GRO Forum
Environmental Protection Agency Greater Research Opportunities Undergraduate Student Fellowships
Brandon Jones
Society faces a number of critical issues that are tied to the
environment, including air quality and air pollution, natural and human-
made disasters, the need for renewable energy, and the security of
the Nation's water and food supplies. "We need to support the next
generation of environmental professionals to help the Nation address
these critical issues - not for the future, but for now," points out
Brandon Jones, the Fellowship Programs Manager at EPA's National
Center for Environmental Research (NCER) in Washington, D.C.
"Supporting the next generation of environmental scientists is the main
focus of the program and is what drives me," Brandon says. Brandon
has come full circle in his career journey. He received EPA's Minority
Academic Institution (MAI) Undergraduate Student Fellowship - the
precursor of the GRO (Greater Research Opportunities) Undergraduate
Fellowship - in 1990. He now manages five student support programs
that focus on increasing the United States' environmental capacity
through science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
The fellowship helped in providing a real-
life experience. It wasn't just something
that I read or watched on television.
-Brandon Jones
"I've been given flexibility to be creative in the operations and outreach
of the program," Brandon says. His duties include evaluating the
direction, scientific quality and effectiveness of NCER's investment in
long-term student investigator-initiated fellowships. He also works to
develop the overall strategic direction of the program, linking program
goals to EPA research programs and strategic goals.
Brandon received the MAI Fellowship while a student at Lincoln
University, a Historically Black University in Pennsylvania. "I was already
pointed in the environmental direction but the Fellowship helped in
providinga real-life experience," he says. "It wasn't just something that
I read or watched on television." He credits the Fellowship for "planting
something within me that helped propel me forward in my career path."
Brandon received his B.A. in biology from Lincoln in 1991.
Brandon subsequently went on to earn an M.S. and a Ph.D. in marine
science from the University of Delaware College of Earth, Ocean and
Environment. As he was completing his doctorate, Brandon came to
the realization that he wanted to explore options outside the academic
setting. He began considering the option of working in a state or
Federal government agency. Thanks to a networking opportunity with a
colleague from the University of Delaware, Brandon learned about and
was able to secure an EPA student contractor position. He was then
hired as a project officer for a team working on ecosystem services.
For his internship, Brandon traveled some 4,000 miles to Anchorage,
Alaska to research the use of natural wetlands for wastewater
treatment in rural areas. "It was definitely an adventure," he says. "The
Alaskan energy, at that time, was very laid back and relaxed. That fits
my personality. I enjoyed the experience immensely." As part of the
internship, Brandon spent two weeks doing field work with a team from
EPA's Western Ecology Division and Oregon State University on the
tundra in the Arctic Circle. The team collected mosses, lichens, lake
trout and ground squirrels fortoxicological analysis of Arctic atmospheric
contaminants coming from Asia into North American ecosystems.
Wilderness living was an adventure, Brandon says, especially getting
used to the field alternative to morning showers. "Running outside from
a really hot sauna and diving into an arctic lake will certainly wake you
up in the morning," he says.
"Current and future Fellows shouldn't be afraid to take chances outside
of their comfort zone," Brandon says. He also advises them to seek out
mentors and coaches, not only when they are students but throughout
their careers. "Focus on networking," he says. "It really is who you know
that helps you get your foot in the door but don't forget that you have to
perform once you're there."
GROing a career
Catching up with GRO Alumni

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GRO and MAI alumni follow diverse paths
This year marks the 30th anniversary of what is currently calied
the Greater Research Opportunities (GRO) Undergraduate Student
Fellowship program. Originally called the Minority Academic Institutions
(MAI) Undergraduate Student Fellowship, the GRO program provides
support to students seeking bachelor's degrees in environmental fields.
Cynthia Williams ~
Cynthia was awarded the GRO Fellowship in 2001, while attending
Alabama A&M University in Normal, Ala. She has two graduate
degrees from University of Maryland University College in Adelphi,
Md.: an M.S. in environmental management and an M.B.A. Cynthia
previously worked as the environmental regulatory specialist for
NASA's Space Shuttle Program. "I was able to combine my passions
for both the environment and space," she says. "I was sad to see the
program end." Cynthia is now an engineer at the Missile Defense
Agency, part of the U.S.
Department of Defense.
Her career choices may
seem a stretch for someone
who studied environmental
issues. Cynthia says,
"Thinking outside the box
and learning to combine
other interests with an
environmental background
can lead to an exciting
career." She urges current
GRO Fellows to keep this in
mind as they consider what
they might like to do after
they earn their degrees.
