MAI) now known as Greater Research
Opportunities (GRO) Fellowship Program when
the Office of the Dean of the Environmental
Sciences Department at Alabama Agriculture
and Mechanical (A&M) University sent me an
information packet. After reviewing the packet
and Fellowship Program website, I realized this
was a wonderful opportunity. I decided to work
as hard as needed to make this opportunity
happen for me. I was struggling financially to
attend school while maintaining a family of four
children. I knew that if I received this Fellowship
I could focus on school and not finances to pay
for it. I also wanted to work at an EPA facility;
therefore, a required EPA Internship was to
me a bonus. This gave me an opportunity to
experience the work I was already dreaming
about performing.
Where did you intern?
What were your responsibilities?
I interned at Region 4 Clean Water Act (CWA)
Enforcement Section, now known as Water
Management Division's Water Programs
Enforcement Branch. This was a great project
to experience an internship. The Section Chief,
Arthur Collins, directed that I would receive the
same type of training as an enforcement agent.
This gave me an opportunity to experience
almost all areas of work this section was
involved in. I was able to experience two multi-
media inspections of chemical plants as an
assistant to the Water Enforcement Agent. The
first of these multimedia inspections was with
my mentor, Alenda Johnson. As an assistant to
the Water Enforcement Agents, I traveled to
North Carolina and participated in an inspection
of wetlands as part of the Section 404/Wetlands
Dredged and Fill Material Program. I also
participated in the Atlanta Area Storm Water
Initiative. Working in conjunction with the
Region 4 CWA Enforcement Section and
Georgia Environmental Protection Department,
the section that I was involved with performed
storm water inspections on several hundred
locations around the Atlanta Metro Area. In all
of the above inspections, my responsibility was
to act as an assistant to the Water Enforcement
Agent. I served as an assistant to enforcement
agent, Chet Gala, on the development of two
enforcement cases against Publicly Owned
Treatment Works (POTW). This task included
reviewing Discharge Monitoring Reports
(DMRs), inspecting the facilities and reviewing
their documentation, compiling and developing
the appropriate documentation for submittal to
the EPA Attorneys, and working closely with the
attorneys in an effort to further develop the
cases. In my down time I reviewed documents
such as Storm Water Implementation plans
and National Pollution Discharge Emissions
permits.those climate conditions.
What school did you go to?
What year did you graduate?
I attended Alabama A&M University. I grad-
uated in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science
in Environmental Science and a minor in
chemistry. By focusing on education without
being concerned with finances, I was able to
graduate Cum Laude.
What were your expectations?
Were they met?
My expectations changed or evolved as I
matriculated. When I began my academic
career, my expectations were to get a well
rounded education in environmental science
and to work either as a public health or state
environmental inspector. As I learned more
Continued on page 2 ...
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
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ALUMNI INTERVIEW: CYNTHIA WILLIAMS
(Continued)
about the environment and the many
environmental issues located in my backyard
and beyond, I wanted to be able to make a
difference. When I learned about this Fellowship,
I knew this was an opportunity to fulfill that
desire. I feel that my education at Alabama
A&M, along with my fellowship and internship
prepared me to far exceed my expectations.
What was the most important thing
you took away from your internship?
My internship gave me a greater understanding
and appreciation of the environment and the
work required to care for it. I also gained the
ability to interpret Federal Regulations. The
most important thing I learned in my intern-
ship is to be open minded and eager to learn.
I found that if people see your enthusiasm for
the environment and your desire to make a
difference, they are willing to go the extra mile
to explain a new concept or idea.
How did the internship change or develop
your perspective on the environment?
My internship was an eye opening experience.
I did not see the big picture of CWA
Enforcement until I was able to experience all
the different areas. At the end of my internship,
I realized that all areas of a program work
together to meet the needs of a Region. I also
learned that caring for the environment is such
a large task that it takes everyone working
together to affect a change.
What advice would you give to future
GRO fellowship classes?
