EPA Fellowships Awarded to 25 Ariz., Calif., Nev. Students

EPA Press Release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 20, 2012

MEDIA CONTACT: David Yogi, yogi.david@epa.gov, (415) 972-3350

EPA Fellowships Awarded to 25 Ariz., Calif., Nev. Students

$5.3 Million Awarded Nationwide for Environmental Studies

SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently awarded academic fellowships, as part of its Greater Research Opportunities (GRO) and Science to Achieve Results (STAR) programs, to six undergraduate and 19 graduate students in Arizona, California, and Nevada pursuing degrees in environmental studies.

These 25 fellowships, worth up to nearly $2.5 million, are among 33 GRO and 69 STAR fellowships awarded nationally to encourage leadership in the nation’s environmental science, research, restoration, pollution prevention and sustainability efforts. In total, $5.3 million was awarded across the country for both fellowship programs as part of EPA’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics education program.

“EPA is proud to support some of the most outstanding young thinkers in the environmental field,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “Investing in the development of our students will better equip us as a society to tackle the environmental challenges facing us and future generations.”

“These fellowship awards enable undergraduate and graduate students all over the country to pursue research and education opportunities that would otherwise be beyond their means,” said Dr. Jim Johnson, Director of EPA's National Center for Environmental Research. “Many of the fellowship opportunities springboard aspiring scientists and engineers into careers in environmental protection.”

Celebrating its 30^th anniversary this year, the GRO fellowship program encourages promising undergraduate students to pursue careers in environmental fields and to continue their education beyond the baccalaureate level. Supporting graduate environmental study for masters and doctoral students, the STAR fellowship program provides resources for students performing new environmental research in engineering and in the physical, biological, health, and social sciences.

Applications for the fiscal 2013 GRO Program and STAR fellowships are currently open and applicants have until November 27, 2012 to apply.

For more information on the GRO program and STAR fellowships, visit: http://epa.gov/ncer/fellow/

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