Winter 2005
This is an archived article. Facts and links are current as of publication date.

Courtesy of Fort Hood

ORISE Intern Sunny Wood explains the process of making stone tools during the Fort Hood, Texas, Archaeology Month fair in October.

Mentor young scientists and engineers. Stimulate interest in working for Army environmental programs. Save money.

Since 1995, the Army's Environmental Management Participation Program operated by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) has placed close to 1,000 participants in environmental programs and projects on Army installations.

"Over the past 10 years, I estimate the ORISE program has saved the Army more than $33 million," said Paul Thies, chief of the Environmental Planning Support Branch at the U.S. Army Environmental Center and the Army's ORISE coordinator. "This statistic only begins to demonstrate the benefits of this program, as it does not reflect the direct career benefits our interns amass through their tenure at the installations."

Initiated by the U.S. Department of Energy, ORISE is designed to educate the next generation of scientists by focusing learning and scientific initiatives on occupational health risks, environmental cleanup, radiation medical emergencies, national security and emergency preparedness.

Since opening the Army's ORISE program, USAEC has integrated participants into the operations of more than 60 installations. Some 60 percent of participants in the ORISE program have continued to work in Army environmental programs in some capacity, once their fellowships ended.

But retention is just one of the many benefits making the ORISE program valuable. For example, by appointing a technically capable ORISE intern to spearhead important but not mission-critical environmental projects, the Army can complete and use the research to support the mission in a fiscally responsible manner. Meanwhile, the ORISE participant gains the educational and management experience that will better prepare him or her for a career.

"The ORISE program is providing an excellent opportunity for the Army to develop its workforce of the future. The program gives participants the chance to develop an understanding of the Army's mission, its readiness requirements, and its business challenges," said Col. Tony R. Francis, commander of the U.S. Army Environmental Center. "These learning experiences can pay dividends over the long term for installation sustainability."

Upon appointment, USAEC assigns each ORISE intern a mentor who provides guidance, hands-on training, and helps participants shape their skills and abilities while settling into their new learning position. Mentors also ensure that ORISE participants enhance their professional development by attending conferences and symposia, handling projects appropriate to their role as an appointee, participating in meetings, and functioning as members of the team. Mentors help participants become familiar with the technical and business areas of the federal sponsor. "Mentoring leadership is essential to the success of the ORISE program," said Thies. "Without mentors to ensure the training aspects of the program, ORISE's research participation program would lose its educational focus and cease to exist."

The appointment period for a typical ORISE intern is limited to three one-year appointments. ORISE participants earn a stipend, are eligible to receive monetary awards for outstanding work, and may earn absences and leave at the discretion of the participant's mentor.

John Housein, who currently supports the USAEC Training Support Division's Natural Resources Branch, is a three-year veteran of the program. He became an ORISE intern after completing back-to-back undergrad and graduate programs in wildlife science and environmental planning at Virginia Tech.

"This program has given me a lot of exposure to environmental scientists practicing in the field who I would have not met otherwise, as well as a means to seek out new opportunities," said Housein. "I have chosen to stay on for all three years because professional development and investment in the participant are part of the program's design. The long-term benefit is far greater than any short-term gain from leaving the program."

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