The National Council for Science and the Environment, along with our Council of Environmental Deans and Directors (CEDD), the American Chemical Society (ACS), and the AAAS Science and Technology Fellows program, sponsored a congressional reception honoring the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Science to Achieve Results (STAR) graduate fellows on Monday, September 21, 2009. The reception took place at the Rayburn House Office Building (of the U.S. House of Representatives) on Capitol Hill.

144 recipients of this prestigious fellowship were invited to the reception, which took place during the annual STAR Fellows conference.  Invitations were sent to all congressional offices and to leaders in the science and environmental communities. Congressional offices and Fellows' home universities were amply represented, and posters presented by 28 Fellows were also displayed in the room.

Above, Congressman Mike Michaud of Maine's 2nd District stands with (L-R) EPA Graduate Fellows Amie Holmes (University of Southern Maine), Emily Notch (University of Maine), and Jamie Young (University of Southern Maine) in front of Emily Notch's poster, "Aquatic Estrogens Alter DNA Repair".

EPA’s STAR graduate fellowship program is the only federal program designed exclusively for students pursuing advanced degrees in environmental sciences.  Since 1995, EPA has funded over 1500 STAR fellows.  The STAR fellowship program is highly competitive, with only 7 percent of applicants being awarded fellowships.