Alumni
Suad Abukamla is a grad student of Engineering and Public Policy at McMaster University with a focus on water security policies and climate change. Her academic research re-examines stormwater as an asset: a paradigm-shift toward climate change resilience and green infrastructure. Also, she enrolled in the Water without Borders program, a collaboration program between McMaster University and UNI-INWEH to meet her interests in water security and the sustainable development goals and framework.
Suad raised awareness in her community about the impact of landfills and waste on our environment through her first zero-waste business. To eliminate the waste, partners, suppliers, and customers were challenged to use reusable containers and avoid single-use plastic, and use compostable materials for produce and takeout packages where single-use was necessary. The business operated stably and guaranteed everything that came through the door went back out as compost.
Akorede Adekoya is a trained pharmacist and global health enthusiast based in Toronto, Canada. He completed his undergraduate degree at Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria, and was awarded Chevron Professional Scholarship during this period. He's currently pursuing a Masters degree in Global Health at McMaster University, Canada, and also a "Water Without Borders" Graduate Diploma at the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH).
Zahra Belosch is a Master of Arts Candidate at McMaster University in the Globalization and the Human Condition program. Zahra completed her undergraduate degree from University of Toronto, where she studied Criminology-Sociolegal Studies and Political Science. She is a Teaching Assistant at McMaster for the department of Globalization and the Human Condition. She is interested in environmental sustainability, international migration, public policy and the political economy. Her research interests are also to explore the relation international migrants from the Global South have with climate change - how they engage and deal with climate crisis upon migrating to Canada. She further wishes to pursue a career in an area within her interest field.
Kerry Bowe graduated from the University of Aberdeen with a degree in Environmental Science in 2019. While in her final year of University, Kerry completed a dissertation with the Ipswich River Watershed Association determining the impacts on water quality in the Ipswich River. After finishing her degree, Kerry joined a program sailing from South Africa, Cape Town to Jamestown, Antigua from January to April of 2020. Kerry is taking courses as a non-degree student with the University Without Walls at UMass Amherst with the hopes of determining if she would like to pursue a master’s degree in Environmental Policy.
Matt Brodeur is assisting the Winter School organizing committee. Matt graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2016 with a Bachelors of Arts in Political Science, a certificate in International Relations, and a certificate in Public Policy & Administration with a concentration in Environmental Policy. He has previously worked for the Center for EcoTechnology as a Green Business Fellow, primarily focused on institutional food waste & recycling initiatives. While there, he managed a research project to quantify the climate impact of reusing building materials in order to determine whether it could be classified as a carbon offset. Since then, Matt has worked as Director of Operations for a Boston City Councilor and organized to elect multiple environmental leaders. Most recently, he served as the Deputy Organizing Director for a statewide coordinated campaign.
Gustavo Carvajal - Sustainability and communitary development are his passions. During the past two years, he worked as the Sub-coordinator of the National Youth Policy of his home country, Costa Rica. He had the satisfaction to work with indigenous groups, LGBTIQ, Afro-descendants, youth with disabilities, rural youth, migrants, refugees, and youth inside the penal system in cooperation with UNICEF and the Sustainable Development Goals. In 2017, Gustavo worked in the refugee camp of Dzaleka in Malawi, where we created the Dzaleka Youth Club, based on communal development and sustainability. For the past four years, he has been working on water access and sanitation in several countries and rural and urban regions, including Flint, Michigan. Gustavo is completing a Master of Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, with a focus on water security.
Kyle Compton is assisting the Winter School organizing committee. He holds an undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he is a Senior Data Analyst at the Sustainable Economics and Policy Lab. Kyle has previously worked in economic impact modeling at the federal, state, and regional levels, and has written reports that helped win approval for Medicaid Expansion in Missouri as well as the retirement/replacement of a coal-fired power plant in New Mexico. Kyle has also been involved in research efforts to identify fundamental principles and best practices in the economic valuation of Eco-DRR, which blended elements of spatial modeling, willingness-to-pay estimation, and contingent valuation.
Ajay Dawani is assisting the Winter School organizing commitee. He is an undergraduate student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is pursuing a major in Resource Economics and a minor in Information Technology. Ajay has received one of the Fall 2020 Economics Undergraduate Research Assistant (EURA) fellowship and is also a Teaching Assistant in the Resource Economics Department.
Ajay is interested in public policy, international development and environmental economics, and hopes to pursue a career in one of his fields of interest.
Dipa Desai is a paleoclimate scientist, STEM educator, good-troublemaker, and budding climate policy researcher. She is interested in antiracist, feminist, and nature-based solutions to the intertwined crises of climate change, racial and gender injustice, economic instability, and now, COVID-19. Currently she is in the MS program in Geosciences at University of Massachusetts Amherst, studying how oceans and Antarctic ice were affected by past global warming events. She holds a BSc in Biology with concentrations in Archaeology, Geology, and Chemistry from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.
