Week 1 at the EPA

First week at the EPA: done! I must admit, I thought that my co-workers and advisor would be a lot sterner than they actually were. They are all very warm and personable, which has made asking questions easy.

A lot of my first week with Design for the Environment (DfE), the department I work for within the EPA, involved learning about its responsibilities and how it conducts business. Operating under the umbrella of Pollution Prevention and Control, the DfE works with stakeholders in and outside of the government to identify chemicals that exist in household items (cleaning supplies, flame retardants, furniture) that may be dangerous to the environment and human health, and promote safer alternatives through research in "green chemistry." My job this week has been to learn about some of these dangerous chemicals that the team of toxicologists and chemists from the DfE are researching. This background knowledge will help me with upcoming projects (which have yet to be decided).

Until next week!