Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) is pleased to announce Molly Cain as a Knauss fellow for the Class of 2021. Molly is a PhD student at Indiana University and studies how agricultural modifications to landscapes affect the delivery of water and nutrients to waterways, and, in turn, the role of natural features like floodplain wetlands in improving water quality. Molly recently finished the Knauss placement process, where fellows typically travel to Washington, DC to interview with government agencies and learn where they will spend the next year. Below, Molly shares her experience from the first virtual placement week.
After over 40 video calls with 20 host offices, I was excited to receive my fellowship placement with NOAA Research’s Congressional Analysis and Research Division (CARD). While placement week usually requires finalists to run around DC meeting with potential hosts, this year was a bit different. Instead of navigating a bustling city, I sat at my kitchen table with my laptop and a mug of coffee completing up to 8 virtual interviews a day, often back-to-back. While easier on the feet, it was still a grueling week. However, it was also an inspiring one. I had fun getting to know so many incredible people working within the federal government on water resources and environmental issues. I only wish I could work in all the offices I interviewed with!
Ultimately, I was drawn to the CARD team and was ecstatic to be placed there. My main goal during the fellowship year is to learn how scientific knowledge feeds into the policy-making cycle. As a member of the CARD team, I will participate in this process directly. CARD’s mission is to ensure that Congress is aware of NOAA’s research activities and understands how that research benefits the country. They translate scientific information for a congressional audience and interpret congressional action for a scientific audience. Effectively communicating science to policymakers is increasingly valued within the scientific community and important for enhancing the impact of scientific research. I am excited to spend a year honing these skills. I also look forward to representing the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and working at NOAA again. My undergraduate internship through NOAA’s Hollings Scholarship program was a formative experience that led me to pursue a career as a researcher working on water resources issues. Returning to a NOAA office nearly 7 years later feels like I’ve come full circle, in the best way possible.
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant is a part of University of Illinois Extension and Purdue Extension.
If you are a graduate student interested in combining your education and experience with policy, marine sciences or coastal community resiliency, consider applying for one of these fellowships. The opportunities below are open to graduate students enrolled in a master’s or doctorate program. For more information, please visit our Fellowships page or contact Angela Archer at amcbride@purdue.edu or (765)496-3722.
John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship
The Knauss Fellowship provides a unique educational experience to students who have an interest in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources. The program matches highly qualified graduate students with “hosts” in the legislative and executive branches of government located in the Washington, D.C. area for a one year paid fellowship.
These fellowships are aimed at Ph.D. candidates, who are United States citizens, interested in the population dynamics of living marine resources and the development and implementation of quantitative methods for assessing their status. The marine resource economics fellowship concentrates on the conservation and management of marine resources.
Application deadline: January 26, 2021
Start Date: dependent upon fellowship choice
Length: up to two years for Marine Economics, up to three years for Population Dynamics
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant’s (IISG) leading-edge initiative to support local medicine collection programs is marking its 10-year anniversary. Over this time, IISG-supported community programs in four Great Lakes states have collected and properly disposed of over 200,000 pounds, or 100 tons, of medicine.
When pharmaceuticals expire or prescriptions change, this can present a challenge—how to properly dispose of these unwanted medicines. Drugs that are flushed or thrown in the trash can end up in nearby waterways. And keeping them around the house can be unsafe for children or pets who might accidentally ingest them.
IISG’s work in addressing medicine disposal issues actually began through the inspiration of Lara Buluç, a 2006 NOAA Ernest F. Hollings Scholar working closely with IISG specialists Beth Hinchey-Malloy and Susan Boehme. “I was interested in the policy and practical solutions that could improve pharmaceutical disposal methods to reduce the risk of these chemicals entering our wastewater stream,” said Buluç.
A U.S Geological Survey study at the time found traces of painkillers, estrogen, antidepressants, and blood-pressure medicines in water samples from 30 states. Later, in 2010, an IISG-funded study found a similar cocktail of pharmaceuticals in nearshore waters of Lake Michigan.
