Meet EPA Scientist Rachael Leta-Graham

EPA scientist Rachael Leta-Graham (she/her) is a physical scientist interested in bridging gaps and finding common ground in environmental work performed by federal government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Since 2016, Rachael has served as the Region 2 Participatory Science Coordinator, serving the public by providing resources and fostering communication, as well as working with EPA researchers to increase public accessibility to emerging environmental technology.

How does your science matter?

My job is incredibly unique – we are the only EPA region with a full-time Participatory Science Coordinator, established in 2012! I am essentially a connector – helping folks collaborate and sharing resources (funding, technical assistance, equipment, education). Working within the participatory science (PS) realm matters because the federal government is massive and multi-faceted - it’s important to connect with the appropriate staff to collaborate on mutual interests. It’s also important to ensure NGOs doing environmental science work outside of the agency are given some level of guidance to collect high quality data, communicate results well, and look for place-based solutions.

Working with EPA’s Office of Research and Development, we have researched the efficacy of a few different air and water sensors as they’ve entered the market and focused on their practical usage for participatory science work, as well as used these opportunities as a benchmark for EPA to determine how to move forward in PS work as the field evolves. We have benefited greatly from this and collaborated with great folks internal and external to the agency, further showing how partnerships between agencies and NGOs make for more effective environmental science.

What are you working on right now?

One of the main components of the Participatory Science Program in Region 2 is our Equipment Loan Program, which makes scientific tools available to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to collect data for their own use. 2024 is the ninth year for our Water Monitoring program and the first year for our new Air Sensor program. We are also launching our new generic Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP), which relieves the heavy burden for smaller organizations in writing a full QAPP themselves. We are always researching new equipment that can be used in EPA’s work, as well as by participatory scientists, and better ways to make this resource more accessible to the folks who need it most.

We are always seeking ways to improve EPA’s ability to be a resource to participatory scientists and to enhance collaborations with parties of varying degrees of experience and authority. One of those ways is leading the Region 2 Participatory Science Workgroups, one focusing on air and the other on water, in New York and New Jersey. In the Caribbean, following requests from several groups, an in-person Participatory Science Summit was held in Manati, Puerto Rico, in March 2024. This gathered on-island NGOs to foster networking and discuss best practices, ideas, resources, and needs. While in Puerto Rico, our team also visited four of our seven Equipment Loan Centers (established in 2018) to check on their field and lab equipment and provide any training needed.

Tell us about your background.

I have a Bachelor of Science from Rutgers University ‘08, in applied environmental science with focus on pollution science. I was hired by EPA my senior year through the Student Career Exploration Program internship, which paved the way to be permanently hired a few months after graduation. From 2008-2016, I was mainly doing field work – monitoring air, water, and soil for the Superfund program on-site and in/near effected homes. I found that I loved talking with the homeowners and helping translate the science when they received their data in letter form only. When Participatory Science started becoming something Region 2 was interested in, I volunteered to help with the logistics of events and got hooked, eventually becoming the full-time coordinator in 2016.

When did you first know you wanted to work in environmental science?

I always wanted to be a doctor, but when I attended New Jersey’s Governor School on the Environment between junior and senior year of high school, I flipped that switch and never looked back.

What do you like most about your job?

I love working with people – inside and outside the agency. Most people who work at EPA do it because it is fulfilling work and they want to help others, and those who aid my program take it a step further in directly helping communities do their own research, mostly without federal regulation or dedicated funding to back us up. Working with groups outside the agency is challenging and rewarding - but you are helping them advocate for themselves and their community health.

If you weren’t a scientist, what would you be doing?

In high school I worked at a music store and wanted to be a radio DJ. I still love music and am an avid reader - so maybe own some kind of music and/or book shop in a Jersey Shore town.

What advice would you give a student interested in a career in science?

You do not necessarily have to go full Ph.D. to be a successful scientist. It is admirable to continue to your masters or doctorate if you want to focus on a specific topic and love school, but you do not have to do so to be an expert in your field.
Internships! The best way to try something out and start making connections.

What are some cool examples of participatory science projects that you’ve been involved in?

A study in the US Virgin Islands where participatory scientists collected samples from private cisterns to analyze for baseline bacteria concentrations. Using our EPA Equipment Loan Centers at the University of the Virgin Islands in St. Thomas and St. Croix, the samples were analyzed for E.coli and total coliforms. They were then frozen and shipped to the Region 2 lab in Edison, NJ, where they were analyzed for human DNA markers as well.
Providing equipment to Columbia University’s Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology (E3B) for a quick six-week program with STEM students as part of the Environmental Justice and Urban Ecology Summer Research Program. (https://www.nyrp.org/en/blog/teaching-urban-ecology-to-engage-students-environmental-justice/)
Being a resource to Arrecifes Pro Ciudad in Isla Verde, PR. This NGO works diligently to help protect and restore the urban reefs in the Isla Verde Reef Marine Reserve. Among many other facts of their program, they have used our equipment for weekly sampling since 2020, posting results on Facebook so beachgoers have easy access to the data. They have posted signs at every entrance and installed a kiosk with information on the reserve and their program, including a QR code to their Facebook to increase accessibility to the data as well.

What advice would you give someone who is interested in getting involved in a participatory science project?

Do some research first – what is your question, is there data available already, is there a group in the area also interested in this question, etc.
Find collaborators! There may be groups or universities in your area interested in the same or a related issue. They may have other connections that can help you as well.
Have a plan for the data! How will you store it, who will use it, how will it be used and presented, etc.

If you can have any superpower, what would you choose?

Healing abilities.

What do you think the coolest scientific discovery was and why?

The COVID vaccine – most of us never expected to have to live through something like this and the fact that the vaccine was released less than a year later is wild.

If you could have dinner with any scientist, past or present, who would you choose and what would you talk about?

Carl Sagan, hands down. We’d discuss his views on society, God, knowledge, humans, the environment, etc.

Editor's Note: The opinions expressed herein are those of the researcher alone. EPA does not endorse the opinions or positions expressed.