Christy Pereira

Christy Kuczak, Bachelor of Science,
Honors Tutorial College, 1999
Program Specialist, Natural Resources and Environment, USDA

"Life truly is an adventure," says Christy Kuczak, Class of '99. "You never know what is around the next corner, but you can't wait to get there." Christy's educational interests have taken her from southeastern Ohio and New York State's Finger Lakes Region to research opportunities in the Amazon rainforest.

Now Christy is finding new challenges in the Nation's Capital as a Program Specialist with the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES). "You always look for a dream position," she says, "one that allows you to use your expertise, pursue particularly meaningful interests, and grow in your profession."

The education she received from Ohio University's Environmental and Plant Biology Department has given her a strong background to pursue her interests related to the sustainability of natural resources and has prepared her to try new and varied experiences.

Graduate school at the Cornell University Crop and Soil Science Department helped prepare Christy for this latest adventure. Her Ohio University undergraduate experiences and graduate research plan earned her the honor of a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Her Cornell M.S. research program focused on the effects of earthworms and land-use systems on phosphorus dynamics in the tropical rainforests near the Amazon River (aerial view on left). Living in Brazil for more than a year was a time she highly values, experiencing a culture she describes as alive, with heat and humidity you cannot escape, gigantic fish in the markets, and crowds of sweaty bodies dancing through the nights.

A previous foreign study experience, spending her junior year at theUniversity of Wales, began Christy's strong interest in alternative agricultural systems. During her senior year at Ohio University, she took several courses--Alternative Agriculture, Tropical Plant Ecology, and Agricultural Ecology--to better understand her interest area. Environmental and Plant Biology courses, a strong core of other science courses, and her work experiences for Dr. Brian McCarthy and for Ohio University's Institute for Local Government Administration and Rural Development gave Christy the tools necessary to work in a field in which she is passionately interested.

The mission of CSREES, the USDA agency where Christy works, is to advance knowledge for agriculture, the environment, human health and well being, and communities through program leadership and administration of research, education, and extension programs. CSREES has a close partnership with the U.S. land-grant university system. Christy works in the Natural Resources and Environment Unit, where emerging issues are often conflicting and always challenging. She works directly with national program leaders alongside other key federal agencies on a variety of issues, including sustainable forest management, wildlife, rangelands, and indoor environments.

There really isn't a typical day in this job. Christy manages a wide variety of assignments, including national research assessments in a particular discipline or thematic area. Forestry and science for sustainability are two examples. She promotes the representation of research, education and extension at national meetings of numerous groups, such as the Roundtable on Sustainable Forestry. She works with others to set national research and extension priorities based on stakeholder input, and she coordinates meetings of leaders in research, education and extension.

Christy is enjoying her first year's experiences and opportunities. She plans to grow in her position to acquire greater responsibilities and leadership roles. Long-term, Christy would like to continue working in the federal government. However, her personal goals to improve the sustainability of natural resources along with her strong academic background and work experiences may lead her in directions she never imagined 10 to 20 years from now.


			Christy Kuczak, Bachelor of Science, Honors Tutorial College, 1999 Program Specialist, Natural Resources and Environment, USDA "Life truly is an adventure," says Christy Kuczak, Class of '99. "You never know what is around the next corner, but you can't wait to get there." Christy's educational interests have taken her from southeastern Ohio and New York State's Finger Lakes Region to research opportunities in the Amazon rainforest. Now Christy is finding new challenges in the Nation's Capital as a Program Specialist with the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES). "You always look for a dream position," she says, "one that allows you to use your expertise, pursue particularly meaningful interests, and grow in your profession." The education she received from Ohio University's Environmental and Plant Biology Department has given her a strong background to pursue her interests related to the sustainability of natural resources and has prepared her to try new and varied experiences. Graduate school at the Cornell University Crop and Soil Science Department helped prepare Christy for this latest adventure. Her Ohio University undergraduate experiences and graduate research plan earned her the honor of a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Her Cornell M.S. research program focused on the effects of earthworms and land-use systems on phosphorus dynamics in the tropical rainforests near the Amazon River (aerial view on left). Living in Brazil for more than a year was a time she highly values, experiencing a culture she describes as alive, with heat and humidity you cannot escape, gigantic fish in the markets, and crowds of sweaty bodies dancing through the nights. A previous foreign study experience, spending her junior year at theUniversity of Wales, began Christy's strong interest in alternative agricultural systems. During her senior year at Ohio University, she took several courses--Alternative Agriculture, Tropical Plant Ecology, and Agricultural Ecology--to better understand her interest area. Environmental and Plant Biology courses, a strong core of other science courses, and her work experiences for Dr. Brian McCarthy and for Ohio University's Institute for Local Government Administration and Rural Development gave Christy the tools necessary to work in a field in which she is passionately interested. The mission of CSREES, the USDA agency where Christy works, is to advance knowledge for agriculture, the environment, human health and well being, and communities through program leadership and administration of research, education, and extension programs. CSREES has a close partnership with the U.S. land-grant university system. Christy works in the Natural Resources and Environment Unit, where emerging issues are often conflicting and always challenging. She works directly with national program leaders alongside other key federal agencies on a variety of issues, including sustainable forest management, wildlife, rangelands, and indoor environments. There really isn't a typical day in this job. Christy manages a wide variety of assignments, including national research assessments in a particular discipline or thematic area. Forestry and science for sustainability are two examples. She promotes the representation of research, education and extension at national meetings of numerous groups, such as the Roundtable on Sustainable Forestry. She works with others to set national research and extension priorities based on stakeholder input, and she coordinates meetings of leaders in research, education and extension. Christy is enjoying her first year's experiences and opportunities. She plans to grow in her position to acquire greater responsibilities and leadership roles. Long-term, Christy would like to continue working in the federal government. However, her personal goals to improve the sustainability of natural resources along with her strong academic background and work experiences may lead her in directions she never imagined 10 to 20 years from now.
Environmental and Plant Biology \| OU Front Door
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