Press Release - Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Press Releases
No Data
Illinois EPA interns begin summer Pollution Prevention jobs at companies across the state
SPRINGFIELD—This summer, 17 upper-level university students will take the skills they learn in the classroom and apply them in the real world as members of Illinois EPA's Pollution Prevention Internship Program, also known as the P2 program. Since 1989, Illinois EPA has placed nearly 300 students at manufacturing facilities, small business development centers, trade associations, local government facilities, environmental groups and military installations across the state.
Starting today, the group of selected students will work in a practical setting to help companies and organizations throughout Illinois identify, develop and implement environmentally-friendly technologies and practices in cost-saving ways. Following completion of the P2 training program in Springfield last week, students will now spend the remainder of the 12-week summer session working as a temporary, full-time employee at the sponsoring facility.
This year's students have backgrounds in various fields of engineering and chemistry.
The P2 intern students will help Illinois industries and organizations identify and carry out pollution prevention opportunities, which reduce the generation of waste, increase energy efficiency and conserve water. These practices not only can help businesses and others achieve better environmental protection, but it can also help them save money, improve efficiency and ease regulatory concerns.
"The positive effects of this internship program are considerable. Energy costs are reduced, solid and hazardous wastes are diverted from landfills, and millions of gallons of water are saved," said P2 program manager Kevin Greene. "Companies benefit through cost savings, and the environment benefits by way of reductions in emissions and wastes that would be created during manufacturing operations."
The students, hometowns, universities and specialties, and the companies they will be working for are:
Student |
University |
Field of Study |
Host Organization |
Hometown |
|
Virginia Palmer |
Northwestern |
Env. Eng. |
Abbott Laboratories,
Abbott Park |
Lincolnwood, IL |
|
Britt Mork |
NIU, DeKalb |
Mech. Eng. |
Joliet Public School District 86, Joliet |
Lemont, IL |
|
Jeff Schuurman |
NIU, DeKalb |
Mech. Eng. |
Woodward Governor,
Rockford |
Plainfield, IL |
|
Eric Miller |
SIU, Carbondale |
Mech. Eng. |
Ahlstrom Engine Filtration, Taylorville |
Rochester, IL |
|
Eric Nussbaum |
Bradley University |
Mech. Eng. |
Caterpillar U.S. Operations Division, E. Peoria |
Poplar Grove, IL |
|
Christina Mayberry |
SIU, Carbondale |
Mech. Eng. |
Illinois State University, Bloomington |
Carbondale, IL |
|
Luan Daves |
U of I, Urbana-Champaign |
Env. Mgmt. |
Energy Education Council, Champaign |
Sherrard, IL |
|
Alexander Vukojev |
Bradley University |
Mech. Eng. |
Illinois Central College,
Peoria |
Schaumburg, IL |
|
Scott Nelson |
U of I, Champaign |
Chem. Eng. |
Mattoon Precision Mfg. Inc., Mattoon |
Arlington Hts., IL |
|
Chuck Hoover |
U of I, Champaign |
Chem. Eng. |
Mueller,
Decatur |
Kingman, AZ |
|
Olaoluwa Afolayan |
SIU, Edwardsville |
Civil Eng. |
Oak State Products,
Wenona |
Edwardsville, IL |
|
Matt Jeffers |
SIU, Carbondale |
Mech. Eng. |
Carlisle SynTec Inc.,
Greenville |
Rochester, IL |
|
Jeff Rohrich |
SIU, Carbondale |
Mech. Eng. |
City of DuQuoin and Fairgrounds, DuQuoin |
Marion, IL |
|
Derek Perry |
SIU, Carbondale |
Mech. Eng. |
City of Olney,
Olney |
Flora, IL |
|
Jonathan Langenfeld |
SIU, Carbondale |
Mech. Eng. |
Innertech,
Nashville |
Centralia, IL |
|
Ashia Small |
SIU, Edwardsville |
Chemistry |
National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Edwardsville Center, |
Springfield, IL |
|
Carl Todd |
SIU, Carbondale |
Elect. Eng. |
SIU, Carbondale and Physical Plant, Carbondale |
Chambersburg, IL |
Since the P2 Intern program has been in existence, over 200 companies have taken advantage of the intern assistance, including Peoria-based Caterpillar, which has welcomed P2 interns at several of its Illinois plants, to family-owned companies with less than 100 employees.
During 2007, the 15 intern projects made recommendations with the potential to save the participating facilities more than $1.65 million in operating and disposal costs, as well as reduce energy costs by more than $1.7 million.
Illinois EPA recruits, trains and pays the salaries and expenses of the interns. The host facilities will provide oversight and monitor their performance.
For more information on the Illinois EPA's Pollution Prevention program can be found at: http://www.epa.state.il.us/p2/index.html. For information on the P2 Internship Program, you can contact Richard Reese, (217) 557-8671 or Richard.Reese@Illinois.gov. Please Note: The deadline for the student to apply is late Octobver and will be posted on the website. The application deadline for a host facility to apply is January 1.
Press Releases
No Data