Student wins EPA research scholarship

Western Washington University Environmental Science student Roby Ventres-Pake of Portland, Ore., was a recent recipient of a scholarship from the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2013 Greater Research Opportunities Fellowship program.

Through the EPA’s GRO program, Ventres-Pake could be awarded up to $50,000 for studies in Environmental Science, and will also be given an EPA internship.

“The idea is that you can focus more on learning rather than trying to work a job at the same time or cram in the maximum number of credits every quarter, which is what I have been doing before,” Ventres-Pake said. “It’s great to be able to slow down and appreciate the classes that I’m in, what I’m learning and put my full effort into everything.”

During his next two years at Western, including his internship with the EPA next summer, Ventres-Pake will diversify his learning experience by studying aquatic resources, fisheries, botany and wildlife monitoring.

The 2013 GRO program awarded 33 students across the country a portion of more than $1.65 million in research fellowship funding. The GRO Fellowship, created in 1982, has funded more than 395 undergraduates’ education in the past 30 years as they pursue degrees related to the Environmental Science and public health fields.

Ventres-Pake is a 2007 graduate of Cleveland High School. After graduation, he hopes to pursue a career in aquatic resources, wildlife monitoring and aquaculture.

For more information, contact Western’s Office of Communications and Marketing at 360-650-3350.