GRO Forum
Greater Research Opportunities Undergraduate Student Fellowships
OCTOBER 2015
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Where are they going?
News from a GRO Fellow

v>EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Serina Ki'ili
He ali'i ka aina, he kauwa ke kanaka
-- The land is the chief, the people its servants
"Why does the ocean do that? Why can't I swim there? What
makes waves?" were some of the questions asked by an
inquisitive girl growing up on the Big Island of Hawaii. That
girl, Serina Haleaka Kaneaumoana Ki'ili, has grown up to
be a student of marine science, an EPA Greater Research
Opportunities Fellow and a Native Hawaiian cultural
practitioner.
"Choosing to study marine science was a natural choice,"
Serina says. "Being surrounded by the ocean for my entire
life, it was always something that intrigued me." She is now
working toward her bachelor's degree at the University of
Hawaii at Hilo. The GRO Fellowship, she says, allows her to
concentrate on her studies and her research on the impacts
of wastewater pathogens as stressors on corals. Wastewater
discharge into the ocean is a major issue in Hawaii, due in
part to high use of septic systems and cesspools and the
Islands' porous basalt rock. "My study community is very
concerned about wastewater discharge," Serina says. "We've
seen a more than 30 percent decline in coral reefs in the area
since the 1960s."
(read more)

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Serina Ki'ili (continued)
Serina's heritage underlies her academic and professional
interests; Native Hawaiians have a direct connection with the
environment, she says, "Our people's relationship with the
environment is summed up in the proverb - He ali'i ka 'aina,
he kauwa ke kanaka," Serina says. "This means 'the land is
the chief, the people its servants.' We are here to take care
of the environment - malama 'aina -
and love it - aloha 'aina." Historically,
this connection produced a good
relationship with the environment, she
says, which sustained the Hawaiian
people for thousands of years. Today
however, many issues face Hawaii
including climate change, sea level
rise, ocean acidification, invasive
species and habitat loss.
Serina points out the necessity of
considering both cultural and ecological
factors when evaluating human
activities that affect the environment.
For example, plans are underway to
build a major astronomical observatory
on Mauna Kea, the tallest mountain on
the Big Island and in ail of Hawaii. In
the Native Hawaiian tradition, Mauna
a Wakea is the place where Papahanaumoku (Mother Earth)
and Wakea (Father Sky) joined and the islands were formed.
It is also the home of Poliahu, the snow goddess. Serina
explains that the mountain is considered the realm of akua
(gods); it is a sacred site to Native Hawaiians and of major
cultural significance.
Environmentally, Mauna Kea contains ecologically important
biomes - including a rare alpine ecosystem - and many
species of endemic organisms. "Some extremely rare species
of plants and insects are found only there, for instance," Serina
says. Construction of a facility as large as this observatory,
which will house a telescope that is 30 meters in diameter,
involves drilling into the mountain's porous basalt rock and
other potential risks. "It's important to use good science in
evaluating the environmental and cultural impacts of the
project," Serina says.
Serina, a mother of four, considers progressing this far in her
education to be a major accomplishment. "Being chosen as a
GRO Fellow allows me to teach my children how to strive to
reach their educational and career goals," she says. "I can be
an example to my children by showing them how important
education is."
It was a challenge to leave her family
for three months to go to Seattle for
her GRO internship at Region 10
headquarters, but Serina found it very
rewarding. She conducted a baseline
assessment of tribal wetland and
aquatic resources programs within
the Region. "As a Native Hawaiian
woman, working with Native American
tribes was very fulfilling for me," she
says. Serina learned about how tribal
governments worked, and how the
tribes protect and value their natural
resources. "I felt an immediate
connection with the people I was
fortunate to meet," she says. "We
understood each other's backgrounds
and connected on a fundamental
level."
Her internship and the networking opportunities it provided
helped broaden Serina's outlook on what she might do
following graduation. She's now considering going on to
graduate school to get a master's degree in environmental
policy. "During my internship I saw a different side of things,"
she says. "I learned how scientific research supports policy.
Seeing that connection was very informative in helping me
decide where I want to go next." She can also see herself
doing work like she did during her internship in the future. "I
would like to work with communities to make our environment
better, to heal it from the damage we have already caused
and to protect it from any more damage," Serina says. "When
natural resources are threatened, it is our responsibility to
protect them."
RACHEL LAMB
Champions of Change program
is part of President Obama's
challenge to Americans to win
the future through education,
innovation and building in the 21st
century. According to the program
the best ideas come from the
American people, everyone has
a story to tell and everyone has a
part to play. "It was a privilege and
honor to receive this award and to
share my own story and passion
for climate change action," Rachel
says.
White House Recognizes
GRO Fellow as Climate
Leader
Rachel Lamb, a 2010 GRO Fellow, was one of
12 faith and lay leaders who received the White
House "People of Faith Acting on Climate"
Champions of Change Award in recognition of
their efforts in combating climate change and
advancing conservation in theircommunities. The

