Science

A Northwestern State University student is preparing for a prestigious summer internship at the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University in New York. Christina Palomo of Los Angeles will travel from Natchitoches to New York later this month to help Columbia scientists study the environmental consequences of the 2010 BP oil spill. The biology major said she’ll work alongside two geochemists.

Northwestern State University assistant professor of nursing, Stephen Hernandez, aims to expand his research into active duty nurses who feel a stigma associated with seeking mental health services. Hernandez's findings reveal that nurses have a similar level of stigma found in soldiers returning from war when it comes to getting mental help.

The U.S. Agriculture Department has allocated $4.3 million for nine watershed projects in Arkansas. The goal is to improve water quality in the Mississippi River basin. The USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Dave White says the program will dramatically improve the quality of water flowing into the Gulf of Mexico.