Megan Devoe is a Master of Arts in Globalization candidate at McMaster University. She holds an undergraduate degree in Global Studies and Environmental Sustainability from Ryerson University. She holds an Indigenous Canada Certificate from the University of Alberta. She is also a Teaching Assistant within the Institute on Globalization and the Human Condition at McMaster. Megan is interested in areas of climate change and forced migration. She is also concerned with how Indigenous communities, specifically those in Canada, view and seek to address climate change. She is interested in researching equitable and sustainable futures with a focus on Indigenous ontologies.
Adam Finke is assisting the Winter School organizing committee. He is an undergraduate senior designing a degree in Sustainable Social Change at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His focus revolves around sustainable food systems, environmental education, and effective communication. He is a facilitator of the Philosophy Club, Meditation Group, and Interfaith Exchange.
During a semester abroad in Australia, Adam became fascinated by the transformative power of connection and how it can be used to mitigate climate change and promote social justice. He is interested in professional opportunities that allow him to engage with in with communities and foster environmental understanding.
Angie Gregory is assisting the Winter School organizing committee. She is a civically-minded community engaged resident of Northampton Massachusetts, a green entrepreneur, and a Barrett Values Center Certified Consultant for organizational transformation.
She holds a Bachelor’s of Art Degree from Smith College, a Permaculture Design Certificate from Sowing Solutions, and is a Master’s candidate at the University of Massachusetts in Sustainability Science.
Chitman Josan is a Ph.D. candidate at McMaster University in the Medical Science Graduate Program. Her research focuses on investigating the effect of cannabis on breast milk production and composition. Chitman is also a Teaching Assistant in the Biochemistry and Biomedical Science department and enjoys mentoring undergraduate students in her lab. Chitman is interested in medical research, cannabis research, women’s health, public health, public policy, and hopes to pursue a career in one of her fields of interest.
Kerry Judge is Masters of Public Policy and Administration candidate at UMass Amherst School of Public Policy. Following a career in business development and marketing in the renewable energy industry, she is interested in policy approaches to promote renewable energy development and a just transition to a green economy.
Michael Kang is a Master’s of Public Policy student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he holds Bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Statistics. He received an Economics Undergraduate Research Assistant Fellowship in 2019, assisting Professor A. Dube to investigate the implementation of the wage board system in the US.
Michael’s research interests are environmental policy, redistribution, and causal inference in machine learning.
Dhiroj Koirala is pursuing graduate studies in Resource Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is currently the head TA for ResEcon 212 (Basic Statistics for Social Sciences). Dhiroj is interested in environmental economics, environmental policy and energy. He is currently working on a research pertaining to the households' choice of energy in times of electricity crisis in Nepal.
Emily Laus is assisting the Winter School organizing committee. She is a sophomore undergraduate at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She is pursuing a major in Physics and a minor in Chemistry. She is also a member of the Commonwealth Honors College and the iCons ("Integrated Concentration in Science") Renewable Energy Track. Outside of classes, Emily actively participates in the UMass UNICEF club, the Science Outreach group, and the Minuteman Marching Band. Emily is determined to protect the planet and fight climate change. For a future career, she hopes to build upon renewable energy and environmental sustainability.
Madeline Leue is assisting the Winter School organizing committee. She is a Master’s of Public Policy and Administration candidate at the UMass Amherst School of Public Policy. After a career in Social Work, she is interested in researching and implementing policy which addresses the root causes of inequity. Her focus includes also sustainable evelopment and environmental justice.
Currently, Maddy is part of a research team of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Indiana University investigating the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 on households.
Ruoxin Lin received a Bachelor’s of Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Hospitality & Tourism Management and a minor in Art History in 2019. Ruoxin is interested in adaptive reuse in historic and/or abandoned architecture. Currently, Ruoxin is a first year graduate student pursuing a dual masters of Architecture and Design with a focus in Historic Preservation.
Ruoxin is also interested in exploring the Green Building Certification and apply sustainable design into her future career as an architect.
Michael Marr is Master of Public Policy candidate at the UMass Amherst School of Public Policy. Previously an American history teacher, Michael is interested in comparative policy and implementing creative solutions across various policy realms, including in education, the environment, and the energy sector. Michael is currently working as a winter research assistant on the upcoming U.S. Energy and Employment Report. In the Spring 2021 he will particpate in a consulting project on economic assessments of Eco-DRR projects. He received a Master of Arts in Teaching in Adolescent Education degree in 2010 from Binghamton University and a Bachelor of Arts in History degree from SUNY Oswego in 2008.
Shannon McAndrew is a Master's of Public Policy and Administration candidate at the University of Massachusetts Amherst School of Public Policy. She received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Government and Philosophy with honors from Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She has participated in Division I cross country, indoor, and outdoor track and field at both institutions.
Shannon's interests are in social and welfare policy, along with its intersection with environmental policy and sustainable development. Following receiving her degree from UMass, she hopes to pursue professional opportunities that will implement critical policy addressing social inequality and adaptation and mitigation of climate change in the United States.
