Issue 14

Jennings Wins Research Discussion Contest Award

Viniece Jennings, a Forest Service Student Career Employment Program employee based at the SRS Integrating Human and Natural Systems unit in Gainesville, FL, recently won first place in a research discussion contest at the annual meeting for Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS) in Indianapolis, IN. MANRRS is a national nonprofit organization formed to foster and promote the inclusion, achievement, and advancement of ethnic minorities in the agricultural sciences and related fields. The Forest Service was a major sponsor of the 2009 conference.

Jennings is pursuing her Ph.D. in environmental science at Florida A&M University (FAMU). Her working dissertation project focuses on the impact of urban tree cover on human health. She recently completed her tenure as president of the FAMU Environmental Science Students Organization and was recognized as a Southeastern fellow of the university’s Environmental Leadership Program.