The following GRIP opportunities are no longer open for applications.

• National Homeland Security Research Center

  Location: Research Triangle Park
  Estimated Internship Time Period: 12 Months
  Professional Development Asset(s): Equipment use
  Potential Project Description: Assessment of decontamination methods for critical infrastructure, including sensitive equipment and materials.
  
  Location: Headquarters
  Estimated Internship Time Period: 12 Months
  Professional Development Asset(s): Science Policy
  Potential Project Description: Problem: Water utilities are facing large capital expenditures to replace aging infrastructure, upgrade facilities and combat challenges of more intense floods and droughts.

• National Risk Management Research Laboratory

  Location: Research Triangle Park, NC
  Estimated Internship Time Period: 12 Months
  Professional Development Asset(s): IR Reference Spectra Analysis and Evaluation
  Potential Project Description: An NSF Fellow would be a valuable asset to our on-going FTIR research to better understand the quality and impact of various IR reference spectra on accurate pollutant measurement.  The reference spectra used for pollutant emissions quantitation are based on empirical derivation from gas standards where possible, but are more commonly reliant on theoretical spectra (e.g., HITRAN, PNNL, etc) generated by computational means.  The accuracy of these spectra, while reasonably reliable, are of unknown accuracy.  An NSF Fellow would be tasked with better understanding the quality of these various reference spectra and their impact on overall emissions measurement quality.  Resolution of this issue is critical to revising EPA’s existing FTIR reference methods, identified as a critical need for future regulatory application.

  Location: Research Triangle Park, NC
  Estimated Internship Time Period: 12 Months
  Professional Development Asset(s): PM & Black Carbon Measurement Methods and Technologies 
  Potential Project Description: The intern will be involved in the development of new measurement methods and the testing of new measurement technologies for both PM and Black Carbon emissions from a variety of sources.  The intern would be expected to assist in experimental work as well as data analysis.

  Location: Research Triangle Park, NC
  Estimated Internship Time Period: 6-12 Months
  Professional Development Asset(s): The participant will develop analytical chemistry skills relevant to the measurement of semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs)
  Potential Project Description: This research project develops and applies advanced sampling, analytical-chemical, and thermal-optical methodology for accurate and precise measurements of inorganic and carbonaceous components of gases and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) collected from a variety of combustion emissions sources and ambient air monitoring locations. Measurement of particle-phase black carbon (BC), organic nitrogen compounds, polycyclic and oxygenated aromatic compounds, heteroatomic polycyclic aromatic compounds, metals, atom and chemical bond valence states, particle size and other physiochemical attributes of aerosol particle emissions are principal objectives of this research. The research project produces data used by a wide variety of global science partners including national and international meteorology, atmospheric, space, energy, and agricultural research centers. Reporting of quality project results in the peer-reviewed science literature is strongly encouraged. This research project will also support a variety of additional toxicology- and health-related research activities that require advanced analytical chemical methodology for quantitative measurement of air pollutant exposures.
  
  Location: Research Triangle Park, NC
  Estimated Internship Time Period: from 6-12 Months
  Professional Development Asset(s): EPA-Rockefeller Foundation Partnership on 100 Resilient Cities (100RC) – Joining the Office of Research and Development Team to transfer EPA resiliency tools to cities.  Opportunity to learn about City’s resiliency issues and how to address them.
  Potential Project Description: The intern will work with EPA/engineers and scientists to develop resiliency tool applications for demonstration to the Rockefeller Foundation and selected 100RC cities. The intern will also work with staff from the EPA Regions to learn how EPA works with States, Cities and communities to “make a visible difference” in addressing their issues and ensure a more sustainable and resilient future.  

  Location: Research Triangle Park, NC
  Estimated Internship Time Period: 6-12 months
  Professional Development Asset(s):  Will gain research experience relevant to air pollution measurement. Will gain experience with air sampling methods and with operation of state-of-the-art analytical instrumentation. Will develop advanced problem solving skills that are required to conduct research.
  Potential Project Description: Development of novel measurement method for carbonyls in air.

