Sims, David

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University of New HampshireUniversity of New Hampshire Scholars' RepositoryMedia Relations Administrative Offices10-20-2003Two UNH Students Win Dept of HomelandSecurity FellowshipsDavid SimsFollow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/newsThis News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Administrative Offices at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It hasbeen accepted for inclusion in Media Relations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For moreinformation, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.Recommended CitationSims, David, "Two UNH Students Win Dept of Homeland Security Fellowships" (2003). UNH Today. 2035.https://scholars.unh.edu/news/203510/16/17, 11(19 AMTwo UNH Students Win Dept. of Homeland Security FellowshipsPage 1 of 2http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2003/october/ds_20031020security.htmlRelated LinksUNH Institute for theStudy of Earth,Oceans, and Space UNH Department ofPsychologyTwo UNH Students Win Dept. of Homeland SecurityFellowshipsContact:David Sims603-862-5369 Science WriterInstitute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space Erika Mantz 603-862-1567College of Liberal ArtsOct. 20, 2003DURHAM, N.H. – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently announced therecipients of its newly created Graduate Fellowship Program. Among the 101 students selectedfrom a national pool of nearly 2,500 applicants were University of New Hampshire graduatestudents Carolyn Girod and Clint Jenkin.Girod is a master’s degree candidate at UNH’s Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, andSpace (EOS), and Department of Natural Resources. Jenkin is a doctoral student in theDepartment of Psychology. The students will be recognized at a reception in Washington, DC,next month.According to DHS, the fellowship program was created to support “the development andmentoring of the next generation of scientists as they study ways to prevent terrorist attackswithin the U.S., reduce America’s vulnerability to terrorism, and minimize the damage andrecovery efforts from attacks that occur.” Jenkin is developing a scale to measure people’s fear of terrorism; he will relate this fear toattitudes toward airport security, as well as other policies. “Terrorism opens a whole new area ofsocial research,” he says. “I’m excited to be part of this giant brainstorming process aboutnational security.” Girod’s thesis work involves studying fire risk and carbon storage in plants – atopic with few ties to terrorism but quite relevant to homeland security in the broader sense.“ You don’t often associate environmental issues with homeland security,” Girod, a native ofBuffalo, N.Y., says. But in her application she successfully made a connection between fire risk,which endangers people and property, and carbon storage, which slows the pace of climatechange – a potential threat to future generations. The agency charged with fire-related disaster relief, the Federal Emergency ManagementAgency, is now a department within DHS. Despite the long-term effectiveness of firesuppression to date, the elevated risk from fuel buildup and recent outbreaks of wildfire raise10/16/17, 11(19 AMTwo UNH Students Win Dept. of Homeland Security FellowshipsPage 2 of 2http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2003/october/ds_20031020security.htmlserious concerns about future fire activity. At the heart of Girod’s work is the inherent “tension”in the coupled dynamics of carbon storage and fire management techniques. “The thing is, if youincrease carbon storage by having more trees this presents greater fire risk, so planning for thelong-term (carbon storage) could cause serious problems in the short-term (more fires).” “ This fellowship is an impressive award for Cary and an honor for the university,” GeorgeHurtt, Girod’s advisor and assistant professor at EOS and Department of Natural Resources,says. “The fact that the award is for environmental research is a good indication that the newDepartment of Homeland Security is proceeding in the broadest sense to protect people andproperty now and in the future.” This fall Jenkin is conducting an initial survey on people’s fear of terrorism with undergraduatestudents that will allow him to develop a survey he’ll use to interview people who have recentlyflown. “I expect to find that people who are more afraid of terrorism are more willing to put upwith the inconveniences that can be associated with airport security.”“ The work Clint is doing could potentially affect airport security in the future,” says Ellen Cohn,professor of psychology and Jenkin’s advisor. “Fear of crime literature is very well established,and his work will springboard off of that. This is a whole new area.”“ Clint is an exceptionally talented young researcher,” adds Ted Kirkpatrick, director ofJusticeworks at UNH. “Universities are now full partners with the federal government inaddressing issues of safety and security in the wake of 9/11. Clint’s research as a DHS fellowwill undoubtedly contribute to high-level policy discussions in the nation.”

Two UNH Students Win Dept of Homeland Security Fellowships

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Two UNH Students Win Dept of Homeland Security Fellowships

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