Waco students receive EPA science fellowships

Two Waco, Texas, students recently received Greater Research Opportunities (GRO) and Science to Achieve Results (STAR) fellowships from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Laura Dobbins and Kari Fallert were among 98 students chosen from more than 1,200 applicants nationwide for these prestigious fellowships.

Fellows can receive up to $37,000 per year to help complete master’s and doctorate degrees.

Ms. Dobbins attends Baylor University, where she is pursuing her master’s degree. She is studying effects of paraben, an anti-microbial agent added to many consumer products, on the endocrine systems of fish.

Ms. Fallert attends Oklahoma State University, where she is pursuing her master’s degree. She is studying how pharmaceutical matter draining into streams and wetlands affects the organisms that make up these ecosystems.

EPA’s GRO and STAR fellowship programs help to build capacity in universities with limited funding for research and development by awarding fellowships to students in environmental fields. Each year, students in the United States compete for 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.

EPA is accepting applications from students for the 2008 GRO and STAR fellowship programs. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or be lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence. Application information can be found at http://www.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/.