Julia Hyman

Natural Resources Science
vita

Before moving to Rhode Island to be an IGERT trainee Julia worked at Soundkeeper Inc., a Norwalk, CT nonprofit organization devoted to protecting the Long Island Sound. While working at Soundkeeper, Julia managed “The Filter Project” which involved collecting water samples during rainstorms from filtered and unfiltered catch basins to find out if the filters were collecting oils and sediments as well as killing bacteria before entering the Sound. Julia was also responsible for testing Stamford Harbor’s oxygen levels one early morning per week during the summer months. Throughout her nearly two years at Soundkeeper, Julia also acted as an office manager and had responsibility for grant status reporting. Before working at Soundkeeper, Julia interned for a summer at Cumberland County Conservation District in PA. There she collected soil from corn fields in order to test their nitrogen levels. She also spoke with farmers about hypoxia problems in Chesapeake Bay. Julia graduated from Dickinson College in the spring of 2006 with a B.S. in Environmental Science. While an undergraduate, Julia pursued three non-traditional semesters. In the fall of 2005 she took a semester course comparing the Chesapeake Bay with the Lower Mississippi River Basin where she had the chance to travel extensively after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit. Earlier, Julia spent the spring of 2004 at the Save the Rhino Trust in Palmwag, Namibia with Round River Conservation Studies. In the summer and fall of 2004, Julia attended University of East Anglia in England and took courses in both England and Ireland. Her work background also includes working for a summer in the lab of the Fairfield, CT sewage treatment plant and doing survey work for Natural Resources Conservation Service. Julia is interested in all aspects of our environment although most of her background is in stream ecology, environmental justice, and oil supply/demand. She is eager to start at URI because she believes the IGERT traineeship, in combination with her coursework and research, will give her the scientific and communication tools she needs to meet her professional goals. While attending URI Julia’s advisor will be Dr. Arthur Gold and she will be focusing on water quality. Julia loves hiking, talking, and keeping up with the 2008 campaign.