Environmental Science Student Kasey Jacobs Wins Chasman Scholarship
August 4, 2008
UPTON, NY — Kasey Jacobs, a graduate of Long Island University, Southampton College, has won the 2008 Renate W. Chasman Scholarship for Women. Brookhaven Women in Science, a not-for-profit organization at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, offers the scholarship to qualified candidates annually to encourage women to pursue careers in science, engineering or mathematics. Jacobs plans to pursue her studies at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies this fall.
Named after the late Renate Chasman, a renowned physicist who worked at Brookhaven, the $2,000 scholarship is awarded each year to a re-entry woman — one whose college education was interrupted, but who has returned to pursue a degree on a half time or greater basis.
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With the 2008 Chasman Scholarship winner Kasey Jacobs (third from right) are Brookhaven Women in Science board members (from left) Aimee Sumereau, Sue Perino, Loralie Smart, Vinita Ghosh, and Kathleen Barkigia.
Jacobs received a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from Southampton College in 2006, and then took more than a year off from her studies to work for a grassroots environmental organization, Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE). From June 2006 to September 2007, Jacobs was the Long Island Program Coordinator for the nonprofit, nonpartisan group that seeks to empower the public in advancing stronger environmental policy. In 2007 Jacobs moved on to become the Connecticut Program Coordinator for the organization.
“I am proud of my environmental work with CCE,” Jacobs said, “but now I am ready to move into the international arena by resuming my education. I plan to earn a master’s degree in environmental science, with a focus on understanding the impact of climate change on coastal communities. I hope to start a career with the United Nations Environment Programme or another international environmental advocacy organization after I complete the graduate program at Yale.”
As an undergraduate student, Jacobs completed a semester of environmental studies on the east coast of Australia, where she saw firsthand the importance of coastal resources in the South Pacific. She would like to return to Australia and the surrounding region to further study the impact of climate change on coastal areas while she is a student at Yale.
Furthering her commitment to reversing the harmful effects of global warming, Jacobs trained with former Vice President Al Gore and world-renowned climatologist Richard Alley to become a volunteer in “The Climate Project,” a program founded by Gore that consists of over 1,000 volunteers throughout the U.S. and abroad, trained to educate the public about climate change and solutions. Active in the organization since January 2007, Jacobs has given more than 20 presentations to community groups.
Since 2002, Jacobs has been a volunteer and member of the Surfrider Foundation, an international nonprofit environmental organization dedicated to protecting the coasts. As the CCE Long Island Program Coordinator, Jacobs was also a member of Brookhaven Lab’s Community Advisory Council, which advises the Laboratory on selected issues, particularly environmental, safety and health issues.
2008-10812 | INT/EXT | Newsroom
