front row (l-r): Allison Osborne*, Priscilla Guerrero*, R.J. Briggs, Catherine Mukai*, Chi Hoang*, Diana Hun, Ellison Carter, Tess Stafford, Jessica Cobarrubia;
back row (l-r): Jason Fialkoff*, Brent Stephens*, Donghyun Rim*, Matt Earnest, Leo Ramirez*, Federico Noris*, Michael Waring, Scot Waye
not shown: Sonny Rosenthal
( * = IGERT Affiliate )

IGERT affiliates are students who are associated with the IGERT program but who do not qualify to apply for a traineeship through the program. These may include undergraduate and masters level students, as well as international students who are pursuing a doctoral degree. In all cases, IGERT affiliates have a primary educational and research focus in the area of indoor environmental science and engineering. Although affiliates can not receive a stipend or other financial benefit from the National Science Foundation, affiliates do benefit in other ways. For example, affiliates are able to attend and make presentations at the program's annual meeting, meet and network with national and international leaders in the field, and participate in program social and team building events. Affiliates are also eligible for non-NSF funds to attend a professional conference to present their work in indoor environmental science and engineering. Efforts are also being made to allow IGERT affiliates to complete paid internships through select host institutions. Three IGERT affiliates recently received prestigious scholarships to assist them with their graduate studies.

JASON FIALKOFF

Jason Fialkoff was born and raised on Long Island, New York. He received hisB.S. in Civil Engineering, with a focus in Environmental Engineering, from Case Western Reserve University in 2005. After graduation he worked as a contractor in the Environmental Engineering Branch at the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY where he oversaw the hazardous waste and indoor air quality programs. It was at West Point that Jason realized that environmental engineering alone would not help him achieve his goals. He returned to school in 2006 to simultaneously pursue his M.S. in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering and his Master's in Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. His interests lie in environmental policy and the benefits of public involvement in policy inception. Jason became affiliated with the IGERT program specifically to work on the student-led public outreach program.

In his spare time Jason is learning how to build bikes while volunteering at the Austin Yellow Bike Project, and is enamored by the live music scene the city has to offer. When his family and friends from the northeast ask how he is enjoying Texas, Jason is always quick to tell them that Austin is fantastic.

PRISCILLA GUERRERO

My name is Priscilla Annette Guerrero, I am a first year graduate student at UT in the Environmental Engineering program. I have a Bachelor of Science in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) in El Paso, TX where I was born and raised. As an undergraduate at UTEP I worked as a research assistant collecting nanoparticles from various combustion sources and observed substrates using a Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). This is probably the reason why taking pictures has become one of my most beloved hobbies. Analyzing nanoparticles sparked an interest in the indoor air environment. Therefore, I decided to attend graduate school and learn more about indoor air quality. I believe that the IGERT program provides ways to support students in their research and this will help me ascertain my new goal. Aside from academia, one of my major passions is playing the piano. I am not very good at it, but it's something that I wish to explore in detail as time becomes available.

CHI HOANG

CATHERINE MUKAI

A lifelong Californian, Catherine was lured to Texas by BBQ, country music, and, last but not least, the master's program in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering at UT. Prior to attending UT, she earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, spent 15 months as a student co-op intern with the Dow Chemical Company, and worked as an environmental consultant for ENVIRON International Corporation in the San Francisco Bay Area. While both her industrial and consulting work were in outdoor air quality, Catherine is a poster child for the American indoor lifestyle and realized that a switch to studying indoor air quality was perfect for her.

Catherine is currently embarking on a research project studying the fates of particles in HVAC systems. She is also exploring Austin's fabric stores to support her passion for sewing clothes, bags, and quilts. In addition, Catherine loves to watch movies, take step aerobics, and relax with a cup of coffee and a good book, (where else?) indoors.

FEDERICO NORIS

ALLISON OSBORNE

LEO RAMIREZ

DONGHYUN RIM

BRENT STEPHENS

Brent is a first year graduate student in the Environmental and Water Resources Engineering (EWRE) department at UT-Austin. He received his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Tennessee Technological University in 2007. Previous work in undergraduate environmental groups, an interest in energy efficient buildings, and a lack of enthusiasm towards traditional civil engineering professions have led him to the EWRE program. The indoor air quality field sparked some fervor upon arrival to Texas, but he is still evaluating the extent of his excitement.

Brent's ongoing initial research project at UT-Austin is investigating the energy implications of filtration in HVAC systems. He enjoys the field work he is performing, strongly believes in the importance of field research, and would like to continue in situ experiments in future research.

Brent hails from a town called Hendersonville in the great state of Tennessee. Hendersonville has been home to a variety of impressive personalities including country singers Johnny Cash and Conway Twitty, rock-n-roll singer Roy Orbison, and professional wrestler Jeff Jarrett. Consequently, Brent spends much of his spare time playing bass guitar with a cosmic fire and electric guitar with a slightly lesser fire. The rest of his time is spent moving about life like a component in a Rube Goldberg machine.