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EPA Awards Fellowship to Missouri S&T Environmental Engineering Student to Further Research

06/01/2016
Contact Information: 
David W. Bryan (bryan.david@epa.gov)
913-551-7433

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Lenexa, Kan., June 1, 2016) - Katherine Bartels, a Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) environmental engineering student in Rolla, Mo., was awarded a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Greater Research Opportunities (GRO) Fellowship on Friday, May 20. Ms. Bartels is one of 34 undergraduate students at 28 colleges and universities across the nation to receive fellowships.

“With the help of this funding, undergraduates will be able to explore their passion in environmental science and cultivate their research skills,” said Thomas A. Burke, EPA science advisor and deputy assistant administrator of EPA's Office of Research and Development. “These fellows are the next generation of scientists, who will help lead the way in protecting the environment and public health.”

Ms. Bartels’ fellowship provides $30,000 for up to two years to each student and a summer internship at an EPA facility where students can work alongside EPA’s engineers and scientists.

“The GRO fellowship allows me to continue my research on the potential cooling effects provided by green roofs and the varying depths and mixture design of green roof media,” she explained. “Ultimately I hope to show that the relation of water storage capacity to potential cooling can then be used as a tool for implementing green roofs to combat urban heat island effects.”

As an aspiring environmental engineer and researcher, Ms. Bartels is interested in the acceptance, implementation, and valuation of approaches to help face large-scale environmental problems. “I am excited for my current research, but also hope to delve deeper into the social aspects of improving our water and urban structure.”

The 34 students who received the fellowships are pursuing degrees in environmental science and other related fields, including engineering, environmental health, and the physical sciences.

Since its inception in 1981, the GRO Fellowship Program has awarded more than $13 million in funding to nearly 400 students.

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2015 GRO Undergraduate Fellowships

Learn more about EPA’s Research Fellowships

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