Applications are now being accepted for a joint U.S. Department of State (DOS) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) air quality monitoring fellowship program. This fellowship is a vital component of DOS and EPA’s collaborative efforts to help improve the availability of continuous air quality data worldwide.
The fellows will volunteer for one year of collaborative technical and/or policy support for an “adopted” U.S. embassy that is implementing an air quality monitoring program. The fellow is expected to provide 10-20 hours of virtual support monthly to their host embassy. There may be opportunities for paid overseas travel to visit the embassy, collaborate with the host foreign government, and provide training to U.S. staff and other entities.
The ideal candidate is a U.S. citizen who has air quality monitoring expertise and/or an understanding of policy efforts and health impacts. Information about the program is available at state.gov/dosair, and the direct link to the application is fluidsurveys.com. The application period is now open and will end on April 8, 2016. Please note that this is a separate fellowship from the Embassy Science Fellowship program.
Announced by Secretary of State John Kerry and Administrator Gina McCarthy in February 2015, the DOS/EPA partnership recognizes air pollution as a serious and growing health threat worldwide. Yet, in many areas, real-time air quality data is unavailable. In 2016, the DOS/EPA program will provide data from 24 U.S. missions overseas to EPA’s AirNow platform. This data can help U.S. citizens and government personnel overseas make informed health decisions and mitigate health risks from air pollution, as well as enhance the availability of ambient air quality data and expertise around the world.
For further information, please contact dosair@state.gov and visit state.gov/dosair.
