August 17, 2001 UNT Inhouse publication: UNT student wins EPA fellowship

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UNT student wins EPA fellowship

As a child in Owasso, Okla., Jason Conder spent a lot of time outside looking for bugs, playing in creeks and fishing. Later, a high school teacher and science club sponsor, who would become a mentor to him, gave Conder his first glimpse of the real world of science.

"We did a lot of work with barn owls. We banded hatchlings, inspected nests and constructed nesting houses," Conder says.

Conder also went on club field trips to "all four corners of Oklahoma," where he observed bat colonies in caves, tagged songbirds and captured, marked and recaptured rodents.

"I found out how exciting the science behind the world of biology and environmental science can be," he says.

Now a UNT doctoral student in environmental science, Conder recently received a three-year graduate fellowship from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the agency's Science To Achieve Results (STAR) program.

The program encourages promising students to obtain advanced degrees and pursue careers in environment-related fields. The fellowship will provide Conder with up to $90,000 for three years. For the first year, he will receive a $17,000 stipend, $5,000 for authorized research expenses and $9,000 for tuition and fees.

Approximately 100 students nationwide receive EPA STAR fellowships each year. Scientists not affiliated with the EPA select the students based on their academic records, recommendations from faculty members, proposed research project and career goals and objectives.

Conder was ranked in the top 7 percent of this year's applicants, based on grades and research. He previously received a two-year EPA STAR fellowship while he was earning his master's degree in zoology from Oklahoma State University.

"When I reapplied for it here at UNT, I was totally starting over — just another new applicant to the program," he says. Fish going to clearer water

Conder says the research project he conducted during his first EPA STAR fellowship, which focused on chemistry and toxicology of heavy metals in soils, was productive. His research was published in three professional journals.

His current research for his doctoral dissertation focuses on the ecotoxicology and chemistry of the explosive trinitrotoluene, commonly known as TNT, in aquatic sediments. Conder's major professor was Tom LaPoint, professor of biological sciences and director of the Institute of Applied Sciences.

"The soils and sediments of many military sites are heavily contaminated with TNT, which is toxic, but rarely explosive, after it is released to the environment," Conder says. "Unfortunately, little is known about the risks TNT poses to sediment-dwelling organisms, which are key components of aquatic ecosystems. Currently, contaminated soils, sediments and water bodies of many military installations are being investigated, but little is understood about how and to what extent we need to clean up these explosives-contaminated areas to restore healthy, functioning ecosystems."

Conder says the competition for the EPA fellowships is extremely tough.

"Most of the recipients are from the 'famous' schools like Harvard, MIT, Duke and UCLA. Winning the fellowship a second time lets me know that I'm on the right track, both in terms of the science of my proposed research project and my career," he says.

In addition to receiving financial assistance for graduate study, EPA STAR graduate fellows attend an annual conference in Washington, D.C., where they interact with EPA scientists. Conder says he also plans to use part of his fellowship money to attend the national meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.

Conder received his bachelor's degree in wildlife and fisheries ecology from Oklahoma State University in 1997. He entered UNT's doctoral program in environmental science shortly after earning his master's degree in zoology from OSU in 2000. He plans to graduate with his doctoral degree in May 2004.

After graduation, Conder plans to work as an environmental toxicologist with a federal, state or local government agency or in private industry.