&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Greater Research Opportunities Undergraduate Student Fellowships
'• i'

AUGUST, 2014
Where are they now?
GROing and Learning
The 2013 Greater Research Opportunities (GRO) Fellows are having
productive and fun summers as they complete internships at EPA
facilities around the nation. A few of the Fellows volunteered to tell
the GRO Forum a little bit about themselves for this issue.
Adeline Dutton attends Lake
Superior State University, Sault
Ste. Marie, Mich., where she
majors in fisheries and wildlife
management with a minor in
marine and freshwater sciences.
Fisheries are important both
ecologically and economically,
she notes; she likes studying the
interface between the two. Addie
enjoys the outdoors, spending
her free time fly fishing, kayaking
and mountain biking. "The
environment must be protected
in order for the next generation
to enjoy the exquisite beauty
that I enjoy today," Addie says.
Erin Smith chose to major in
environmental and marine
science at Virginia Wesleyan
College, Norfolk, Va., so that
she could study human impact
on the environment and its
ultimate effect on wildlife. "I
hope to use this knowledge
to find ways to mitigate these
impacts and to protect and
preserve marine habitats along
the Atlantic coast," says Erin,
who has a particular interest
in research and conservation
of marine mammals, especially
whales. Erin is an amateur
wildlife photographer and
volunteers with wildlife rescue
and rehabilitation organizations.

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jairoluque villanueva 1
pollution," he says. Jason's love of the outdoors is reflected in his
hobbies of hiking, cycling, skiing, camping and playing sports.
Jessica Zielinski has childhood memories of spending time in
nature with her parents, including a memorable hike involving a bee
hive and two dogs. She also helped her mother pick up litter in their
neighborhood. "As I grew older and more informed, I saw that the
environment that I had so enjoyed growing up - and still do today
- was in need of more than litter patrol," says Jess, who's studying
sustainability at the University of New Haven, New Haven, Conn. "I feel
it's imperative that we learn to live in balance with the natural rhythms
of our planet, as opposed to throwing these systems off kilter," she
notes.
To Jewel Lipps, studying environmental science is like being a
modern-day explorer. "I want to understand the scientific processes
behind the natural world and extend that knowledge to developing
ways for humans to live with less environmental impact," she says.
Jewel attends Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Her
environmental consciousness extends to her hobbies - she enjoys
upcycling old materials into new things like quilts and stuffed animals.
In Mexico City, access to clean water isn't consistent, says Jairo
Luque Villanueva. "When I was growing up, we had a water reserve
tank," he says. Through his family's experience, Jairo developed an
interest in water scarcity. He currently studies wastewater treatment
technology at Humboldt State University, Areata, Calif., as an
environmental engineering major. Jairo is active in organizations
promoting science in Native Americans and Chicanos, and is also a
member of his school's Aztec dance troupe.
Jason Jung credits
experiences	as
diverse as becoming
an Eagle Scout,
taking an engineering
technology class
in high school, and
interning at a solar
company as influences
on his choice to
study environmental
engineering at the
University of the
Pacific, Stockton,
Calif. "We need to care
about the environment
more because we are
using up our natural
resources, which is
also causing a lot of
«'C» cling
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Brittany Beebe
Effects of Macroalgae
Blooms on Ecosystem
Service Production
in Pacific Northwest
Estuaries
Newport, Ore.
Lori Bothwell
Environmental Issues
in the Pacific Islands
Honolulu. Hawaii
Lauren Carlson
Green Chemistry
Washington, D.C.
Katherine
Corcoran
Greenhouse Gas
Public Outreach and
Notification
Dallas, Texas
Emily Crossette
Green Infrastructure
Modeling Study
Athens, Ga.
Adeline Dutton
Lake Blue-green
Algae and Algal Toxins
Study
Golden, Colo.
Paul Fleischmann
Evaluation of Mercury
Source Reduction
Measures on Mercury
Loads in the Great
Lakes
Chicago, III.
Marissa Giroux
Genomic Indicators of
Chemical and Other
Stressors
Narragansett, R.I.
John Gurak
Marsh Crabs: Friend
or Foe of Coastal
Wetlands?
Narragansett, R.I.
John Haugland
Evaluating the
Environmental
Efficacy of Biochar
Corvallis, Ore.
Amanda Holmes
Brownfields
Strategic Program
Development:
Communication &
Resource Leveraging
San Francisco, Calif.
Jason Jung
Sustainable Water
Infrastructure
San Francisco, Calif.
Rachael Korinek
Solution-oriented
Cumulative Risk
and Near-source Air
Quality Assessments
Philadelphia, Pa.