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Rebecca
Nerida De Jesus-
Ashley Funk
Brittney Jackson
Emily Moothart
Jacob Stone
Kevin Vu
Andreucci
Villanueva
Advancing the
Sublethal
Hazardous Waste
Harmful Algal
Synthesis
Vacant Land
Comprehensive
Adoption of
Indicators of
Site Assessment
Bloom Study
and Testing of
Reuse and
Water Quality
Sustainable Water
Chemical and
and Management
and Program
Materials for
Environmental
Assessment
Infrastructure
Other Stressors
Denver, Colo.
Development
Drinking Water
Justice
Athens, Ga.
and Green
Narragansett, R.I.
Golden, Colo.
Treatment
Cleveland, Ohio

Infrastructure


Cincinnati, Ohio

as Tools for





Climate Change






Adaptation






Chicago, III.




Jennifer Bailey
Ryan DuChanois
Richard Garner
Serina Ki'ili
Robyn Nielsen
Breck Sullivan
Amber White
Sublethal
Green
Advanced
Assessing State
Rocky Mountain
Analysis of
Evaluating the
Indicators of
Infrastructure for
Monitoring
and Tribal Wetland
National Park
Chesapeake Bay
Environmental
Chemical and
Sustainable Cities
Development
Programs
Nitrogen
Water Quality
Efficacy of Biochar
Other Stressors
Corvaliis, Ore.
for Clean Air Act
Seattle, Wash.
Deposition
Trends
Corvallis, Ore.
Narragansett, R.I.

Investigations
Reduction
Annapolis, Md.

Washington, D.C.

Initiative





Denver, Colo.


Emmalee Biesiada
Trevor Dunn
Zev Greenberg
Makari Krause
Kerry Phan
Marissa Taylor
Allison Wood
Region 8 Field
Life Aquatic
Fecal Indicators
Carbon Pollution
Approaches for
Community Air
Congressional
Operations
Wheeling, W.V.
and Host-specific
and Mobile
Small Drinking
Toxics
Districts and
Denver, Colo.
qPCR Markers
Source Research
Water System
San Francisco,
Representative

in Quantitative
Analysis
Compliance
Calif.
Profiles for Region


Microbial Risk
San Francisco,
San Francisco,

9


Assessment
Calif.
Calif.

San Francisco,


Athens, Ga.



Calif.
Eden Bonjo
Grace Estridge
Sarah Guberman
Carolyn
Sederra Ross
Savannah Tjaden
Alexis Wormington
Communicating
Effects of
Improving
McDermott
Environmental
Storm Water,
Assessing Effects
on Science
Macroalgae
Ecological
Amphibian
Justice
Salmon, & Tribal
of Burrowing
Support for
Blooms on
Understanding
Physiology
Community
Trust: The Pacific
Crab Activity
Environmental
Ecosystem Service
of the Response
and Pesticide
Leaders Academy
Northwest at Its
on Salt Marsh
Protection in the
Production in
of Seagrass to
Exposure
Atlanta, Ga.
Best and Worst
Sustainability
Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Northwest
Nutrient and
Athens, Ga.
Seattle, Wash.
Narragansett, R.I
Philadelphia, Pa.
Estuaries
Salinity Stress


Newport, Ore.
Narragansett, R.I.




