Melanie Harrison Okoro | |
---|---|
Born | Cocoa Beach, Florida | November 2, 1982
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Johnson C. Smith University (Bachelor of Science) University of Maryland, Baltimore County (Ph.D) |
Spouse | Uzuoma Okoro |
Children | Olivia Okoro |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Environmental Science |
Melanie Harrison Okoro is a marine estuarine and environmental scientist. She is the founder, CEO, and principal of Eco-Alpha Environmental & Engineering Services. Okoro focuses on environmental aquatic biogeochemistry, professional natural resource management, and STEM diversity initiatives. She is the first African-American women early-career scientist to serve on the Council of the American Geophysical Union (AGU).
Early Life & Education
Melanie Harrison Okoro was born on November 11th, 1982 in Cocoa Beach, Florida to Eugene Harrison Jr. and Sharon Harrison. Her family moved while Okoro was still a child, and she grew up in Tuskegee, Alabama. Okoro first discovered her interest in environmental science through swimming and fishing with her great-grandmother and twin sister in Lake Martin, Alabama.[1] Okoro was a member of her high school's basketball team, and she would attend Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina on a basketball scholarship. Going into JCSU, Okoro intended on becoming a medical doctor. At JCSU, Okoro's advisor was Dr. Joseph Fail, an ecology teacher in the school's biology department, who she credits with guiding her to major in biology. Okoro graduated from JCSU in 2005 with her B.S in biology. Okoro would finish her education when she received her PhD in Marine Estuarine and Environmental Science from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 2011.[2]
Career & Research
Okoro is currently the founder, CEO, and principal of Eco-Alpha Environmental & Engineering Services [1], an environmental and engineering consulting, staffing, and training firm located in Sacramento, California. Before founding Eco-Alpha, Okoro worked for the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). She started at the NOAA as a graduate scientist (2009-2011), and became a Water Quality Specialist & Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator, a position she held for 7 years in Sacramento, California[3] While in this position, Okoro oversaw water quality, and monitored aquatic invasive species impacts on threatened and endangered species in California, as well as in-land and coastal regions of Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Alaska, the Chesapeake Bay, Michigan, and Maryland. Okoro specializes in marine estuaries. Her areas of research and policy include environmental aquatic biogeochemistry, professional natural resource management, and STEM diversity initiatives.
Awards & Honors
- 2016 Baltimore Ecosystem Studies (BES) Distinguished Alumni Award
- 2017 NOAA Fisheries Employee of the Year
Publications
Harrison, M.D.*, A.J. Miller, P.M. Groffman, P.M. Mayer, S.S. Kaushal. 2014. Hydrologic controls on nitrogen and phosphorous dynamics in incidental oxbow wetlands adjacent to an urban restored stream. Journal of American Water Resources, 50(6): 1365-1382.
Harrison, M.D.*, P.M. Groffman, P.M. Mayer, and S.S. Kaushal. 2012. Nitrate removal in two relict oxbow urban wetlands: A 15N mass-balance approach. Biogeochemistry (doi: 10.1007/s10533-012-9708-1).
Harrison, M.D.*, P.M. Groffman, P.M. Mayer, and S.S. Kaushal. 2012. Microbial biomass and activity in geomorphic features in forested, urban restored and degraded streams. Ecological Engineering 38: 1-10, (doi: 10.1016/j.ecoeng.2011.09.001).
Harrison, M.D.*, E. Stanwyck, B. Beckingham, O. Starry, B. Hanlon, and J. Newcomer. 2011. Smart growth and the septic tank: Wastewater treatment and growth management in the Baltimore region. Journal of Land use Policy, doi:10.1016/j.landusepol.2011.08.007.
Harrison, M.D.*, P.M. Groffman, P.M. Mayer, S.S. Kaushal, and T.A. Newcomer. 2011. Denitrification in alluvial wetlands in an urban landscape. Journal of Environmental Quality (doi:10.2134/jeq2010.0335). (Featured Article/Journal cover.)
Sokolova I.M., Leamy L., Harrison M.*, and Oliver J.D. 2005. Intrapopulational variation in Vibrio vulnificus levels in Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin 1971) is associated with the host size but not with disease status or developmental stability. Journal of Shellfish Research 24: 503-508.