Elizabeth Lipps
Biogeochemistry of
Peat land Ecosystems
Duluth, Minn.
Jared Lobbestael
Understanding Clean
Water Act Jurisdiction
in South Fairbanks,
Alaska
Seattle, Wa.
William Lutterman
Monitoring and
Assessment of
Surface Water Quality
in the South Platte
Urban Watersheds
Denver, Colo.
Nelson Malone
Environmental
Justice Community
Impact Assessment &
Outreach Project
Atlanta, Ga.
Alexander Moix
Synthesis and
Testing of Materials
for Drinking Water
Treatment
Cincinnati, Ohio
Manelisi Nhliziyo
The Impact of Water
Treatment on Algal
Toxin Reduction
During Harmful Algal
Blooms
Cincinnati, Ohio
Daniel Pasquale
Understanding the
Impact of Oyster
Reef Restoration
& Aquaculture
on Denitrification
Rates & the Benthic
Community
Narragansett, R.I.
Garret Price
National Rivers and
Streams Assessment
of Reference Waters
in Region 7
Kansas City, Kan.
Alma Ramirez-
Velez
Marine Debris Source
Reduction Projects
San Francisco, Calif.
Serina Robinson
Integrated
Toxicological
Approaches for
Assessing the
Ecological Risks of
Pharmaceuticals
Duluth, Minn.
Trey Saddler
Storm Water, Salmon
and Tribal Trust: the
Pacific Northwest at
Its Best and Worst
Seattle, Wash.
Tia Scarpelli
Understanding How
Weather Affects
Infrared Imaging of
Oil and Natural Gas
Emissions
Denver, Colo.
Clint Slocum
Improving Use of
Biological Indicators
for Environmental
Management
Narragansett, R.I.
Erin Smith
Life Aquatic
Wheeling, W.V.
Mark Vater
Functions and Values
of Alaskan Wetlands
Seattle, Wash.
Peter Ventres-Pake
Evaluating Wetland
Denitrification Rates
and the Relationship
to Soils in the Pacific
Northwest
Corvallis, Ore.
Jairo Luque
Villanueva
EPA Relevant
Work in 26
Southern California
Congressional
Districts
San Diego, Calif.
Dyrian Wandick
Microbiological
Treatment of Drinking
Water for Pesticide,
Nitrate and Ammonia
Removal
Cincinnati, Ohio
Jessica Zielinski
Advancing the
Adoption of
Sustainable Water
Infrastructure and
Green Infrastructure
as Tools for Climate
Change Adaptation
Chicago, III.
Tabea
Zimmermann
Identifying and
Preventing Nutrient
Impairments in
Pacific Northwest
Estuaries
Newport, Ore.
life, she also pursues an interest in international affairs through study
abroad and service trips and dances in LMU's dance crew.
"I'm encouraged to learn about the environment and mankind's
interactions with it, as there is no mankind without the environment,"
says Lauren Carlson, a chemistry major at Loyola Marymount
University (LMU), Los Angeles, Calif. She's also committed to serving
her community through education and outreach about agricultural
practices and by advocating for food justice. While Lauren considers
her education and environmental advocacy to be a cornerstone of her
Nelson Malone, a chemistry
major at Howard University,
Washington, D.C., is
interested in the relationship
of the environment and human
health. "I realize the immense
impact of the environment on
health and the detrimental
consequences of our habits,"
he says. Nelson hopes to
contribute to increasing
awareness and improving
environmental conditions
by studying medicine and
public health. Nelson is an
active volunteer, helping
his fraternity plan and raise
funds for a dance marathon i
to benefit a children's charity
and participating in a service
trip to Ghana.
NELSON MALONE
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vvEPA
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
August 2014
www.epa.gov/ord
"Humans have made massive impacts on the natural world," notes
Roby Ventres-Pake, who attends Western Washington University,
Bellingham, Wash. "Through studying environmental science, I'm
gaining tangible tools to solve the problems we've created around us,"
he says. Roby, a passionate cyclist, recently put more than 1,200 miles
on his bike, pedaling from San Salvador, El Salvador, to Panama City,
Panama, during a study abroad trip devoted to botany.
ROBY VENTRES-PAKE
I V
TABEA ZIMMERMANN
"Learning how humans may best interact with and adapt to our changing
environment is crucial for our quality of life and longevity on this
planet," says Tabea Zimmermann, an environmental science major
at Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pa. She hopes to use her education to
educate people on human impacts on the earth and to develop just and
sustainable ways for humans to best live in the environment. Tabea
spends time outdoors "running up hills and through mud puddles" as a
member of her college's cross-country team.
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