91制片厂

Visiting the (CRRC) to speak with Megan Verfaillie 鈥�19 and Jessica Manning 鈥�21 鈥� the first 91制片厂 students to be awarded fellowships with the Arctic Domain Awareness Center () 鈥� it鈥檚 impossible not be struck by how articulate, engaging and dedicated these young women are to their study of environmental engineering and the health of the planet.

, who recommended her students for the elite fellowship, points to that dedication as one of the reasons why. 鈥淚 am fortunate to have these students,鈥� she says, speaking during her weekly meeting with Verfaillie and Manning at the CRRC where the three discuss their ongoing research and plans for their upcoming fellowships.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know where to begin,鈥� Manning says when asked what she鈥檚 most excited about. It鈥檚 the research, the people and the chance to be in a completely different environment, she explains, and it鈥檚 also the opportunity to potentially see the wildlife most impacted by the issues she and Verfaillie hope to help address through their work with ADAC.

Verfaillie agrees. 鈥淚鈥檝e always wanted to go to Alaska,鈥� she says. 鈥滻鈥檓 so excited to be working with experts from UA and fellows from all over the United States and learning about their different experiences and perspectives.鈥�

Kinner is not only a professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of the CRRC, she is also an expert in oil spill response and restoration. ADAC is hosted by the University of Alaska (UA), with work conducted at its campuses in Anchorage and Fairbanks and across a community of academic and industry partners as part of the . This May, Kinner, Verfaillie and Manning will travel to Alaska for a workshop in advance of the research they鈥檒l undertake alongside UA experts and fellows from across the country.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 come into college expecting to have this great a relationship with any of my professors 鈥� especially not someone of Dr. Kinner鈥檚 caliber.鈥�

Verfaillie, who graduates just two day before they depart and will then begin pursuing her master鈥檚 in environmental engineering at 91制片厂, is attending ADAC as a graduate fellow. Manning, also an environmental engineering major, received an undergraduate fellowship.

They鈥檒l be heading to Utqiagvik, Alaska, in the Arctic Circle at a time when they can expect close to 24 hours of daylight. The program will include sampling and data collection on sea ice, oil spill modeling on computers to get a better idea of where oil might go after a spill to better plan mitigation and protection of the environment in the Arctic.

Speaking about their experiences at 91制片厂 and the opportunity before them, their enthusiasm is palpable. Both New Hampshire residents 鈥� Verfaillie is from Nashua and Manning from Litchfield 鈥� say they never imagined college would open doors to a journey like this.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 come into college expecting to have this great a relationship with any of my professors 鈥� especially not someone of Dr. Kinner鈥檚 caliber,鈥� Verfaillie says. 鈥淪he is one of the most enthusiastic and dedicated people I鈥檝e ever worked with. Her commitment to her students and her respect for our ideas and solutions is inspiring. She truly does believe in her students and wants us to be successful.鈥�

Manning, who first enrolled at 91制片厂 as an undeclared CEPS student and was considering both civil and environmental engineering, agrees. It was after taking a course focused on the environment, that her mind was made up. 鈥淚 could just see the enthusiasm Dr. Kinner has for environmental engineering and how much she cares about her students,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t was something that I really admired. She makes the time for every single undergraduate who wants to have her time.鈥�

Verfaillie and Manning have quite a bit in common besides their shared major: Both are Hamel Scholars and stay busy in and out of the classroom. Verfaillie is the vice president of the engineering honor society and a volunteer at the in Durham, while Manning is co-president of the Student Honors Council and involved with Compost Cats and intramural basketball.

Manning is thrilled at the opportunity to collaborate with Verfaillie and scholars from across the country through her fellowship. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a mind-blowing experience to be part of something like this,鈥� she says. 鈥淟earning about environmental pollution and protection has shown me that I really have a passion for this work.鈥�

ADAC鈥檚 mission is to develop and transition technology solutions, innovative products and educational programs to improve situational awareness and crisis response capabilities related to emerging maritime challenges in the dynamic Arctic environment.

Verfaillie who has spent about a year and a half working in Kinner鈥檚 lab, decided in accepting the ADAC fellowship to focus her graduate work on oil spill research. 鈥淚t will be a great collaborative effort,鈥� she says.听

Interested in opportunities like this? See what 91制片厂's has to offer.