Buluç spent her summer internship gathering information about the impact of pharmaceuticals and personal care products on the environment as well as public education models to develop a toolkit for communities to set up their own collection programs. Hinchey-Malloy and Boehme worked closely with communities to refine this resource. “Communities came to us with a definite need and we worked collaboratively to fulfill that,” said Boehme.
In 2008, Hinchey-Malloy and Boehme, who were located in the EPA Great Lakes National Program Office, began working with communities to set up collection events for safe disposal of medicines. Over time, as IISG’s Laura Kammin took over this initiative, the focus turned to establishing ongoing, sustainable collection programs, which proved to be more convenient for people’s schedules. Today, 51 IISG-supported programs in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan offer their communities a permanent location to dispose of unwanted medicines.
More communities are on the waiting list, looking to establish collection programs with help from Sarah Zack, IISG pollution prevention specialist, who leads the effort today.
“We provide support and guidance for communities who are interested in setting up a collection program,” said Zack. “We help decipher federal regulations, which can be complicated, and make sure that the community is signed up for a free disposal program. We often buy the collection box and label it, and we can help inform residents about this free service.”
In Pendleton, Indiana, where a collection program will soon get off the ground, resident Tiffany Warfel, who is organizing this through the Intersect Program with help from Zack, sees the need as both a drug safety issue and an environmental one. “The White River flows right through this county,” she explained. “As a nurse, I’m aware of drug abuse problems and I’ve also had people ask me what to do with their unwanted medications. In fact, through national collection events this year we collected over 700 pounds of medicine so there is a need here for this program.”
In addition to community medicine collection programs, IISG has addressed the medicine disposal issue through educating and inspiring teachers and students to raise awareness in their communities. Program educators Robin Goettel and Terri Hallesy, working with Paul Ritter, a high school teacher in Pontiac, Illinois, and the founder and leader of the Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal Program, compiled the Medicine Chest, a compendium of lessons on the impacts of medicines in the environment as well as how to engage in stewardship. Kirsten Hope Walker later updated the publication.
IISG’s education team has brought this resource to teacher workshops and directly to students, working with the University of Illinois, Great Lakes Sea Grant programs, museums and non-profit organizations.
IISG debuts its new medicine collection mascot. Join in the Twitter conversation to name this fish.
Eight years ago, IISG also joined forces with the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) to help inform veterinarians and their clients about proper disposal of pharmaceuticals prescribed for pets. Kammin worked closely with AVMA to establish a formal partnership that also included the National Sea Grant Office, to share medicine disposal information through a variety of resources and by interacting one-on-one with veterinarians at conventions and other events.
“The partnership with AVMA gave us an inroad to engage the veterinary community,” said Zack. “I’m still talking to veterinarians who were unaware of this issue, so there is still work to be done in this community. Through this partnership, we are giving vet professionals the tools they need to educate their clients as well as themselves.”
One high-profile outreach effort from the collaboration was a billboard on the CBS JumboTron “Super Screen” in Times Square in New York City that ran through the 2011 busy holiday season and well into 2012. Sea Grant and AVMA raised awareness in tourists and other Times Square visitors about concerns related to flushing medicine. This 15-second spot ran about 18 times every day.
Since IISG began its work in this area 10 years ago, awareness regarding the need for easy and sensible ways to dispose of pharmaceuticals has increased, whether the concern is safety or for the health of the environment. IISG’s website, unwantedmeds.org, has had over a million page views since it went online in 2012. And, IISG initiated a national Sea Grant working group that helped foster medicine disposal programs in coastal states around the country. Focused on this issue and other emerging contaminants, as many as 17 Sea Grant programs participated.
During this time, larger campaigns have also taken hold. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, or DEA, with guidance from IISG and its toolkit, began their own nationwide National Prescription Drug Take Back days in 2010. Thus far, nearly 11 million pounds of unused medications have been collected over the course of 16 events.