"Make the most of all your experiences while you are in school and try
to learn something from everyone that you encounter," Sherita advises
current GRO Fellows. "Even if you have a solid plan for what you want
to do in life, be open to change. You never know what experience may
come along." A 2000 recipient of the MAI Undergraduate Student
Fellowship, Sherita is now a
labor and delivery nurse in
Sugarland, Texas. "Every patient
and every delivery is unique
and special," she says. "I truly
enjoy being able to be a part
of such an unforgettable event
in a person's or family's life."
Sherita is currently continuing
her education, working
toward a Master of Science
in Nursing degree. When she
earns that degree, Sherita will
be a women's health nurse
practitioner.
Sherita Bennett Charles ~
Taconya D. Goar ~
Currently a doctoral candidate at Auburn University in Auburn, Ala.,
Taconya embraces the opportunity to work with landowners and
other stakeholders regarding conservation. Specifically, she enjoys
being able to informally educate them about science. "Having the
opportunity to interact with them and explaining the goals of our
research, in a very relaxed
atmosphere, makes them
more comfortable and open to
our research ideas," Taconya
says. She was awarded EPA's
STAR MAI Graduate Fellowship
in 2001 while a student at the
University of Maryland Eastern
Shore in Princess Anne, Md. "The
Fellowship helped to stretch my
curiosity about science and gave
me the opportunity to develop my
research skills," Taconya says. "My
experience as a Fellow taught me
that I was capable of much more
than I ever thought I could do."
Tahir received the MAI Fellowship
in 1998 when he was an undergraduate at Texas Southern University
in Houston, Texas, studying environmental engineering technology.
He continued on as a graduate student, earning an MBA. As an MAI
Fellow, Tahir says, "I honestly learned how to think out of the box."
He discovered that he had an
aptitude for doing research
and reviewing grants, and
finally decided to apply for a
grant himself. This led to his
starting his own business,
Allen Medical Services,
which provides financial
management for children and
disabled adults with autism
and developmental delays.
"Don't be scared to start your
own business," Tahir advises
GRO Fellows. "Learn how to
own what you do."
Tahir Charles ~

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Summer 2012 GRO Internship Projects
Aiden Irish
Alternative Energy Best
Practices in Region 10
Anchorage, AK
Amy Fischer
Global Climate Change
Effects on Coastal
Wetlands
Narragansett, Rl
Andrew Reighart
Global Affairs and Policy
Internship
Washington, DC
Brendan Galloway
Pesticide Program
RulemakingSupport
Arlington, VA
Brian McConnell
Tracking Program
Successes in Water
and Wastewater Energy
Efficiency
Boston, MA
Brooke Weigel
Identifying and
Preventing Nutrient
Impairments in Pacific
Northwest Estuaries
Newport, OR
Cara Mayo
Climate Change Effects
on Coastal Marine
Ecosystems: Species
Vulnerability in the
Pacific Northwest
Newport, OR
Carlos Juan Cruz
Tracking Effects of
Nutrients from Multiple
Sources Across Trophic
Levels and Temporal
Scales Using Stable
Isotopes
Narragansett, Rl
Catherine Wise
Clarice Esch
Real-Time Water Quality Narragansett Bay
Monitoring in Urban
Rivers
North Chelmsford, MA
Coastal Marsh
Sustainability
Narragansett, Rl
Cory Ventres-Pake
Environmental Justice
Education and Food
Justice
Boston, MA
Dan Fultz
Tide Channels as an
Ecosystem Service for
Estuarine Fish
Newport, OR
Deirdre MacFeeters
Regional and Bilateral
Affairs Internship
Washington, DC
Elyse Peters
Environmental Justice
Needs Assessment
Project
Atlanta, GA
Emily Seelen
Identifying the Role
of Urban and Isolated
Wetlands in Maintaining
Watershed Water Quality
and Ecosystem Integrity
Narragansett, Rl
George Osei
Health Physics Projects
Assistance
Las Vegas, NV
Gina Chaput
Nitrogen Management
Boston, MA
Hannah Coe
Ecological Condition
of Great Lakes Coastal
Zones
Duluth, MN
Holly Andrews
Global Climate Change
Effects on Coastal
Wetlands
Narragansett, Rl
Jackie Blake-Hedges
Pesticide Residue
Analysis
Fort Meade, MD
Jairo Guerrero
Southeast New
Hampshire Uranium
Study
North Chelmsford, MA
Jared Smith
Human Impacts on
Forest Ecosystem
Services
Corvallis, OR
Jessica Johnson
Addressing
Contamination from
Abandoned Uranium
Mines on the Navajo
Nation
San Francisco, CA
Katie Steele
Global Climate Change
and Its Effects on
Terrestrial Ecosystems
Corvallis, OR
Kelsey Morgan
Tribal Grant Investments
in PugetSound: Analysis
