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Eight Region 8 students receive EPA Science Fellowships

Release Date: 08/29/2006
Contact Information: Jennifer Robbins, EPA National Center for Environmental Research, 202 343-9344; Richard Mylott, EPA Region 8, 303 312-6654

{08/29/2006 - Denver. Colo.} Eight graduate students in Region 8 are among 142 recipients of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Science Fellowships. The prestigious fellowships, awarded as part of EPA's Science to Achieve Results (STAR) and Greater Research Opportunities (GRO) programs, will enable students to complete their graduate degrees.

"EPA congratulates this year's class of Science Fellows," said EPA Region 8 science advisor, Patti Tyler. "These students are among the best and brightest of our future environmental and science professionals. EPA is pleased to be helping these fellows develop skills that will enhance their ability to work on behalf of human health and the environment throughout their careers."

STAR Fellowships

EPA’s STAR graduate fellowship program supports some of the nation’s most promising masters and doctoral candidates in environmental studies. Each year, students in the United States compete for STAR fellowships through a rigorous merit review process to ensure that some of the best students in the country are chosen for these programs. Students can pursue degrees in traditionally recognized environmental disciplines as well as other fields such as urban and regional planning, and decision sciences.

Since the program began in 1995, EPA has awarded hundreds of STAR fellowships to students in almost every state. The fellowship has helped produce academic researchers, government scientists, science teachers, and environmental engineers.

Region 8 STAR fellowship recipients include:

Susan Strife of Boulder, Colo. As a student at the University of Colorado in Boulder, she will be investigating children's knowledge and concern for the natural environment.

Jana Heisler of Fort Collins, Colo. As a student at Colorado State University, she will be studying the sensitivity of Great Plains grassland ecosystems to climate change.

Amy Hawes of Loveland, Colo. As a student at Colorado State University, she will be studying relationships between large-scale patterns of variability and atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Margaret Eggers of the Crow Reservation. As a student at the University of Montana in Bozeman, she will be conducting an exposure assessment to environmental contaminants on the Crow Reservation.

Kristin Gardner of Bozeman, Mont. As a student at Montana State University in Bozeman, she will be studying the impacts of mountain resort development on surface water quality.

Deanna Donohue of Helena, Mont. As a student at the University of Miami, she will be investigating the gas phase transformation of elemental mercury by hydroxyl and halogen radicals.

Christa Torrens of Missoula, Mont. As a student at the University of Montana in Missoula, she will be studying the effects of overwinter dewatering on brown trout populations in a Montana creek.

GRO Fellowships

The EPA’s GRO fellowship program helps to build capacity in universities with limited funding for research and development by awarding fellowships to students in environmental fields. Each year, students compete for GRO fellowships through a rigorous merit review process to ensure that some of the best students in the country are chosen for the program. Students can pursue degrees in traditionally recognized environmental disciplines as well as other fields such as urban and regional planning and decision sciences.

Region 8 GRO Fellowship recipients include:

Travis Warziniack of Laramie, Wyo. Warziniack is attending the University of Wyoming where he is pursuing a doctorate degree in Economics. He will be studying the invasion of zebra mussels in waters of the Western United States.