Exploration of the Inner Workings of the Environmental Protection Agency Featured at Park University's Johnson Lecture
Jeffery Robichaud, the director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s Region 7 Water Division, was set to discuss his journey as a second-generation scientist focused on protecting public health and the environment at Park University's fifth annual Johnson Family Lecture Series in Science.
The lecture series, established in 2016 by Park University alumnus George Johnson, '63, Ph.D., was created to provide members of the community and liberal arts and science majors an opportunity to experience science in action and hear established scientists discuss their research.
Robichaud, who joined the EPA in 1998 as an engineer in the Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water in Washington, D.C., has since served as an engineer with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act's Corrective Action Program and as a senior policy advisor to the regional administrator. He also worked for three years with an environmental consulting firm before joining the EPA.
Robichaud earned a Master of Science degree in engineering management from the University of Kansas and a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental systems engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.
The Region 7 Water Division, based in Lenexa, Kan., supports the states of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska, as well as nine federally recognized American Indian tribes in the region. Its purpose is to ensure drinking water safety, restore and maintain watersheds, and support economic and recreational activities.
The speech, which was scheduled for March 31, 2020, at 7 p.m. in the Jenkin and Barbara David Theater inside Alumni Hall on the University's Parkville Campus, was set to focus on 50 years of environmental protection and advances since the creation of the EPA. Admission to the lecture was free and open to the public.
Unfortunately, due to coronavirus concerns, the event has been cancelled. For those interested in Robichaud's insights on the importance of science in solving the nation's complicated environmental challenges, it may be worth consulting EPA official publications, government press releases, or professional networking profiles directly from EPA or related governmental resources.
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] (Sources returning no specific details on Jeffery Robichaud's career path or his accomplishments specific to his role as director of the EPA's Region 7 Water Division.)
