Environmental studies projects earn students Heinz Foundation awards

Seven Cornell graduate students are among 18 nationwide to receive 1999-2000 grants from the Teresa Heinz Scholars for Environmental Research program.

A project of the Pittsburgh-based Teresa and H. John Heinz III Foundation, the scholars program was created to encourage students to integrate environmental thinking across a range of disciplines. Master's degree students receive $5,000 each, and Ph.D. students are awarded $10,000 to further their research.

Heinz Master's Program Scholars at Cornell, with their departments and award-winning research projects, are:

• Koralie Hill, civil and environmental engineering, "Predicting the Plant-mediated Mobilization of Trace Toxic Metals from Soils Subjected to Wastewater Sludge."
  
• Jeffrey Himel, agricultural and biological engineering, "Back to the Future: Restoring Traditional Water Control in Kompong Thom, Cambodia."
  
• Shannon Larsen, city and regional planning, "An Econometric Analysis of the Effects on Economic Growth of Investments in Wastewater Treatment Infrastructure."
  
• Benjamin Neimark, floriculture and ornamental horticulture, "Advances in Vegetative Propagation of the Tropical Multipurpose Fruit and Forest Trees Leucaena and Inga."
  
• Laura Stenzler, ecology and evolutionary biology, "The Genetic Consequences of Natal Dispersal in Birds."

Heinz Ph.D. Program Scholars at Cornell, with their departments and award-winning projects, are:

• Joseph Mathews, operations research and industrial engineering, "Game Theoretic Aspects in Tradable Emission Permits in River Systems."
  
• Pamela Templer, ecology and evolutionary biology, "Role of Five Tree Species in Reducing Harmful Impacts of Acid Rain and Improving Water Quality in the Catskill Mountains."

Also receiving awards in the second year of the Heinz Scholars program were students at Yale, Texas A&M, Princeton, Stanford and Carnegie Mellon universities.

Commenting on the student research, Heinz Foundation Chair Teresa Heinz said, "It is through projects like these that solutions to our most urgent environmental challenges will be met."