Air Quality Bioindicators & Pollution Monitoring
*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.
USFS Office/Lab and Location: A research opportunity is available with the US Forest Service (USFS) located in Seattle, Washington.
At the heart of the U.S. Forest Service's mission is their purpose. Everything they do is intended to help sustain forests and grasslands for present and future generations. Why? Because their stewardship work supports nature in sustaining life. This is the purpose that drives the agency’s mission and motivates their work across the agency. It’s been there from the agency’s very beginning, and it still drives them. To advance the mission and serve their purpose, the U.S. Forest Service balances the short and long-term needs of people and nature by: working in collaboration with communities and our partners; providing access to resources and experiences that promote economic, ecological, and social vitality; connecting people to the land and one another; and delivering world-class science, technology and land management.
Research Project: According to the United States Government Accountability Office (2020), the ability to characterize hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) at neighborhood scales in urban airsheds is a critical need for regulators and public health researchers. Trees in PNW cities support an unusually high abundance of the stress-tolerant bioindicator moss, Orthotrichum lyellii, providing a valuable opportunity for describing HAPs distributions in fine detail (Donovan et al. 2016, Gatziolis et al. 2016, Bidwell et al. 2019; Derrien et al. 2020, Messager et al. 2021, Jovan et al. 2021). A continued challenge in bioindicator science, however, is connecting results to metrics used by decision-makers. This project is comprised of multiple ongoing studies in Portland, OR, and Seattle, WA, aimed at improving usability of bioindicator metrics.
The selected participant will collaborate closely with the Mentor on multiple ongoing moss projects, with the flexibility to tailor participation to their own research interests and capacities. The overall mission of this project is to explore intersections between multiple scientific approaches and perspectives on air quality characterization, with a focus on more efficient application of moss bioindicators.
At the beginning of the project, the participant and Mentor will meet to co-design the course of study. This will occur after the participant receives background and unlimited Q&A time about ongoing moss studies led by the mentor and complimentary projects led by collaborating stakeholders.
Learning Objectives: A major part of the learning experience includes frequent interaction with an interdisciplinary team of stakeholders engaged in the projects, including regulators, non-profit organizations, and many scientists from university, federal, state, and city programs. In addition to these networking opportunities, the participant will gain experience with integrative analysis of datasets from moss sampling, traditional air monitoring tools (air quality monitors, personal air monitors, other passive monitoring instruments), pollution modeling tools (emissions inventories, dispersion models), environmental measurements of contamination (soil samples, groundwater samples, rain samples), and also, potentially, public health and environmental justice research by members of the stakeholder group.
Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Sarah Jovan (sarah.jovan@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor.
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: January 4, 2022. Start date is flexible and negotiable, and will depend on a variety of factors.
Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for one year, but may be extended upon recommendation of USFS and is contingent on the availability of funds.
Level of Participation: The appointment is part-time (20 hours per week).
Participant Stipend: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience.
Citizenship Requirements: This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens only.
ORISE Information: This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and USFS. Participants do not become employees of USDA, USFS, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE.
Questions: Please visit our Program Website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process please email USForestService@orise.orau.gov and include the reference code for this opportunity (USDA-USFS-2021-0152).