2004

Undergraduate Scholarship

Patricia Ciucci

At the time of the awards, Patricia Ciucci was completing her sophomore year at Ursinus College in Collegeville, PA.  She was studying psychology and environmental studies, with a concentration in pre-law in addition to participating in a leadership studies program.  Her career goals included law school and working in a government or non-profit organization to develop legislation and policy to influence how we treat natural resources.  Patricia led the reorganization of recycling program at Ursinus with a small group of students, and was instrumental in changing the college’s spring fling activities into a earth week theme, with speaker, games, organic food, etc.  Inspired by a class called “Food Society and the Environment, “ Patricia partcipated in the “Farm to College” project working through the college food service to improve options for food including providing more organic choices and purchasing through local, sustainable sources and farms.

 Graduate Scholarship

Jennifer Simon

At the time of the award, Jen Simon was pursuing a law degree from Rutgers Law School.  She had already received a BA degree from Sarah Lawrence College.  Jen was pursuing a well-rounded education in field of environmental law and hoped to gain an understanding of the delicate balance involved in a workable regulatory system.  She aspired to practice environmental law in a forum that allows her to influence both legislative and regulatory aspects of environmental protection and she wanted to work toward further integrating goals of economic development and sustainability.  Jen had already distinguished herself as a as a leader in her environmental activities and scholarship.  She was a teaching assistant who helped in developing environmental law teaching materials, and she had received several Dean’s Awards.  Jen was well - regarded by her professors and peers.  Her environmental activities included being a member of the SWEP Steering Committee and program coordinator, the Rutgers Environmental Law Society, and she worked with grassroots organizations on recycling legislation.

 2005

Undergraduate Scholarship

BobbiAnn Barnes

At the time of the award, Ms. Barnes was a sophomore at DeSales University where she declared a double major in Environmental Science and Biology.  She achieved Dean’s list for both semesters of her freshman year with a GPA of 3.484.  She received the Environmental Science Department Scholarship and a DeSales Trustee Scholarship.  She was a member of the Natural Science Club and volunteered in service projects such as Habitat for Humanity and the Delaware Food Bank.  Starting in July 2005, Ms. Barnes spent six months at James Cook University in Cairns, Australia, studying environmental science and ecology.  Wrote one of her professors, “she is one of the most focused and disciplined students I have known in my 22 years of college teaching.”

Graduate Scholarship

Jacqueline M. Bishop

At the time of the award, Ms. Bishop was a first-year student at Temple University Beasley School of Law, where she served as an officer of the Environmental Law Society.  After graduating with a B.A. degree, with honors, in Environmental Studies from the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC), she worked for two years as a biologist on fisheries and wetlands matters.  Ms. Bishop aspires to use her technical and legal educations and experience to become a leader in the field of international marine and coastal regulation.  She has received many awards and honors in recognition of her leadership and commitment to the environment and her academic performance.  At UCSC, she was instrumental in establishing a non-profit Student Environmental Center and organizing the first annual Campus Earth Summit.

2006

Undergraduate Scholarship

Lucia DiNapoli

At the time of the award, Lucia DiNapoli was pursuing dual majors in Environmental Studies and Communications at the University of Pennsylvania, where she was on the Dean’s List.  An introductory course in Geology and a family vacation sparked her interest in environmental issues.  Lucia is a “take charge” person who’s tenacity led her to return to college after a long hiatus to complete her degree and pursue her professional goals.  In addition to her studies and other varied interests, Lucia mentors young adults and children through volunteer programs to pursue their academic goals. Lucia hopes to combine her communications experience with her new environmental knowledge to obtain a position in the public or non-profit environmental sector.

Graduate Scholarship

Palak Raval-Nelson

At the time of the award, Palak Raval-Nelson was pursuing her Ph.D in Environmental Health and Policy at Drexel University, where her professors highly commended her for excellence in academics, research, and teaching.  Palak’s passion is environmental public health.  She has demonstrated outstanding leadership in this field through her rapid progression in responsibility at the City of Philadelphia Public Health Department to become the first woman to hold the position of Environmental Health Program Manager.  She has published several articles on environmental public health issues in national journals and won several national awards for her achievements in public health.  She aspires to become the first woman Director of the Environmental Health Services Unit in Philadelphia and to have a positive impact on the health of Philadelphians by improving the quality of their environment.

2007

Undergraduate Scholarship

Annie Winter

At the time of the award, Annie was pursuing dual degrees in Environmental Studies and in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Pennsylvania where she currently was a sophomore.  During the month of July 2007, Annie was part of a team of faculty and graduate students who worked on research regarding problems dealing with relative sea-level change and tectonics in Southeast Asia.  They reconstructed a high-resolution record of former earthquakes and tsunamis.  Elected as Class Valedictorian in her graduating high school class and selected as a Rotary Youth Exchange Student Ambassador in 11th grade, Annie speaks fluent German and enjoys performing in various theatrical productions.

Graduate Scholarship

Emma Bassein 

At the time of the award, Emma Bassein was pursuing a Master’s Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Princeton University, where she was exploring the interaction of plants and aquatic contaminants in a wetlands setting, with a focus on arsenic.  Emma’s undergraduate studies in earth science and chemistry attracted her to the issues of water resources.  Outside of academia, she demonstrated her knowledge of complex environmental issues through research and analysis of companies’ environmental strengths and challenges for an investment company.  Emma has also taken on the challenge of teaching elementary students about environmental science.  She hopes that her research will be applied to remediation of contaminants in aquatic environments and that her work will have a direct impact on the environment and affected communities.

 2008