This is the time of the year that we give thanks for what we have received. The LSP Association Scholarship Fund is blessed by the generosity of our members and sponsors for the donations that keep the "Fund" going.  On behalf of the Fund, thank you to all of you who have donated time and money for the benefit of the Fund.

From time to time I am asked about the Fund.  What is our mission, how are scholarships awarded, and how is it different from the LSP Association? 

First of all, the Fund would not exist without the LSP Association. In 2003 the concept of providing financial assistance to prospective students interested in pursuing careers in the fields of science, ideally those fields consistent with the mission of the LSPA, emerged.  For the first few years scholarships were awarded through the LSPA.  In 2006, the LSP Association supported the creation of the non-profit LSP Association Scholarship Fund, Inc.  The LSP Scholarship Fund was established as a separate corporation with a board of directors separate from and independent of the LSPA Board of Directors.

The overarching purpose of the Fund is to support continued education in the environmental field.  Our scholarships are intended to assist students pursuing advanced studies in science consistent with those fields necessary for licensure as a Massachusetts Licensed Site Professional, or in related professions within the environmental industry which support the LSP profession.  The formation of the Fund established a separate non-profit corporation, allowing individuals to make tax-deductible contributions and creating the opportunity for fund raising and awards for other activities such as research grants. 

The Fund is directed by three volunteers who comprise the Fund's Board of Directors: myself as president, Bill Betters as treasurer, and Elliot Steinberg as recording secretary.  It is the three of us, through the administrative support provided by Virtual, that solicit, review and select qualified applicants for the scholarships.

Scholarships are available to LSP Association members and members of their immediate families enrolled in a degree program at an accredited New England college or university, as well as to other qualified Massachusetts residents who are enrolled in a public or private Massachusetts college or university pursuing a major that is consistent with becoming an LSP or Environmental Professional.  The number and amount of the scholarships may vary somewhat as they are dependent upon Fund revenues.  The goal of the program is to provide at least two $5,000 scholarships each year to qualified individuals.  To that end, the LSPA has supported the program by generally contributing $10,000 annually, supplementing other revenue received from individual contributors.

One scholarship is named in honor of the late Jeffery M. Hardin. The Jeffrey M. Hardin Scholarship, established in 2007, honors Jeff's outstanding contribution to the profession and to the LSPA, as both a founding director and past president.  It is awarded to an LSPA member or member of his or her immediate family enrolled in a degree program at an accredited New EnglandCollege or University.

This year the LSP Association created another named scholarship that will be administered by the Fund.  The Wesley E. Stimpson Scholarship acknowledges the invaluable contributions made to the LSP Association and to the practice by our outgoing Executive Director, and also past president, Wes Stimpson.  Wes will be working with the Fund Directors to develop the criteria for the award of this scholarship over the next few months.

Although the Fund is a separate corporation, our process for solicitation and award is objective and straightforward, and is supported by the LSPA Board of Directors.  Each year the Scholarship Fund solicits applications through advertisement on the LSPA website, via various scholarship outlets such as fastweb.com, in the LSPA newsletter, at the monthly meetings, and by word-of-mouth.  The Fund receives typically one to two dozen applicants annually, which are reviewed by the Fund Directors.  While the process itself is open, because financial information is requested the applications are kept strictly confidential, and viewing is limited to the administrative receipt by Virtual, Inc., and the three Directors of the scholarship fund.  These records are maintained secure and, once the scholarships for the year have been awarded, are destroyed according to Fund policy.

The Fund Board has developed selection criteria and a standardized review process in order to provide the diligence necessary to make decisions based on objective and consistent comparisons. Some of the key criteria used (in no particular order of importance) are:

ü  Application completeness,

ü  Attendance at a qualified institution,

ü  Qualified residency,

ü  Qualified member relationship,

ü  Applicability/field of study,

ü  Career objectives,

ü  Academic achievements (such as GPA and course selection),

ü  Financial need,

ü  Responses to essay questions,

ü  Relevant extra-curricular or non-academic achievements, and

ü  References and recommendations.

After the initial review of applications relative to each other and the criteria, the applicant pool is reduced to a short list of two or more candidates for each available scholarship.  Each of the applications not initially recommended for further consideration is reviewed again by each Board member to confirm that no application was inadvertently rejected without unanimous agreement.

Each of the short-listed candidates is reviewed again against the criteria and remaining applicants and the Board ranks and selects the top two potential candidates.  Once selected, the remaining short-list candidates are reviewed yet again to confirm that no one was rejected in a manner inconsistent with the proper application of the selection criteria.  In the end, this process has consistently produced two or three individuals who have emerged as being significantly higher ranked than the balance of the candidates.  Once the potential recipients are selected by the Fund Board, a letter of recommendation is sent to the LSPA Board for approval and acceptance.

Given the relatively small size of the LSP Association, the scholarships awarded are substantial and do serve to ease the burden of education costs.  The generous stipend donations from numerous training seminar speakers and sponsors of LSPA and LSPA events as well as the generosity of LSPA members at the LSPA Annual Dinner fundraising events, help make these scholarships possible, and we are ever so grateful to each of you for the aid you provide.

For the Fund Directors and other volunteers, the reward is the ability to give back in a manner that positively influences and promotes the future of our profession.  Since 2003 we have awarded 16 scholarships totaling more than $75,000.  The recipients have been elated with their awards and periodically touch base to reaffirm their appreciation of the monies and offer an update on where they are with their education.

The Fund Directors hope that the LSP Association and our professional community will continue to support this worthwhile endeavor and assist us in getting the word out about its availability.  Please tell your friends and associates about this opportunity to potentially receive a scholarship, or to become involved in the program and continue to develop our legacy one scholar at a time.  If you wish to donate directly to the Fund or want to become more involved, please contact Bill, Elliot or myself.

For more information, please click here.

Chuck Myette is Vice President of Brown & Caldwell and can be reached at cmyette@brwncald.com.

The LSPA Board recognized the following winners of the "Contribution to the Practice" Awards for 2010:

Client Award: City of Worcester

Member Award: J. Andrew Irwin

Regulator Award:  Gerard Martin

On behalf of the LSPA Board, Duff Collins recapped some of the many contributions and achievements of retiring Executive Director Wes Stimpson.  He also announced that an LSPA scholarship for environmental excellence would be named for Wes.

The Silent Auction was successful in raising over $2,000 for the LSPA Scholarship Fund. We extend a big thank-you to the Donors listed below for their contributions that helped the association build a sustainable scholarship fund while our members won great prizes!

Jon Kitchen is an Associate with Norfolk Ram Group, LLC and can be reached at jkitchen@norfolkram.com.

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How old is your PID?  Does it still calibrate with isobutylene?  This is a note that calibration with isobutylene does not mean that your PID is going to always detect the compounds it is reportedly capable of detecting, especially chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs).  While PIDs with 10.6eV lamps will detect CVOCs, the response factors for CVOCs are already much lower than those for aromatic compounds.  Recent personal experience has brought home the reminder that PID lamps will age and lose the power intensity necessary to ionize CVOCs even though calibration using isobutylene will be spot on.