Students receive The Land Conservancy NJ scholarships

Oluwafemi Soetan is a doctoral student in environmental science and management at Montclair State University. Femi’s studies focus on environmental toxicology, water resource conservation, water innovation, sustainability, and environmental policy. He has been involved in water quality monitoring research in the Raritan and Musconetcong watersheds as well as the aquatic connectivity program with the New Jersey Center for Water Science and Technology. His research is focused on investigating the efficiency and sustainability of remedial measures applied to ecologically imbalanced freshwater ecosystems that have been negatively impacted by anthropogenic input and human activities. He is passionate about influencing policies on water resource conservation and global water security.

Amanda Baksa worked with the NJDEP for ten years, currently managing the AmeriCorps New Jersey Watershed Ambassadors Program. She is a proud graduate of Montclair State University, where she recently returned to pursue a master’s degree in sustainability science and leadership.

She spent her first year with DEP providing Superstorm Sandy recovery assistance in the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, helping residents of Monmouth County and Ocean Counties recover. She then worked with Pesticide Compliance and Enforcement, where she was responsible for conducting agricultural pesticide use inspections and enforcing the Worker Protection Standard. Prior to joining the DEP full time, Amanda served as an AmeriCorps NJ Watershed Ambassador in 2011-2012. She is a proud graduate of Montclair State University, where she earned her BA in geography with an environmental studies concentration and a minor in environmental justice.

Amanda lives in Florence, NJ with her husband Joe and their two pups, Dunkin and Khloe.