Office of Conservation
DNR’s Office of Conservation and BRCC partner to provide real-world training for students
The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR), through the Office of Conservation, will be bringing on a quartet of Baton Rouge Community College (BRCC) students wrapping up their course work in environmental technology to give them hands-on experience in government regulation of environmental issues.
The four BRCC students will be among the first to complete their coursework for BRCC’s Associate of Applied Science in Science Technology program, which began in fall 2008 with start-up funding from $70,000 National Science Foundation grant and $190,000 in grants from the state Board of Regents.
The students are the first from the Science Technology program to be placed through BRCC’s internship program.
The four will primarily be working with the Office of Conservation, within DNR. DNR’s Office of Conservation is the primary state regulatory agency for oil and natural gas exploration and protection of state ground water resources.
Within the agency, the students will have the chance to work with regulators in the Office’s Engineering and Environmental Divisions, to see and assist with operations involving the approval and inspection of various procedures tied to energy exploration to how data is collected and used in the proper management of state ground water regulations.
“We are glad to assist BRCC in its mission of training a new generation in designing, operating and regulating the processes of industries that have an impact on our environment, “ said state Conservation Commissioner Jim Welsh.
JoDale Ales, dean of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math at BRCC, said DNR and the Office of Conservation are a perfect fit to offer the kind of experiences students in BRCC’s Environmental Technology discipline need to advance in their education and careers.
“The Science Technology program has been a success for BRCC, with strong student interest,” Ales said. “Building a relationship with DNR and the Office of Conservation will give us more to offer our students and help further strengthen BRCC’s reputation as an institution that provides relevant education and produces prepared students.”
The student interns come from both inside and outside the state of Louisiana – Harold Abarca, of Nicaragua, intends to go on to LSU to study environmental science; Dexter Courville, of Brusly, intends to go on to study forestry management at LSU; Kaleigh Hebert, of Plaquemine, intends to use her education to further her career in the energy industry; and Noami Mustafa, of Trinidad and Tobago, intends to go on to LSU to study environmental management.
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