  Location: Research Triangle Park, NC
  Estimated Internship Time Period: 12 months
  Professional Development Asset(s): Integrated Assessment Modeling, Software testing (and possibly software development), Scenario development and evaluation, Documenting and presenting research, Networking with ORD researchers and program office and regional staff.
  Potential Project Description: The GLIMPSE research team is developing a decision support tool that will allow Agency and external parties to examine the linkages and tradeoffs among energy, environmental, and climate change mitigation goals. At the core of this decision support tool is GCAM-USA, an integrated assessment model with state-level resolution. The participant will work with the GLIMPSE team and a regional office client to explore how GLIMPSE can support and inform regional office decision-making.

  Location: Research Triangle Park, NC
  Estimated Internship Time Period: 6-12 months
  Professional Development Asset(s): By the end of the internship, it is expected that the intern will become knowledgeable on building, maintaining, calibrating the MARKAL database, developing case studies for communities, explore expansions to the model applications, compile and synthesize literature, communicate results with team members and stakeholders, generate reports and manuscripts.
  Potential Project Description: There is a research need to further highlight the need for cities to understand the impact of increased urbanization on natural resources and human populations. Cities are facing challenges of managing increased energy use, increased air pollution, specifically ozone formation, negative impacts to aquatic habitats, negative impacts to public health and increased mortality rates especially in low-income neighborhoods. The reliability of wastewater and electric power systems are essential to create resilient cities while combating climate change. Increasing robustness of the electricity and energy supply, reducing building peak energy demands, creating livable spaces through increased green canopies will create resilient communities.   

  The team is currently in process of developing a community scale MARKAL database for the New York City and surrounding counties using MARKAL energy modeling framework. The database focuses on building sector and water and wastewater infrastructure to capture and analyze energy and water nexus in the city. To evaluate this nexus, the database includes reference building energy profiles, water and wastewater infrastructure. The database includes various building energy retrofits, green infrastructure alternatives (e.g., green roofs), distributed energy options (e.g. roof-top solar PV and combined heat and power plants) to find strategies that can demonstrate trade-offs to create resilient communities against climate change and minimize disruptions in electric and water supply. The research will then explore energy and water tradeoffs associated with implementing green infrastructure technologies (specifically green roof applications) to regulate building energy load and storm water retention times. Additional micro grid applications (through rooftop solar, white roofs and combined heat and power applications) is planned to be implemented in the database to analyze the mitigation of stress on the electric grid.

  Location: Research Triangle Park, NC
  Potential Project Description: The intern will work with engineers and scientists to develop lightweight emission sensors/samplers applicable for aerial sampling. The intern will work with instrument/computer interfaces, equipment calibration, and equipment design and testing.  Possible field testing. 
  Estimated Internship Time Period: from 3-12 Months
  Professional Development Asset(s): Laboratory space and equipment
  Potential Project Description: The intern will work with engineers and scientists to develop lightweight emission sensors/samplers applicable for aerial sampling. The intern will work with instrument/computer interfaces, equipment calibration, and equipment design and testing.  Possible field testing. 

  Location: Cincinnati
  Estimated Internship Time Period: 12 Months
  Professional Development Asset(s): Lab space
  Potential Project Description: Intern will work with team studying the microbial ecology of building premise plumbing water systems.

  Location: Cincinnati
  Estimated Internship Time Period: 3-12 Months
  Professional Development Asset(s): Lab space
  Potential Project Description: The student intern will work on a research team that is studying the effectiveness of drinking water treatment processes to reduce algal toxins from water during harmful algal blooms. The intern will perform bench- and pilot-scale studies to evaluate water treatment practices on algal toxin reduction. Intern will perform relevant water quality analyses necessary to make assessments. Lastly, the intern will perform data analysis and assist with preparation of technical communication outputs including journal manuscripts.

  Location: Cincinnati
  Estimated Internship Time Period: 3-12 Months
  Professional Development Asset(s): Lab space
  Potential Project Description: The student intern will study the impact of water quality on the corrosion and metal solubility of drinking water distribution system materials including iron, lead and copper. The intern will perform bench- and pilot-scale research studies designed to systematically examine the impact of pH, alkalinity and other water quality parameters on the solubility of metals in water. The intern will perform routine water quality analyses and solids analysis tests (e.g.., SEM, XRD, XRF) in support of the project.  Lastly, the intern will perform data analysis and assist with preparation of technical communication outputs including journal manuscripts.  

