ORISE program develops scientific expertise

Students gain field experience, host installations get needed program help

Young professionals just starting out in their chosen fields are gaining field experience by participating in scientific projects at Fort McCoy. In return, the installation is accomplishing projects that otherwise might not be completed.

About 10 recent college graduates are supporting Fort McCoy programs in the Directorate of Training and Mobilization through the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE).

ORISE manages research and educational programs for the Department of Energy (DOE). According to Joanne Rasnake, ORISE program manager at Aberdeen Proving Ground, the U.S. Army Environmental Center (USAEC) established the Environmental Management Participation Program through DOE and ORISE in order to place interns at Army installations.

Shawn Giblin measures water depth at Fort McCoy's Stillwell Pond.

Fort McCoy provides funding to the USAEC to bring interns to McCoy. Following similar arrangements, the USAEC, DOE and ORISE provide internship opportunities for participants at Army installations in the United States and Europe. Rasnake said the ORISE program administers more than 100 scientific or environmental programs and deals with at least 13 federal agencies.

"In supporting these programs, federal agencies and host facilities partner with ORISE in setting the stage for the future of our nation's scientific capabilities," Rasnake said. "This program allows faculty, students and recent graduates to enhance their educational development by gaining practical experience closely related to their academic pursuits."

Andy Sewell, an ORISE participant under the mentorship of Fort McCoy Archaeologist Dell Greek, is conducting a project to document historical homesteads at Fort McCoy. ORISE pays Sewell a stipend, while he gains the field experience he needs to be able to compete for a professional position.

Greek said the ORISE program is "win-win" for both the participants and the installation.

"Without his help, and with the budget constraints, it would be impossible for us to do the project," Greek said. "Andy took over a four-year-old project and is bringing it to completion in 12 months."

Sewell, who has a master's degree in Industrial Archaeology from Michigan Technological University, said the archaeology field is very competitive.

At Fort McCoy, he was given the opportunity to organize an entire program to help document historical homesteads. The work included reviewing existing documents and the work done previously, as well as investigating the impacts on the sites over the years. Sewell currently is recruiting volunteers to perform site excavation work this summer.

Andy Sewell stands near a historical home- stead site at Fort McCoy that will be excavated later this year.

"The ORISE program was a good way to get my foot in the door," Sewell said. "At least now, I have experience in federal resources and one leg up in the military hiring process."

Sewell said ORISE participants also attend a type of "boot camp," titled Army 101, at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., before beginning their positions. That gives them some background about the Army and also why it needs a lot of land to conduct its training, he said.

Greek said the ORISE program also helps to create a pool of qualified applicants who are knowledgeable about the Army's needs and prepare them for possible future employment with the Army. ORISE students can be in the program for up to three years.

Chad Kuhn, who supports the Directorate of Training and Mobilization Biological and Cultural Resources Management Team, is starting his third year in the program. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse with a bachelor's degree in Geographic Information Systems.

"The experience I'm getting here is great," Kuhn said. "I'm developing a database for a number of areas, including a forest management inventory. It's a fun project, and it's an up-and-coming field."

John Noble, Fort McCoy Fisheries biologist, said the fishery management program depended heavily on six ORISE participants during the past summer.

Interns participated in a wide variety of field studies, such as conducting water-quality monitoring, stream biomonitoring, lake oxygen-level studies, performing fish population estimates, evaluating fish contaminants and doing erosion control and habitat improvement projects.

"ORISE gives us people with good work ethics and a willingness to learn," Noble said. "It provides us with a more cost-beneficial way of doing business, while giving young professionals knowledge and experience in natural resources programs. We give them hands-on experience and help them build toward their careers in a very competitive field."

In turn, Noble said he has more time to devote to project planning and completing other projects.

Fort McCoy uses the same techniques that many of the external organizations use, so it allows participants to use their experience to get positions with other natural resources organizations, Noble said.

Shawn Giblin, an ORISE participant in the fisheries management program, said he has gained much experience in fieldwork and computers during his two-and-one-half years at Fort McCoy. Giblin has a bachelor's degree in Aquatic Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

"I've really liked some of the stream improvement projects we've done here," Giblin said. "The before- and-after data have shown some substantial improvements in fish population numbers."

Giblin said he has performed many duties in the fisheries management program, such as developing lake depth maps, and conducting oxygen studies, water quality studies, and lake netting of fish to determine fish population estimates.

For more information about ORISE, call Rasnake at (410) 436-7257 or visit the ORISE Web site at www.orau.org., then click "Government Initiatives."