Participant Benefits from Multiple DoD Educational Opportunities
| The Department of Defense (DoD) has opened many a door for
research participant Paul James. When Paul retired from the Army Chemical Corps as a Lieutenant Colonel, he found funding for his third master’s degree through DoD’s Environmental Scholarships/Fellowships Program. A success story for this program, Paul was featured in the May 1997 issue of Pollution Prevention magazine. With this new degree—a Master of Public Administration in Environmental Management—under his belt, Paul discovered yet another opportunity with DoD through the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education’s (ORISE’s) research participation program with the Directorate of Environment at Fort McClellan, Ala. |
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Paul’s chemistry and environmental background made him a natural fit for Ft. McClellan’s Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process. Now in his third year as an ORISE participant, Paul is finalizing research on the regulations, rules, and documentation necessary to ensure that environmental actions during the BRAC closure process are executed correctly and in a timely manner. Paul has researched National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation, unexploded ordnance (UXO) strategy, and National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) implementation and is carefully integrating these into overall planning for the BRAC. |
| Proof positive that there is "life after ORISE,"
Paul already has an offer of employment to follow his ORISE appointment, which ends in the
summer of 1999. He plans to remain at Ft. McClellan under an employment arrangement with a
private company. Paul noted that his ORISE experience, especially his research on NEPA, which gave him a rare expertise in this complex documentation, helped him obtain this employment offer. "The ORISE program gives a person who may not have had exposure to government service a good look at how the government operates. It helps you to establish contacts within the government and contractor community that can lead to further employment," he said. Paul’s mentor, Ron Levy, Director of Environment at Ft. McClellan, added, "Paul has learned quite a bit. The Army and the installation are gaining from his contributions. Based on his skills and qualifications, whoever hires Paul after his ORISE appointment will have a terrific person. ORISE allows us to capture quality people who provide benefit to the Army, and it enables us to provide developmental benefits to these individuals." |
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