2 Lafayette College Students Selected For EPA Fellowships

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Tuesday announced two students from Lafayette College in Easton, Northampton County will receive EPA Greater Research Opportunities Fellowships to support environmental studies.

Rachel Elias, a chemical engineering major and Aliza Furneaux, an environmental science major, will each receive a $50,000 GRO Fellowship.  

Elias will use this funding for research on optimizing the use of biodiesel engines in colder climates and Furneaux will use the funding for research on the impacts of nitrogen as a pollutant.  

“With the help of this funding, undergraduates can explore their passion in environmental science and cultivate their research skills,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin. “EPA knows today's students are tomorrow's environmental scientists and engineers who will lead the way in protecting human health and the environment.”

The fellowship provides a maximum of $50,000 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.  

These students 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.  This year, fellowships were awarded to 34 undergraduate students at 28 colleges and universities across the nation.

For more information, visit EPA’s GRO Fellows and GRO Program webpages.