Meet the Director
Dr. Rebecca Kelley (nee Evans) received her Ph.D. in Biology in 2002 from the University of Cincinnati. She began her career as a tenure track faculty member and Director of Environmental Science at NKU in August 2002. Along with her graduate training as a scientist and a teaching assistant, Dr. Kelley brought real world experience to her academic career. While in graduate school she worked as an environmental toxicologist for a consulting firm (Mink and Associates/Environ, Inc. 1997-1999), and as a stream specialist for Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District (1999-2001).
Since her arrival at NKU, Dr. Kelley has been working to grow and expand the environmental program by developing courses and instituting curricular improvements. Her efforts are paying off -the environmental program is growing in both size and activity. The best feature of the environmental program is the inclusion of internships. Students, both environmental science majors and environmental studies minors, are required to complete one 3- credit hour internship or a semester of directed research with a science faculty member. This "hands on" experience is the most valuable aspect of the program. In fact, since the inclusion of required internship or research, 100% of students graduating with a B.S. degree in Environmental Science have been employed in an environmental position within 4 months of graduation.
