Illinois EPA interns begin summer jobs in pollution prevention at
companies across the state
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Program
developed to help students gain real-world knowledge while helping
Illinois companies improve environmental practices
[June 18, 2007]
SPRINGFIELD --- This summer, 15 upper-level
university students will take the skills they learn in the classroom
and apply them in the real world as members of Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency's Pollution Prevention program, also
known as the P2 program. Since 1989, Illinois EPA has placed over
280 students at manufacturing facilities, small-business development
centers, trade associations, local government facilities,
environmental groups and military installations across the state.
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The group of selected students will work in a practical setting to
help companies and organizations throughout Illinois identify,
develop and implement environmentally friendly technologies and
practices in cost-saving ways. Following completion of the P2
training program in Springfield, students will spend the remainder
of the 12-week summer session working as a temporary, full-time
employees at the sponsoring facilities. This year's students have
backgrounds in various fields of engineering and chemistry. The P2
intern students will help Illinois industries and organizations
identify and carry out pollution prevention opportunities, which
reduce the generation of waste, increase energy efficiency and
conserve water. These practices not only can help businesses and
others achieve better environmental protection, but it can also help
them save money, improve efficiency and ease regulatory concerns.
"The positive effects of this internship program are
considerable. Energy costs are reduced, solid and hazardous wastes
are diverted from landfills, and millions of gallons of water are
saved," said P2 program manager Kevin Greene. "Companies benefit
through cost-savings, and the environment benefits by way of
reductions in emissions and wastes that would be created during
manufacturing operations."
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![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2007/Jun/15/images/ads/current/lincup%20spec%20ad%20061607.png) The students, hometowns, universities and specialties, and the
companies they will be working for are listed
below.
Since the P2 intern program has been in existence, over 200
companies have taken advantage of the intern assistance, including
Peoria-based Caterpillar, which has welcomed P2 interns at several
of its Illinois plants, as well as family-owned companies with less
than 100 employees.
During 2005, the 20 interns' projects made recommendations with
the potential to save the participating facilities more than $3
million in operating and disposal costs, reducing water consumption
by 16.8 million gallons at a savings of $38,000 and reducing energy
costs by more than $680,000.
Illinois EPA recruits, trains, and pays the salaries and expenses
of the interns. The host facilities provide oversight and monitor
their performance.
More information on the Illinois EPA's Pollution Prevention
program is available at
http://www.epa.state.il.us/p2/index.html. For additional
information on the P2 internship program, contact Richard Reese at
217-786-7489 or
Richard.Reese@Illinois.gov. Please note: The deadline for both
the student and host facility to apply each year is Jan. 31.
[Text from Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency news release received from
the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information] |
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P2 internships
Student |
Hometown |
University |
Degree |
Facility or
host organization |
Brian Nolan |
Roscoe |
Bradley |
Mechanical
engineering |
Woodward
Governor, Rockford |
Raisa Pelae |
Dunlap |
IIT |
Chemical
engineering |
Caterpillar
TTTD, E. Peoria |
Francis
Costanzo |
Chicago |
IIT |
Chemical
engineering |
Rhodia, Blue
Island |
Jeff Schuurman |
Plainfield |
NIU, DeKalb |
Mechanical
engineering |
Cadbury Adams,
Rockford |
Brett Leonard |
Rochester |
SIU Carbondale |
Mechanical
engineering |
Ahlstrom Engine
Filtration, Taylorville |
Debalina
Dasgupta |
Carbondale |
SIU Carbondale |
Engineering
science |
Emerald
Performance Materials (Noveon), Henry |
Brett Seagle |
Royalton |
SIU Carbondale |
Mechanical
engineering |
Crownline
Boats, West Frankfort |
Eric White |
Marion |
SIU Carbondale |
Mechanical
engineering |
SIU Carbondale,
EHS Dept. |
Bradley Taylor |
Murphysboro
|
SIU Carbondale |
Electrical
engineering |
Honeywell,
Metropolis |
Jeremi Savin |
Centralia |
SIU Carbondale |
Mechanical
engineering |
Carlisle
SynTech Inc., Greenville |
Scott Achelpohl |
Orion |
SIU Carbondale |
Mechanical
engineering |
GSI, Assumption |
Silas Osiohwo |
Edwardsville |
SIU
Edwardsville |
Chemistry |
National Corn-
to-Ethanol Research Center, Edwardsville |
Jonathan Smith |
Chester |
UI Chicago |
Chemical
engineering |
City of Aurora,
Aurora |
Travis
Pyrzynski |
Chicago |
UI Chicago |
Chemical
engineering |
Southeast
Environmental Task Force, Chicago |
Beverly Franek |
Palos Hills |
UI
Urbana-Champaign |
Biochemistry |
Village of
Algonquin, Algonquin |
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