Bobbi Carter
Using Native
American Shell
Middens to
Establish an
Anthropogenic
Baseline
for Nitrogen
Enrichment
Narragansett, R.I.
Montana Etten-
Bohm
Green
Infrastructure for
Sustainable Cities
Corvallis, Ore.
Tom Gumbley
Using Native
American Shell
Middens to
Establish an
Anthropogenic
Baseline
for Nitrogen
Enrichment
Narragansett, R.I.
Melissa
Michaelson
TribalDspecific
Fish Consumption
Rates, Human
Health and Water
Quality Standards
Chicago, III.
Rachael Sclafani
Coastal Wetlands
Functions and
Values
Boston, Mass.
Joshua TuMy
Assessment of
Dissolved Oxygen
Status (ADOS)
Gulf Breeze, Fla.
During her GRO internship in Seattle, Wash., and Anchorage,
Alaska, Rachel worked with tribes to develop a guide to best
practices for climate change adaptation. "My first exposure
to the impacts of climate change was through my work with
the Tribal Trust and Assistance Unit as a GRO Fellow,"
she says. "I learned so much from the Unit and from the
Tribes themselves. That experience has uniquely informed
my passion for working on climate change issues in many
different contexts since then."
Currently, Rachel serves as the National Organizer and
Spokesperson of Young Evangelicals for Climate Action,
an interdenominational organization whose members are
working to overcome the climate crisis. "The Champion of
Change award that I received largely reflects the hard work
of our steering committee, climate leadership fellows, and
project leaders," she says. "They collectively carry out
YECA's mission and positively influence campuses and
communities around the country to act on climate as a
reflection of our Christian witness and discipleship."
One of YECA's most successful projects, the Climate
Leadership Fellows program, extends to college campuses
throughout the United States and internationally to the
Christian Bilingual University of Congo in the eastern
Democratic Republic of Congo. Through this program,
student leaders develop and implement strategies to
raise awareness about climate change, take clean energy
initiatives, and transform mindsets on their campuses from
a faith-informed perspective.
(read more)

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svEPA
United States
Fm/irnnmpntal Prnt<=»rtinn
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Research
and Development (8723P)
Washington, DC 20460
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use
$300
EPA/600/N-04/198
October 2015
www.epa.gov/ord
Rachel Lamb (continued)
Rachel's work with YECA is just one facet of her
accomplishments. She has worked for agencies and
organizations including the Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality, A Rocha Peru in Lima, the Society
for Conservation Biology, and the National Socio-Ecological
Synthesis Research Center of the University of Maryland,
College Park, Md. Rachel is currently an Assistant Professor
attheAu Sable Institute of Environmental Studies, Mancelona,
Mich., where she teaches environmental law and policy.
Rachel's professional expertise is in identifying interdisciplinary
strategies to climate change mitigation and adaptation that
address ecological, economic and sociopolitical concerns
through both community-based conservation and national
policy development. Her current research focuses on
mapping global "hotspots" of highest social-ecological
vulnerability and greatest impact under climate and land use
change. One goal of this work is to provide policy-makers
with key information about the scope and nature of potential
vulnerabilities in order to help them assess overall impact
and plan for navigating this change.
Rachel hopes to pursue a doctorate to further her research
and work on policy-relevant and community-based climate
change adaptation strategies. She holds two master's
degrees from the University of Maryland,
one in public policy and one
in sustainable development
and conservation biology. A
2012 graduate of Wheaton
College, a Christian
liberal arts college near
Chicago, III., Rachel earned
two bachelor's degrees
(environmental studies and
international relations) and
a certificate in development
from Wheaton's Human
Needs and Global Resources
Program. The HNGR program
combines classroom study and
field-based service-learning
internships with the goal of
equipping students to confront
the multiple challenges faced
by peoples and nations of the
Global South.

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