ENPH News

 

“Welcome to Fall Semester 2009

Dear ENPH Students,

With this note, I would like to welcome you to the fall semester at UW-Eau Claire.  Many of you completed rewarding internships this summer, from Eau Claire to Atlanta.  I understand that at least three job offers were made during this important preparation for entering the field.  Others are now applying for advanced degree programs.

Dr. Gabel, who visited all interns and represented ENPH at the NEHA conference in Atlanta, is expanding her responsibilities as a tenure-track Assistant Professor.  I was granted tenure and the rank of Associate Professor.

At the beginning of the fall 2008 academic year, our Public Health Professions Department set out three goals: 1) Recruitment to increase the number of ENPH majors by six; 2) To revise our curriculum and build a clear plan for student progression through courses; and 3) To build stronger connections with the environmental health community.  We were able to accomplish all three goals.

We surpassed our goal with 44 ENPH majors in the spring, and will surpass 50 by the end of the academic year.  Our curriculum changes (based in part on your input from last spring's survey) and ENPH course progression “pyramid” will be presented for the entire college to ratify on October 2.  And we strengthened ties with the community through our spring ENPH Advisory Committee Meeting.  These ties include new discussions about nanotechnology safety education, environmental health tracking exercises, and offering of professional preparation courses such as a NEHA RS exam prep course.  Silas Thompson did a great job with an “Environmental Health Heroes” slideshow for our web page, highlighting the work of the Eau Claire City-County Health Department staff (most of whom are our graduates).

SNEHA (The Student National Environmental Health Association) will be providing more professional connection opportunities this year, offering brown bag sessions with local environmental health experts and employers.  SNEHA will also provide information about upcoming WEHA and MEHA conferences, and of course will be defending our First Place standing in the 2009 UW-Eau Claire Homecoming Parade by again rockin' the house with a choreographed dance marching routine (all ENPH students are welcome).  I strongly encourage you to attend SNEHA meetings and assume responsibility for projects and activities.

I believe this will be a great year for our ENPH Program, and look forward to seeing you in class, during advising, and at SNEHA meetings!

Sincerely,

Crispin Pierce”

Dr. Pierce Honored

Dr. Pierce Honored Program Director Crispin Pierce was recognized as an expert in the modeling of human exposure to toxic substances by being invited to serve on the US EPA 2006 Science To Achieve Results (STAR) Program: Interpretation of Biomarkers Using PBPK Modeling grant review team. On January 12, this group of eight individuals nationwide traveled to Washington, D.C. to review and prioritize applications from prominent researchers to develop models of how the body absorbs, distributes, and eliminates toxic chemicals such as metals and pesticides. This participation also led to information about new job openings for ENPH graduate students.

SNEHA Marches in the 2006 Homecoming Parade

ENPH Students and faculty walked, drove, skated, and biked in this year's UW-Eau Claire Homecoming Parade on Saturday, Oct. 7. While giving out treats and chasing a big radio-controlled rat, Molly, Kendall, Mike, Megan, Samantha, Leann and Rick joined faculty members Bob Nelson and Crispin Pierce (and daughter Avala) to promote SNEHA and the ENPH major to hundreds of cheering students and families along First Ave. Support was provided by Marquart Toyota and Waste Management.

 

ENPH Scholarship Winners

Congratulations to graduate student Messie Squire, winner of the Wisconsin Environmental Health Association 2006 Academic Award!

This award is based not only upon academic acheivment, but also upon future plans and goals for the Environmental Health field. Messie graduated from Solusi University in Zimbabwe with an excellent GPA before entering the graduate program here at UW - Eau Claire, where she has continued her academic excellence.

 

Congratulations to Megan Arndt and Laura Suppes, co-winners of this year's C.K. Luchterhand Scholarship!

This award is given by ENPH faculty to recognize academic achievement and leadership in ENPH students:

Megan Michelle Arndt
Megan Arndt is a warm and hard-working junior who provides leadership and outreach to other students in our program. Carrying a strong GPA, Megan has provided leadership as she conducted student-faculty research studying how different body characteristics, such as body weight and adiposity, may affect how the human body handles chemicals such as xylene.

Laura Michele Suppes
Laura Suppes is a hard-working student-athlete who provides a role model for other students in our program. As co-captain of the UW-Eau Claire women's hockey team as well as the recipient of the 2005-06 Amber Star Krenz scholarship and carrying a strong GPA, Laura evinces the qualities of hard work and accomplishment in athletics as well as academics.

October 2006: Current ENPH faculty and alumni gather with Scholarship Award winners!