The Partners in Pollution Prevention (P3) internship program places four to twelve junior and senior engineering/science students with Nebraska businesses each summer to help the clients minimize their waste and save money. Student interns are provided with pollution prevention training in Lincoln before working with an assigned business on a pollution prevention project. Business clients receive professional level deliverables of the intern’s work.
Goals of the P3 Summer Internship Program
- To educate students in pollution prevention through both formal training and field experience.
- To provide technical assistance and pollution prevention information to small businesses and industry in Nebraska through internships with engineering/science students.
- To perform research on complex pollution prevention problems.
P3 Program Highlights
- Headquartered at University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
- Business clients and projects throughout Nebraska.
- Formal environmental training (2 weeks) and real world experiences (8-10 weeks) for student interns.
- Well developed and professionally presented options for reducing waste and saving money for business clients.
- Work side-by-side with UNL Extension educators, faculty, NDEQ/EPA officials, engineers and environmental professionals, and pollution prevention experts.
Program Successes
Over the past 15 years the internship program has worked with 214 students and nearly 600 businesses to provide technical and compliance assistance. Results from past summers include the identification of over $19.5 million in potential cost savings. In addition, nearly 212 million pounds of solid waste may be diverted from Nebraska landfills.
- Supporting documentation of P3 research concerning quantitative metrics
Student Success Stories
Each year the P3 program interns assist Nebraska businesses with a wide variety of projects. Waste reduction, energy efficiency, cutting edge business practices such as Environmental Management Systems (EMS), and of course, cost savings have all been the emphasis of students’ pollution prevention efforts. See what talented, enthusiastic top students can accomplish!
- Josh Gardner, Facility Water Map at an aerospace manufacturing plant
- Eric Farrow, comprehensive waste assessment at six regional hospitals
- Josh Melliger, Mayor's Waster Conservation Task Force and the Lincoln Water System
- Hunter Flodman, Biosolids Recycling at Ethanol Plant
- Eric Bolton and Cale Mages, water and energy reduction for ag producers.
- Eric Dreessen, water and energy reduction for a manufacturing plant
- Caleb Peterson, full compressed air system analysis and savings
- Additional P3 interns’ projects (2005-2011)
P3 Program Sponsors
This program is supported in part by:
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln
-Extension Division
-College of Engineering & Technology - Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 7