  Location: Cincinnati
  Estimated Internship Time Period: 3-12 Months
  Professional Development Asset(s): Lab space
  Potential Project Description:  The intern will work on a team of scientists that is developing new solid media or modifying existing materials for the removal of contaminants such as arsenic and uranium from drinking water. The intern will work on the synthesis and production of new materials, characterization of the materials using advanced solids analysis instruments such as electron microscopes and performing bench- and pilot-scale tests to assess the effectiveness of the new materials to remove contaminants of concern. 

  Location: Cincinnati
  Estimated Internship Time Period: 3-12 Months
  Professional Development Asset(s): Lab space
  Potential Project Description:  The intern will work on a team of scientists to apply biological water treatment to remove drinking water contaminants including nutrients such as nitrate from water. The intern will help develop engineering configurations that will allow naturally occurring bacteria to breakdown or remove contaminants of concern from water. The intern will operate pilot systems, evaluate treatment data and perform microbiological community assessment.

  Location: Cincinnati
  Estimated Internship Time Period: 3-12 Months
  Professional Development Asset(s): Technical Writing
  Potential Project Description:  The student intern will work with drinking water scientists to develop scientific communication outputs for technical and non-technical audiences. Audiences may include homeowners, municipalities, engineering firms and young students. The intern will transfer technical research findings, project progress report and other technical data summaries into communication materials such as brochures, web-based outlets, webinars, etc. The intern will be have the opportunity to apply creative design approaches to the work and develop new communication concepts.   

• Immediate Office of the Assistant Administrator

  Location: Los Angeles, CA 
  Estimated Internship Time Period: 3-12 Months
  Professional Development Asset(s): Internal collaboration, science writing, scenario analysis
  Potential Project Description: This project will support EPA research efforts to understand the implications of different future energy scenarios for the environment.  The work will evaluate the potential environmental impacts of large-scale adoption of renewable energy resources and related issues related to the transition of the energy system from fossil fuels to renewable resources.

  Location: Washington, D.C. or Cincinnati, OH 
  Estimated Internship Time Period: 6-12 Months
  Professional Development Asset(s): Ecological and public health; GIS; environmental epidemiology; sustainable development; community engagement
  Potential Project Description: This placement opportunity will support an international, EPA-led research effort focusing on applying data and scientific tools to advance community resilience and sustainable decision-making in the Western Balkans. As part of development efforts, the student will be exposed to multiple aspects of science-based tools and methods and will work on translating data and scientific findings in the context of watershed protection. In particular, the student will assist in characterizing baseline environmental health conditions; identify environmental exposures that contribute to or protect against these conditions; and assist in the development of practical recommendations to manage these effects. Depending on the student’s background and interests, they will have an opportunity to apply and refine skills in assessing and communicating the distribution of health and environmental impacts in these watersheds using epidemiologic methodologies and geographic information systems (GIS).

• National Health And Environmental Effects Research Lab

  Location: Narragansett 
  Estimated Internship Time Period: 3 Months
  Professional Development Asset(s): Equipment use
  Potential Project Description: Partitioning the drivers of coastal acidification.

  Location: Narragansett 
  Estimated Internship Time Period: 12 Months
  Professional Development Asset(s): Mentoring
  Potential Project Description: Causes and effects of coastal acidification.

  Location: Narragansett 
  Estimated Internship Time Period: 12 Months
  Professional Development Asset(s): Lab space
  Potential Project Description: Biological responses to coastal acidification.

  Location: Narragansett 
  Estimated Internship Time Period: 3-12 Months
  Professional Development Asset(s): Mentoring; GIS; webinars; science policy; other
  Potential Project Description: The NSF graduate fellow will have an opportunity to learn about policies and science related to stormwater and integrated watershed management. The intern will have an opportunity to assist in evaluating the effects of natural and constructed green infrastructure best management practices on stream biotic and habitat condition in one of the following regions: New England, Delaware River Basin, Chesapeake Bay watershed, Austin, TX metropolitan area or California.  Depending on the student’s background and interests s/he will have an opportunity to apply and refine skills using geographic information systems (GIS), modeling of stream temperature or flow regimes or substrate quality and modeling of ecological responses to urbanization and moderation of effects by BMPs.

  Location: Narragansett 
  Estimated Internship Time Period: 3-12 Months
  Professional Development Asset(s): Mentoring; GIS; webinars; science communication; other
  Potential Project Description: The NSF graduate fellow will have an opportunity to apply geographic information system (GIS) skills to contribute to EPA’s Estuary Data Mapper application (www.epa.gov/edm). Areas of emphasis for this year’s work on EDM include 1) support for assessment and management of nitrogen loading to coastal systems, 2) support for Integrated Water Resources Management cost-benefit analysis, specifically the Watershed Management Optimization Support Tool (WMOST), 3) visualization of the combined effects of climate, land-use and green infrastructure on habitat and biotic integrity for a series of pilot projects across the United States and 4) development of training materials for specific decision-use cases.

