DSHE Duo Active in Installation Restoration

Angela Miller and Heather McIntosh’s offices at Aberdeen Proving Ground’s (APG) Directorate of Safety Health and Environment (DSHE) are brimming with paper. Environmental regulations, research reports, and minutes of APG-area meetings fill every available corner. The interviewer’s first impression is that no one could absorb and use all of this information. Miller and McIntosh, however, do understand and apply this information to great advantage for the APG.

 

 

 

 

Angela Miller, left and Heather McIntosh, right, in the office.
Miller accepted her ORISE appointment with mentor Don Green in 1998. Her intent was to return to graduate school and find her environmental career niche. Now pursuing a master’s degree in Environmental Science and Policy at Johns Hopkins University, Miller says, "My participation with the ORISE program has afforded me an opportunity to work with experienced environmental professionals and to broaden my exposure to environmental issues as well as remediation techniques. I have gained valuable experience unlike that which could be acquired in any other professional setting."

Miller and McIntosh’s research assignments involve environmental cleanup and restoration of the APG installation per EPA guidelines. When asked to put this in layman’s terms, McIntosh says, "We track all contaminants on post and tackle each one for cleanup." In doing so, they are involved with projects from feasibility study to closeout. They touch upon the full spectrum of NEPA processes. "If I worked for a contractor, I would only see a tiny piece of the overall process," says Miller in appreciation for the scope of her assignments.
Miller’s projects have included study of prescribed range fires, applying data from prescribed burns to propose future plans for fire in natural resource control of habitats. Spanning the gamut from fire to water, Miller participated in the planning and construction of shoreline stabilization for the purpose of retaining land that is contaminated, and preventing contamination from entering area waterways. She supported the construction of a landfill cap that is near a residential neighborhood, and has an ongoing study that utilizes honeybees to measure levels of contamination. Bee colonies are placed near areas of suspected contamination. Bees are studied for contaminants that they may have ingested or picked up in their daily travels. The bees provide a noninvasive means to monitor contaminant levels in a local area.

 

 

 

 

 

Angela Miller’s honeybee hive boxes are as big as she is!

 

 

 

 

 

Heather McIntosh checks a marker in the Indian mustard project area.


McIntosh became an ORISE participant in 1999, also with mentor Don Green. She, too, is researching innovative technologies for installation cleanup, including phytoremediation. In this study, Indian mustard plants may be cultivated in an area contaminated with an unknown source of lead. The plants uptake the lead, and then are removed without massive disturbance to the soils.

McIntosh and Miller constantly gather background research on environmental policy and compliance. They involve the community and public through Restoration Advisory Board meetings to select innovative research technologies, such as the bees and mustard plants.

 

Both McIntosh and Miller brought impressive backgrounds to their ORISE experiences. McIntosh holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Biology from Salisbury State University and in Environmental Science from the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore. She is pursuing a master’s degree in Environmental Biology from Hood College of Maryland. Prior to her ORISE appointment, she had five years experience as an environmental biologist and analyst and extensive volunteer experience with environmental projects in the Chesapeake region.

Miller’s career has ranged from supertankers to honeybees. She has a bachelor’s degree in Meteorology and Oceanography/Environmental Science from the State University of New York Maritime College. She holds a U.S. Coast Guard 3rd Mate License and is a commissioned officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve. She had over a year of experience in export shipping management, scheduling, and monitoring movement of ships in and out of the Port of Baltimore. In this job, she monitored the movement and stowage of hazardous cargo containers.

Don Green, research mentor for McIntosh and Miller, is pleased with their achievements to date. "These capable ORISE participants enable DSHE to accomplish a tremendous amount of research and remediation, on time 

 

 

 

 

Each bee hive is marked with a symbol, such as this blue star. The bees recognize the symbols and return to the same hive every time.
and on budget. We’re delighted to offer them opportunities to experience the full spectrum of the environmental remediation process while pursuing their master’s degrees. Upon completion of their degrees and their ORISE appointments, these talented women will be fantastic project managers in the environmental field."

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