Laura Hellman, 2014, Molecular Biology

Laura Hellman ’14

My internship this summer at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) in Washington, D.C. helped me gain experience and glean knowledge about environmental policy reform. I learned about the fundamental molecular basis for chemical health effects, ­practiced writing skills, and, hopefully, aided an important policy reform campaign. My main ­project for the summer was to work on EDF’s “Not a Guinea Pig campaign,” an effort to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) by passing a new bill in the U.S. ­Congress. ­Currently, TSCA inadequately regulates how chemicals can be used in ­consumer products. I researched the health effects of many of the most harmful ­chemicals that have slipped through TSCA’s policies. I also wrote blog posts for the EDF website about a number of the resultant health conditions. The aim of my project was to garner public support and awareness of the problem. One of the most challenging and rewarding aspects of my internship was writing in a style to which I was completely unaccustomed. My previous education certainly prepared me to write academically, but I had little experiencing writing about scientific subjects for a layperson audience. My work over the summer improved my research skills and expanded my writing abilities. I also was exposured to marketing and communication techniques and the operational aspects of a very ­successful environmental NGO.