of Progress Toward
Desired Ecosystem
Outcomes
Seattle, WA
Kevin Chen
Synthesis and Testing
of Materials for Drinking
Water Treatment
Cincinnati, OH
Kimberly Kiser
Data Analysis Assistance
with Oil & Gas Emission
Measurements
Denver, CO
Laura Terada
Sustainable Water
Infrastructure
San Francisco, CA
Lisa McLaughlin
Mackenzie Billings Max Lehner
Implications of the	Ecological Effects of
Proposed Wata na	Biofuel Pla nt Species
Hydroelectric Project for Corvallis OR
the Channel Morphology
and Ecology of the
Susitna River
Anchorage, AK
Nessly Torres
Adaptive Management	Using the Biomimicry
Decision Framework	Methodology to
Development and	Solve Environmental
Support	Challenges
Annapolis, MD	Denver, CO
Nikki D'Alessio
Economic Support for
Pesticide Registration
and Reevaluation
Arlington, VA
Ravin Joseph
National Lakes
Assessment - New
England Region
North Chelmsford, MA
Roxanne Sanderson
Green Chemistry
Washington, DC
Hilda S. Taylor
~
Sam Wallace
Helicopter Monitoring
Program
Edison, NJ
Tiana Ramos
EPA Green Building
Research Symposium
New York, NY
Tiorra Ross
Green Chemistry
Washington, DC
Tyanna Smith
Assessing the Response
of In-Stream Ecological
Processes and Functions
Along a Gradient
of Environmental
Perturbations
Cincinnati, OH
Tyler Bleeker
Human Impacts on
Forest Ecosystem
Services
Corvallis, OR
Hilda received EPA's STAR Culturally Diverse Academic Institutions (CDAI) Fellowship for Graduate
Environmental Studies in 1999. Hilda says that the STAR Fellowship was key to her successfully
earning a Ph.D. in environmental science and engineering from the University of Texas at El Paso.
"When I learned that I had been selected as a STAR Fellow, I was beyond belief," she says. Hilda is
now the Faculty Staff Coordinator for the Biology, Chemistry and Geolog/ Departments at the El Paso
Community College Northwest Campus, where she also teaches biology and anatomy & physiology
courses. "The courses that I teach are very challenging," she says, "so most of my students struggle
at first. There is nothing more rewarding then to see them achieve their academic goal." Hilda passes
along this advice to current GRO Fellows: "You've proven that you have not only a promising research
project but that you have the potential to carry your project to completion. This is a once in a lifetime
opportunity, so make the best of it."

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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
July 2012
www.epa.gov/ord
...Continued
GRO and MAI alumni members of the Fellowship peer review
panel. Front row (L to R) Hilda Taylor, Cynthia Williams, Taconya
Goar, Sherita Bennett Charles and Audrey Hernando. Second row *
(L to R) Tahir Charles, Ragene Conway and Brent Chavous.
EPA mentors' reflections
For GRO Fellows, summer internships provide a chance to explore new parts
of the country, learn about new subjects, develop new skills, and make
lasting personal and professional relationships. Internships are not just
about the students, though, as EPA employees who open their offices and
labs and give their time to mentor GRO summer interns will attest.
The Region 2 Laboratory in Edison, N.J., has hosted internships for nearly
20 years in environmental laboratories, environmental monitoring and
assessment, and rapid bioassessment. Randy Braun and Helen Grebe
frequently host a Fellow for the Helicopter Monitoring Program, which
entails daily flights over New York and New Jersey Harbors. Helen considers
working with GRO interns to be one of the highlights of her career. "Each
student brings enthusiasm, energy and a fresh new perspective to the
project at hand," she says.
Another long-time GRO intern host, Carol Farris, Ph.D., says, "EPA's Green
Chemistry Program has been fortunate to have mentored a number of GRO
Fellows, young people who have aided and enriched our efforts over the
years." Green chemistry, or sustainable chemistry, is the design of chemical
products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use or generation
of hazardous substances. "By teaching Fellows the philosophy of green
chemistry and sharing practical examples with them," Carol says, "we aim
to influence their careers and their academic institutions to benefit human
health and the environment, and we have not been disappointed."
ik GRO students infuse our workforce
with young minds that provide
innovative ideas. It is a win-win
situation for both the student
interns and EPA. 99
Randy Braun, EPA Region 2 Laboratory

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