Pharmacies are stepping up, most notably Walgreens. Working with DEA to safely dispose of pharmaceuticals, the retailer has installed more than 1,000 disposal kiosks in their pharmacies across the country. In the spring of 2019, all Walgreens pharmacies will offer free safe disposal options.
Some county and state governments are also initiating action. Most notably, both California and Massachusetts enacted new laws to establish a comprehensive state-wide take-back system for medications funded by pharmaceutical companies.
“I’m proud to lead our efforts on medicine disposal because this program provides a valuable service to both communities and the environment,” said Zack. “It also provides the opportunity to collaborate with committed partners, and I especially appreciate that it was an effort designed and advanced by strong women scientists. I hope this successful Sea Grant initiative is around for at least another 10 years.”
To download the community toolkit and other resources, visit unwantedmeds.org
Every summer since 2012, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant has offered opportunities for undergraduate students to get on-the-ground work experience in their field of study. In 2014, IISG hired six interns who worked closely with outreach specialists and helped with projects ranging from website development to community needs assessments. Checking in with a few of these former interns reveals that placing undergraduates in a fully-immersed extension or science program can be a rewarding and life-changing opportunity.
Jacob Wood
Jacob (left photo) worked with Tomas Höök, IISG associate director for research, to create the Fish Atlas, a GIS tool that compiles fish catch data from Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan. At the annual GIS day at Purdue University, Jacob’s poster received an undergraduate award for his work on the Fish Atlas website and the processes for developing a mobile website. Following a 2-year career in civil engineering, Jacob recently moved to the Peoria, Illinois area to prepare for graduate school. Read more about Jacob’s intern experience.
How did the internship help you in your career?
Working with IISG helped me develop a self-driven work ethic to accomplish work related goals. I also learned a lot about professionalism by working alongside some very talented staff members and graduate students.
What is your favorite memory of the internship?
One of my most memorable experiences was going out on Lake Michigan with Jay Beugly to launch and retrieve the IISG buoy in Michigan City, Indiana. I had a great time going out on the lake, and helping with an awesome program.
Mark Krupa
Mark (right, in right photo), alongside El Lower (see below), worked with Caitie Nigrelli, environmental social scientist, ( center, in right photo) to conduct a needs assessment with local stakeholders of Trenton Channel in the Detroit area After graduating, Mark completed a Master of Public Health in environmental and occupational health and epidemiology at Saint Louis University. Mark works for an environmental consulting company conducting exposure assessments on remediation projects. Read more about Mark and El’s summer experiences.
How did your internship help you in your career?
The lessons from my internship that have been most valuable in my career are the importance of understanding stakeholder concerns and effectively communicating with the public about environmental remediation projects. Working around environmental hazards, it can be easy to underestimate the concerns that people may have about hazards that they are not familiar with. It is so important to listen to and respond to the concerns of the people that will be affected by a project so that everyone knows that it is being completed in the safest way possible.
What is the favorite memory of your internship?
My favorite memory is definitely the trip that Catie Nigrelli, El Lower, and I took to Trenton, Michigan to conduct in-person interviews of residents and other stakeholders involved in the remediation of the Trenton Channel in the Detroit River. We were able to tour the channel by boat, take a sunrise ride with a rowing team, and enjoy some lovely waterfront patios. We spoke to many wonderful people and it was great to learn about each of their connections to the channel.
El Lower
After graduating, El Lower (left, in right photo) worked as a research assistant for the Urban Environmental Equity Project at the University of Illinois, where she conducted stakeholder interviews about Great Lakes cleanup work using skills learned with IISG. EL worked on this study from 2014 until its conclusion in 2016, when she turned her focus to finishing graduate work in the U of I College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences. El was recently contracted by American Journal Experts as an environmental studies editor.
How did the internship help you in your career?