My advice is work hard, learn your assigned
task, and develop a passion for the environ-
ment. Back this up with knowledge and
experience that will assist you in reaching
your goals in the environmental arena.
What are you doing now?
How did you get there?
I have a very exciting job serving as an
Environmental Regulatory Specialist for the
Shuttle Environmental Assurance Initiative in
NASA? My job is to review new and proposed
environmental, health, and safety regulations
for potential impacts to the Space Shuttle
Program (SSP). When a potential impact is
identified, I work with all project elements of
the SSP to determine the known impacts and
prepare an integrated mitigation plan. This task
means providing guidance to the project ele-
ment on the regulation, integration of known
impacts into a single document, and providing
comments to either NASA Headquarters or to
the regulatory agency.
My internship has played an integral part of my
environmental career. My first position was with
a small 8(a) woman-owned company. Part of
my task was to work on small business opportu-
nities at Region 4 EPA. It was also at this
position that I first worked on NASA Marshall
Space Flight Center (MSFC) Environmental
documents. My next position was as an
Environmental, Health, and Safety Coordinator
for another small 8(a) company located onsite
at MSFC. Due to my internship at EPA, I was
given additional consideration for this position
because of my familiarity with government
agencies. As part of this position, I was able
to work directly with NASA Civil Service
Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS)
personnel. When my present position became
available, the connections I had formed within
the EHS community were able to give a recom-
mendation on my ability to fill the position.
Tell me one interesting fact about yourself?
I have had the honor of serving on the last
four peer review panels for the GRO Fellowship
Program. Realizing the great impact the GRO
program has had on my career, it gives me
great pleasure to give back to the program
by serving on the peer review panel.
From a career perspective,
what inspires you?
My inspiration comes from a number of
sources. I am inspired to work hard so that my
children and grandchildren will have a safe
environment to live in. I am also inspired by
people who believed in me enough to give me
this Fellowship and Internship opportunity. I feel
that I have a responsibility not to let any of
these people down. Therefore, I am never
satisfied with only pursuing the responsibilities
that I know I can accomplish, but strive to
perform beyond my abilities. O
REFLECTIONS ON SUMMER 2006 INTERNSHIPS
Callie Van Koughnett
Callie interned at the EPA Region 1 Office in
Boston in the Oceans and Coastal Protection
Unit. Her project involved ocean water sampling
and testing for bacteria and measuring the phys-
ical and biological parameters such as salinity,
temperature, and oxygen content for a survey
of Bassings Beach in Cohasset, MA.
"Some of the most useful and practical experi-
ence I gained involved acquiring engineering
and city management know-how. I learned
about different sewage systems, how storm
drains and catch basins work, and more
importantly how to read the maps and blue-
prints on which they are depicted. And I was
able to gain competence using ArcMap, the
GIS mapping program used at EPA, which was
probably the most complicated and frustrating
part of my summer. All of these things will be
useful to me at school and in a future career.
Having such hands-on experiences can only
make me more valuable as an undergrad and
upcoming member of the work force. I was
able to draw on and apply topics and materi-
als from my academic experience during
the entire summer, which has helped me to
cement the ideas that I have learned in the
academic environment."
Megan Skrip
Megan interned in the Monitoring and
Assessment Branch of the Region 2 EPA office in
Edison, NJ. Her internship encompassed work in
the office, laboratory, and field in providing direct
support for the aquatic monitoring program.
