EPA Fellowship in Protection and Restoration of Lakes Ecosystem Health

Applications may be reviewed on a rolling-basis and this posting could close before the deadline.

Four research opportunities are available at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) located in Chicago, Illinois.

GLNPO brings together federal, state, tribal, local, and industry partners under the strategic framework of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) to accomplish the objectives of the GLRI Action Plan IV, working to accelerate environmental progress in five Focus Areas:
1) Toxic Substances and Areas of Concern;
2) Invasive Species;
3) Nonpoint Source Pollution;
4) Habitats and Species;
5) Foundations for Future Restoration Actions.

Restoring U.S. Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs) is one of the top priorities of the GLRI. EPA GLNPO and other federal and state agencies are working to restore the 23 remaining U.S. AOCs in the Great Lakes basin. Cleaning up Great Lakes AOCs involves implementing projects to address Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs), which include contaminated sediment remediation, habitat restoration, beach health improvements, local and state-wide AOC BUI studies/analyses, and other actions.

Once actions have been taken to clean up and restore sites, verification monitoring is conducted to determine whether restoration goals have been achieved. Ensuring that EPA uses environmental data to support its decisions is critical to both effective implementation of those projects and effective reporting on progress.

EPA GLNPO conducts surveys of water quality and biology within each of the five Great Lakes aboard the R/V Lake Guardian to fulfill EPA's statutory obligation in Clean Water Act Section 118(c)(B) to establish a Great Lakes system‑wide surveillance network to monitor the water quality of the Great Lakes. For information about the Great Lakes Monitoring programs, visit https://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)..

Under the guidance of a mentor, participants may be involved in the following research projects:

Great Lakes Monitoring Program Support:
Performing statistical data analysis and data visualisat"ion activities in support of GLNPO’s seven long-term Great Lakes monitoring programs, as well as developing content for manuscripts, presentations, and other materials to communicate technical topics to the public.

Great Lakes Indicator Reporting:
Identifying sources of environmental data, analysis of environmental data, and preparation of web content and reports.

Supporting Great Lakes data collection activities aboard the EPA R/V Lake Guardian:
Participating on surveys of water quality and biology within each of the five Great Lakes aboard the 180’ EPA Research Vessel (R/V) Lake Guardian. Water samples are collected and analyzed for nutrients and standard limnological parameters. Phytoplankton, zooplankton and benthic samples are collected and analyzed to assess the status of lower food web health. Participation requires living onboard the R/V Lake Guardian up to several weeks on any or all of the Great Lakes, as well as physical abilities and stamina required to conduct field activities (walking, stooping, lifting, bending, and climbing).

Participants will be encouraged to identify opportunities to use R‑scripts and AI to increase efficiencies in data analysis and reporting.

You will gain hands‑on experience in activities that include, but not limited to:
1) Statistical analysis of environmental data;
2) Performing data visualization activities in support of monitoring programs;
3) Developing content/materials to communicate technical information to the public;
4) Assisting with special studies, as directed;
5) Supporting data collection activities aboard the EPA R/V Lake Guardian.

Supporting Remediation and Restoration of Areas of Concern (AOC):
The participant will learn about the U.S. Areas of Concern (AOC) and help with assessing and reporting on various aspects of the AOC program, including: management action lists, BUI removals, reports to Congress…