Valeria Izeppi initially joined IEC in June 2022 as a seasonal intern, and was promoted to a full-time Environmental Analyst I in June 2023. Valeria coordinates IEC’s participation in the Alley Creek and Bergen Basin pathogen mitigation project. This project, which is funded by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection through a contract with the Research Foundation of CUNY (Brooklyn College), is assessing nature-based solutions to mitigate pathogen loading in New York City embayments. Specifically, the project is assessing the effectiveness of a constructed wetland in Alley Creek and a ribbed mussel installation in Bergen Basin. Valeria is also assisting with launching a new monitoring program in New York Harbor, to be funded by a 604b award from the New York State Department of Conservation, and assists with the coordination of the laboratory’s quality control/quality assurance activities. Valeria earned a B.S. degree from Rutgers University in 2023, where she majored in Environmental Science and minored in Chemistry, and is currently pursuing a M.S. in Environmental Science at Rutgers. In her free time, Valeria enjoys rock climbing, hiking, and baking cookies.