mi
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INTRODUCING THE 2006-2007 GRO FELLOWS
Leah Barth
Bradley University
Major: Biology
Research Interest: Microbial Functions
in Wetlands and Agricultural soils
Evan Bredweg
Pacific University
Major: Environmental Biology
Research Interest: Environmental Toxicology
Megan Butler
Knox College
Major: Environmental Studies
Research Interest: Environmental
Conservation & Management
Frank Calvosa
Villanova University
Major: Chemistry
Research Interest: Analysis of
Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in
Automobiles
Bianca Coley
Spelman University
Major: Environmental Studies
Research Interest: Biodegradation of RDX
Ashley DeBoard
Northern Arizona University
Major: Environmental Science
Research Interest: Water Consumption
and Scarcity in the Southwest
Christopher Green
University of Missouri at Kansas City
Major: Environmental Science
Research Interest: Effects of Kansas City's
Transportation Networks on Air Quality
Corinne Kluge
Calvin College
Major: Environmental Engineering
Research Interest: Antibiotics' Effects on
Microbes in the Slow Sand Filtration Process
Cristal Lindell
University of Texas at San Antonio
Major: Chemistry and Biology
Research Interest: Chemical and Microbial
Analysis of Hydrothermal Environments
Michael Moore
Humboldt State University
Major: Environmental Resources Engineering
Research Interest: Water Resources
and Quality
Stephanie Morris
Alfred University
Major: Engineering
Research Interest: Glass Engineering
Science and Materials Science
Ivy Ozmon
Virginia Wesleyan College
Major: Environmental Science
Research Interest: Resource Conservation
Esthesis Smith
Tuskegee University
Major: Environmental Science
Research Interest: Effect of Land Use on
the Lower Tallapoosa Basin
Eric Vanderboom
Pacific University
Major: Environmental Biology
Research Interest: Environmental Geology
Carolyn Vogt
Ursinus College
Major: Environmental Studies
Research Interest: Sustainability and
Environmental Education <5>
"My experience with the EPA has significantly
broadened my knowledge base and capacity for
fieldwork, providing me with a new repertoire of
skills. I have become more adept at inverte-
brate and fish taxonomy; am more familiar with
data collection techniques, protocols, and sam-
ple processing; and am capable of calibrating
and operating various types of field equipment.
I now possess greater practical familiarity with
boats and generators, and my field agility has
also vastly improved. This will benefit me greatly
as I pursue a formal study involving fieldwork
in graduate school, and eventually a career in
ecology. I also now have a better, and more
personal, appreciation of watersheds and the
effects of development upon them."
William Hardy
William interned in the Economics, Exposure,
and Technology Division at EPA Headquarters
in Washington D.C. As part of his internship,
he helped organize the Presidential Green
Chemistry Challenge Awards. He also created
a report expressing concern over the impor-
tance of college students role in producing
a sustainable environment for the future.
"My experience as an EPA intern has been
truly a great adventure. I got introduced to
corporate America and had the opportunity
to discover our nation's cap/to/. / learned
valuable lessons on the environment, chemistry,
leadership, and self-management. I met
many new people and made a variety of new
acquaintances. It was an experience I will
never forget, and I hope to use this knowledge
to propel me toward an environmentally-
A
conscious career.
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ALUMNI UPDATES
Z)r. Brandon Jones (left) and Megan Mauter (right) attended and participated
in the bi-annual EPA STAR Graduate Fellowship Conference in September 2006.
Dr. Brandon Jones
1990-1991 GRO Undergraduate Fellow
MS Marine Science, University of Delaware,
1994 Ph.D. Marine Science, University
of Delaware, 2003 Scientist in the
Environmental Protection Agency
Megan Mauter
2001-2002 GRO Undergraduate Fellow
BS Civil Engineering, Rice University
BA History, Rice University 2006 recipient
of STAR Graduate Fellowship, Yale University,
Ph.D. Environmental Engineering
EPAJ-ELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Hello,
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My name is Stephanie Willett and I'm the Team Leader for the Science to Achieve Results (STAR)
and Greater Research Opportunities (GRO) Graduate Fellowship Programs. We would love to help
you further your education by providing you with a graduate fellowship. If you are interested in
pursing graduate studies, you are encouraged to apply. The STAR and GRO graduate announce-
ments are currently posted on NCER's website. Pre-applications for these fellowships are due
no later than November 28, 2006. For more information and to view the current announcements,
please visit our website, www.epa.gov/ncer/fellow/.
If you have questions, contact me at 202-343-9737, or by e-mail at willett.stephanie@epa.gov>
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