• National Center for Environmental Research

  Location: Headquarters 
  Estimated Internship Time Period: 12 Months
  Professional Development Asset(s): Internal Collaboration
  Potential Project Description: Intern will work closely with a cross-Agency (EPA, USDA, USGS, State Department), cross-disciplinary and cross-country team to model water quality and quantity in the Middle East region. Intern will be engaged in all aspects of modeling, including data management, statistical modeling and data visualization. Additionally, the intern will prepare technical documentation including manuscripts for publication. Possible international travel.

• National Exposure Research Laboratory

  Location: Research Triangle Park, NC
  Estimated Internship Time Period: 3-4 months
  Professional Development Asset(s): Mentoring; Scientific application coding experience, High performance computing
  Potential Project Description: Atmospheric Model Development Branch of Computational Exposure Division is developing a next generation air quality model which could link with more than one type of meteorological model including global models such as the Model for Prediction Across Scales (MPAS) or regional models such as the Weather Research Forecasting (WRF). Although both of these models adopt netCDF data format their basic structures are quite different. This internship opportunity seeks an individual to help develop a flexibility I/O library to handle read, write and other functions with respect to netCDF data file. Considering parallel I/O capability which utilizes pnetCDF or netCDF-4, is another coding criteria.

  Location: Research Triangle Park, NC
  Estimated Internship Time Period: 12 months
  Professional Development Asset(s): The participant will increase knowledge and skills in the use of liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (QTOF and TOF), develop non-targeted analysis skills, learn new computational approaches, and fine tune scientific writing.
  Potential Project Description: There is a need to develop new methods and approaches that can generate exposure data on the growing number of chemicals in commercial use. The National Exposure Research Laboratory’s Exposure Methods and Measurements Division is developing suspect screening and non-targeted analysis (NTA) methods to gather xenobiotic data in a variety of environmental and biological media to understand the totality of lifetime exposures, known as the exposome.  This internship opportunity seeks an individual to help develop a) NTA instrumental analyses methods, b) practical approaches for the characterization and analyses of samples; c) approaches for data interpretation and data handling; d) prioritization strategies of detected features for identification; e) strategies for data storage, sharing and reporting.  

  Location: Research Triangle Park, NC
  Estimated Internship Time Period: 3-12 months
  Professional Development Asset(s): Mentoring, internal collaboration, computational modeling, science communication
  Potential Project Description:  This project will support EPA-led research efforts to develop an ADME knowledgebase (ADME-KB, where ADME stands for absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion) to support risk-based decision-making that considers exposure potential, dose-response data, and pharmacokinetic characteristics.  The ADME-KB requires wide ranging information (e.g., references, data, and computational models) and related gene expression data reviewed, extracted, and compiled from the extant research literature.  As part of the ADME-KB, a physiologically based pharmacokinetic knowledgebase (PBPK-KB) has been built to allow users to easily link chemical of interest to their analogues’ published PBPK models, associated studies, and adverse health outcomes.  In addition, the chemicals and their respective models collected in the PBPK-KB will support the development of a library of generic PBPK models for higher throughput predictions of internal dosimetry.  As such, the focus of information gathering and processing for this task will be on dose-response relationships, i.e., understanding the physical chemical/pharmacokinetic characteristics of a chemicals, determining biologically effective target tissue doses, and how they relate to adverse health responses. 

• National Center for Computational Toxicology

  Location: Research Triangle Park, NC
  Estimated Internship Time Period: 12 months
  Professional Development Asset(s): computational biology
  Potential Project Description: The NSF graduate fellow will have an opportunity to work with an interdisciplinary research team to implement new computational models for quantitative analysis of complex biological systems aiming to improve environmental risk assessments relevant to prenatal developmental toxicity of chemicals. The intern will select from available cellular systems computer models to simulate key aspects of embryo development and utilizing these models to predict birth defects from cellular and molecular profiling databases.  Student will learn/utilizing basic programming skills to conduct sensitivity analysis of the computer models to assess their predictive capacity.