Secondary Literature Publications
Johnson, A., and M.D. Harrison*. 2015. The increasing problem with nutrient runoff on the coast. American Scientist. 103(2): 98-101
Johnson, A., and M. Harrison Okoro* 2016. How to Recruit and Retain Underrepresented Minorities. American Scientist, March—April, 104(2): 76-81
Book Chapters
Harrison, M.D., 2016. Water Quality, In: Encyclopedia of Estuaries, Michael J. Kinnesh, editor, Springer Publishing, Netherlands pg 760. (http://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/ 10.1007/978-94-017-8801-4_121)
Technical Reports
Harrison, M.D.*, 2011. Five-year Status Review of Northern Central California Coast Steelhead and Central California Coast steelhead Distinct Population Segment for the Northern California Coast Recovery Domain. National Marine Fisheries Service, Southwest Region. http://swr.nmfs.noaa.gov/salmon/Final_CCC-NC_steelhead_5- yr_review_120211.pdf
Public Engagement
Okoro is known for her efforts in promoting diversity in STEM fields, and she has held multiple positions in many organizations regarding this. Okoro has served on the council of the American Geophysical Union(AGU) as an Early Career Scientist since 2011[4], and is also the Diversity & Inclusion task-force chair. Okoro also volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area [2], a non-profit mentoring organization, as a Big Sister since 2012. Okoro has been a member of the Earth Science Women's Network's Leadership Board[5] since 2016. The Earth Science Women's Network is a non-profit organization dedicated to building a resilient community that lifts all women and moves the geosciences forward. She is also a member of Minorities Striving and Pursuing Higher Degrees of Success in Earth and Space Science's [3] (MS PHD'S) leadership board, an initiative established to facilitate preparation and advancement of underrepresented minorities (African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans within the Earth System Science Community. Okoro also uses social media, such as twitter and facebook, to educate users on environmental science and issues, specifically regarding invasive species and water pollution.
Public Engagement Science Communication
Live webinar Interview: WGR, Southwest, Inc, Stormwater Awareness Week, September, 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrjUYPokfVw
Online Magazine Interview, Buzz Feed Magazine, “9 Scientist Tell Us What Scares Them the Most.”, 2015 http://www.buzzfeed.com/kellyoakes/scientists-told-us-what-scares-them
Invited Guest Speaker: UCDAVIS AAUW Chapter and Explorit, Celebration of Women in Science, 2015 http://www.explorit.org/news/explorit-celebrates-women-in-science-with-upcoming-events http://www.davisenterprise.com/local-news/news-columns/explorit-celebrates-women-inscience- with-upcoming-events
Invited Guest Speaker, St. Anne’s School, San Francisco, CA 2015.
Invited Guest Speaker and Interactive Presenter, Center of Praise Summer Math Camp, Sacramento, CA, 2014, 2015
Twitter Curator, Real Scientist, March 2015, @RealScientist, @DrHarrisonOkoro http://realscientists.org/2015/03/08/hawaii-dreaming-melanie-harrison-okoro-joins-real-scientists/
Invited Guest Speaker, Randall Museum Science Fair, San Francisco, CA 2015 https://www.randallmuseum.org
Invited Guest Speaker, Congregation Beth Ami Synagogue, Bring a Scientist to Service, Greening, Stewardship and Sustainability: How Faith Based Organization Can be involved in a Changing Climate, 2015
Career Spotlight, Water Quality Specialist, KQED Clue into Climate e-books series, 2014 http://science.kqed.org/quest/video/career-spotlight-water-quality-specialist/
Television Interview, Contra Costa Community College, San Pablo, CA 2014
Invited Guest Speaker, Chabot College, Hayward, CA 2014.
Invited Guest Speaker, Earth Day San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 2014
Radio Interview, KHSU 90.5 Arcata, CA, 2014
Radio Interview, KQED Perspective: FISHERWOMAN, 2014 http://www.kqed.org/a/perspectives/R201402140735
References
- ^ https://www.americanscientist.org/article/how-to-recruit-and-retain-underrepresented-minorities
- ^ https://sites.agu.org/leadership/leader/melanie-harrison-okoro-2/
- ^ https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanieharrison2
- ^ https://sites.agu.org/leadership/leadertype/early-career-scientist/
- ^ https://eswnonline.org/eswn-welcomes-new-leadership-board-members/