How Are Faculty And Students Involved?
Faculty Research
Dr. Chris Keil
Geology and Environmental Science
One of Dr. Chris Keil’s research areas is indoor air pollution research including cooking smoke exposures in developing countries. He recently published "Mass Balance Source Apportionment Modeling of Indoor Air Pollution Exposures During the Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony." Keil, C., Coleman, Q., Brown, A. and Kassa, H. J Occup Environ Hyg Jan;11(1):40-6, 2014.
Student Internships
Cardno ChemRisk, PA
“Last summer I interned for Cardno ChemRisk, an environmental consulting firm in Pittsburgh. I had the opportunity to work on a variety of projects related to assessing the environmental and human health impacts of hazardous chemicals. For example, I helped assess whether or not a chemical that would be in oil extraction would pose significant risk to aquatic communities. Projects like this challenged me to apply the skills I had acquired at Wheaton while learning new skills in areas I was unfamiliar with.”
-Jacob Kvasnicka
International Sustainable Development Studies Institute (ISDSI), Thailand
“This past summer, I interned with ISDSI researching maternal and child health of refugee populations at the Thai-Myanmar border. We worked with families who were trafficked to orange orchards as they were fleeing the civil war in Myanmar. Here, they were forced to live in barracks on site and work eighty hour weeks that included spraying hazardous pesticides. The communities experienced significant health complications from the exposure to agrochemicals. My time was spent interacting with the orchard workers and their families, creating surveys that could be used to measure environmental stress, and working with a local NGO to improve the quality of the drinking water available in the orchards. I am extremely grateful for this opportunity to learn about the realities of environmental injustice that occur around the world and for the experience which solidified my desire to pursue a career in environmental public health.”
-Kelly Baglia’16
Ezylife Corporation, CA
“I did my research for the Ezylife Corporation, a company in San Diego that sells eco-efficient stoves and other environmental sustainable products to African countries. I conducted market and environmental research for them to find good places to sell their products based on need and market viability. I learned how to work in the business world and the discipline, timeliness, and organization necessary to be an accountable employee. I also learned about environmental conditions in Africa and social context of business there.”
-Philip Meyer’16