2023 Scholar/Faculty Mentor Teams
We are very excited to share our 2023 cohort of students and faculty members! Our teams are approaching climate change in innovative ways to improve water quality, biodiversity, agriculture, carbon capture/sequestration, energy and material alternatives, landscape and building design, public policy, and environmental justice and equity. The teams will work with their internship partners to develop solutions that mitigate and adapt to the challenges of climate change.
Student Highlights: See what our Climate Leaders Program scholars are doing to help find viable solutions for climate change.
Ryan Anderson and Dr. Gavin Smith
Master’s Student – 2024
College of Design –
Dept. of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning
Climate Change Interests: Resilient design and its ability to create unique and adaptable spaces and the application of nature-based solutions in hazard-prone areas.
Leo Brody and Dr. Fanxing Li
Ph.D. Student – 2024
College of Engineering
Dept. of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Climate Change Interests: Utilization of renewable resources for sustainable fuels and chemicals production.
Julia Cunniffe and Dr. Joe Sagues
Ph.D. Student – 2025
College of Engineering and College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Dept. of Biological and Agricultural Engineering
Climate Change Interests: Bioprocess research creating value-added products, implementing carbon capture and sequestration.
Ryen Frazier and Dr. Ronalds Gonzalez
Ph.D. Student – 2024
College of Natural Resources
Dept. of Forest Biomaterials
Climate Change Interests: Environmental and economic implications of replacing synthetic materials, reutilization of waste materials, or engineering alternative raw materials.
Kaleb Goff and Dr. Seema Sheth
Ph.D. Student – 2026
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Dept. of Plant and Microbial Biology
Climate Change Interests: Biodiversity, plant ecology, biogeography of mountain plants, conservation biology, long-term monitoring, climate refugia, international collaboration.
Ishita Kamboj and Dr. Veronica Augustyn
Ph.D. Student – 2024
College of Engineering
Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering
Climate Change Interests: Energy storage research to develop strategies and direct funding for renewable energy generation, sustainable sourcing, and energy justice.
Kaitlin Karaffa, Dr. Kathie Dello, and Dr. Sarah Larson
Master’s Student – 2024
College of Sciences
Dept. of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Climate Change Interests: Aiding in development of climate mitigation policies and assessing public perception of climate change.
Shannon Levkovitz and Professor Tsai Lu Liu
Undergraduate – 2024
College of Design
Dept. of Architecture: Built Environment
Climate Change Interests: Intersection of design, community, and science, addressing sustainability in the built environment and understanding the value of material sourcing.
Genevieve Myers and Dr. Lincoln Larson
Undergraduate – 2025
College of Natural Resources
Dept. of Forestry and Environmental Resources
Climate Change Interests: Environmental justice, particularly sustainable development and equitable urban greening.
Hayden Rudd and Dr. Elizabeth Nichols
Ph.D. Student – 2024
College of Natural Resources
Dept. of Forestry and Environmental Resources
Climate Change Interests: Studying extreme weather impacts on groundwater water quality by combining analytical chemistry techniques and machine learning.
Kalle Simpson and Dr. Tal Ben-Horin
Master’s Student – 2024
College of Natural Resources – Dept. of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology
College of Veterinary Medicine – Dept. of Clinical Sciences
Climate Change Interests: Global change and human health risks from expanding coastal aquaculture production
Henry Ssembatya and Dr. Jordan Kern
Ph.D. Student – 2025
College of Engineering – Dept. of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering
College of Natural Resources – Dept. of Forestry and Environmental Resources
Climate Change Interests: Extreme weather event system dynamics, decarbonization of sectors impact on the power grid, renewable energy integration, long-term climate impacts.
Andrew Waaswa and Dr. Joy Morgan
Ph.D. Student – 2024
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Dept. of Agricultural and Human Sciences
Climate Change Interests: Agrarian community adoption of climate-smart agricultural (CSA) practices and CSA’s impact on natural resources and the environment.
Adam Wampler and Dr. Erin Seekamp
Undergraduate – 2024
College of Natural Resources
Dept. of Forestry and Environmental Resources
Climate Change Interests: Restoration ecology, carbon sequestration, community engagement with green space, green space equity and access, and wetland and riparian management.
Noah Weaver and Professor Anne Spafford
Master’s Student – 2024
College of Design
Dept. of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning
Climate Change Interests: Exploring the capabilities of ecology-integrated design within urban environments to create resilient and equitable living spaces.