The IISG internship was a bit of a turning point for my career goals—I had had no idea environmental social science was a field that even existed before working with Caitie. The combination of research, writing, and community outreach was exactly what I wanted to do with my career, and I have been heading in that direction ever since.
What is your favorite memory of the internship?
My favorite memories from the internship were definitely from the interviews we ran on the Detroit River—we spent about a week in the Downriver area talking with community members and environmental advocates, many of whom were gracious enough to invite us into their homes for their interviews. One (very early) morning we were invited out on a boat ride at dawn by members of the local rowing club—taking pictures of the sun coming up over the Canadian border from out on the water was an experience I won’t soon forget!
One year has passed for Monica Gregory, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant’s first NOAA Coastal Management Fellow. We caught up with her to hear about her first year. Monica will be finishing her two-year fellowship in July 2018. Stay tuned for her final installment.
“It’s hard to believe that it’s been over a year since I was selected as a NOAA Coastal Management Fellow (CMF) for North Carolina. I remember receiving the email invitation to interview for the project; I was thrilled (and nervous!) for the opportunity to fly to Charleston and meet potential employers. I was lucky enough to connect with the project in North Carolina, and here I am!
My office is with the Division of Coastal Management in Morehead City. I am halfway through my main project on community resilience planning. I am working with five pilot communities in North Carolina to map their social and physical vulnerabilities to coastal hazards. I have completed my work with town managers and planners to map their towns. This fall, I will be facilitating workshops and public meetings for resident input.
We hope to use the maps to identify priority areas for resilience work, then create a comprehensive list of resilience projects that could be feasible for each town depending on their unique circumstances. The overall idea is to create a larger framework guide on resilience planning for coastal communities in North Carolina. Our five case studies will be references for communities that are experiencing similar issues.
Monica (left) and DCM planner Rachel Love-Adrick mapping Town of Edenton’s vulnerabilities
August marks my one year anniversary as a CMF. In that time, I have had the chance to dig into my project, to learn all about the field of resilience and hazard mitigation, and to meet inspiring people in local government, as well as NOAA and The Nature Conservancy, to name a few.
I have used my skills in research, survey design, and community engagement. I have improved essential skills like networking, public speaking, and partnership-building. I have traveled around the south and southeast to attend conferences on topics from climate change adaptation to technology in coastal management. Most of all, I have found a new home in North Carolina, and I have fallen even more in love with the Southeast region.”
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant is pleased to announce Katherine O’Reilly as a Knauss Fellowship finalist for the Class of 2018. A PhD candidate from University of Notre Dame working with biologist Gary Lamberti, Katherine is pursuing studies in wetland ecology. Their current project, funded by IISG, focuses on the interactions between sportfish and coastal wetlands. During the course of the research, a weatherfish (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus), a nonnative species from eastern Asian thought to be brought over through aquarium trade, was discovered in the Roxanna Marsh in Indiana. Because these fish feed on small benthic invertebrates, Katherine suggests they could potentially compete with native fish for food.
The Knauss fellowship provides a unique educational experience to students who have an interest in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources. The program matches highly qualified graduate students with “hosts” in the legislative and executive branches of government located in the Washington, D.C. area for a one year paid fellowship.
Katherine will be attending Placement Week in mid-November to determine her host office in 2018. Follow her on Twitter at @DrKatfish.
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant is a part of University of Illinois Extension and Purdue University Extension
After over 40 video calls with 20 host offices, I was excited to receive my fellowship placement with NOAA Research’s Congressional Analysis and Research Division (CARD). While placement week usually requires finalists to run around DC meeting with potential hosts, this year was a bit different. Instead of navigating a bustling city, I sat at my kitchen table with my laptop and a mug of coffee completing up to 8 virtual interviews a day, often back-to-back. While easier on the feet, it was still a grueling week. However, it was also an inspiring one. I had fun getting to know so many incredible people working within the federal government on water resources and environmental issues. I only wish I could work in all the offices I interviewed with!
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