Brendan Moran is a PhD Candidate at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is interested in a career applying innovative science to improve our ability to manage threatened water supplies and communicating science to create practical solution to global problems. He is currently part of a research team at UMass investigating the natural hydrologic, hydrogeologic, and hydroclimatic dynamics in the arid Andes of South America (e.g. the impacts of mining and other development on water tables, wetlands, and water supplies). Brendan received a BS in Geology from Saint Lawrence University in 2010 and an MS in Hydrogeology from the College of Natural Sciences at UMass-Amherst in 2018.
Adrienne Núñez is a Master of Public Policy and Administration (MPPA) student at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her research interests include fiscal and environmental policy with an emphasis on supporting the wellness of rural western Massachusetts communities.
Adrienne is the former chairperson of the Greenfield School Committee; a graduate of the Women’s Fund Leadership Institute for Political and Public Impact (LIPPI); former intern to MA State Representative Paul Mark; and a 2020 Civic Action Project Fellow. Adrienne is currently a Research Consultant at the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center. Through her research, service, and support for progressive policy reform, she is committed to racial and environmental justice.
Alexia Perides is a graduate student in the Sustainability Science Program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a BA in Economics. Her focus is on the policy, economics and equity of renewable energy. Through a research internship at the UMass Clean Energy Extension and coursework, she has discovered a passion for data analytics and research. She interested in professional opportunities that allow her to address systematic social issues while implementing climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.
Heather Polson is currently a Sustainability Science Master’s candidate at University of Massachusetts Amherst and is set to graduate in Spring 2021. Her interests have focused on how communities can help create solutions for increased urban resiliency, especially with green infrastructure and energy issues.
She received a BS from Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA in Outdoor Environmental Education and is a certified Master Gardener through the Western Massachusetts Master Gardener program.
Heather has spent most of her professional life in academia, from a small arts college to RU-1 institutions, on both the west and east coasts. When not working or in school, Heather enjoys time with her family in Western Massachusetts, or extended family in Arizona or Washington state.
After graduation, Heather hopes to continue her academic pursuits professionally in or near the Pioneer Valley.
Michelle Ragany is a Master's of Technology Entrepreneurship and Innovation candidate at McMaster University. With past experience in the food and agriculture sector, she is interested in researching the intersection between environmental policy and efficiencies in the food and agriculture industry. Michelle received a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Guelph in Leadership and Organizational Management in 2020.
Anthony Rose (Tony) graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1979 and served as a Coast Guard Officer for 8 years. He then joined the Connecticut environmental conservation Police and worked there for 25 years, retiring in 2015. After traveling and a Winter Semester with the National Outdoor Leadership School, Tony entered the Sustainability Science Masters Program at Umass. He had a Fellowship in Tanzania the summer of 2019 creating an environmental education curriculum at a rural school. He is active with several local environmental groups, including UU Mass Action, and Climate Action Now Western Mass.
Simon Schütze is pursuing a master of science in Geography of Environmental Risks and Human Security at the University of Bonn and the United Nations University. He is particularly interested in vulnerability-oriented disaster risk reduction and adaptive governance; his latest project in these thematic areas sought to understand the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 in the European Union through the lens of an innovative two-order disaster risk framework. Currently, Simon is working as a research assistant on the Social Cohesion in Africa project at the German Development Institute (DIE) in Bonn, Germany. Prior to his position at DIE, Simon has conducted water supply and demand modelling with the Water Evaluation and Planning System (WEAP) and took part in the University of Kiel’s SOILAssist project on soil degradation.
James Siakakaba is a Master’s of Sustainability Science student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the Department of Environmental Conservation. James is interested in sustainable agriculture and food systems largely due to his work experience with rural communities for over seven years.
Upon graduation, James wishes to be more civically oriented by advocating for environmental protection and promotion of climate smart agriculture for sustainable development.
Sarah Traore is a Master student in Environmental Conservation at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She 's been awarded the Fulbright scholarship 2020 and holds a Master’s degree in Water Treatment from the National Polytechnic Institute Houphouët-Boigny of Yamoussoukro (Côte d’Ivoire).
Sarah is interested in water resources management, water supply and sanitation in developing countries, and hopes to pursue a career in international organizations in one of her fields of interest.
Madison Trepanier is completing a Master’s of Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts School of Public Policy. She graduated in May of 2020 with a B.A. in Political Science and minors in Philosophy and Sociology. Her semester abroad in England pushed her to want to pursue policy issues on the global stage. Her interest areas include criminal justice policy, specifically working towards reducing mass incarceration, as well as sustainability. I am interested in pursuing a career in international relations and policy that address the intersection of social justice and climate change.
Miranda Vance is assisting the Winter School organizing committee. She is completing a a Master’s of Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts School of Public Policy. Miranda previously worked at a nonprofit as a financial educator, which made her passionate about consumer protection policy. She is also very interested in environmental policy, and in the Spring 2021 Miranda will participate in a consulting project on economic assessments of Eco-DRR projects.
Tatjana Washington received her B.S in Biology from the College of Charleston and is currently pursuing M.S degree from the University of Massachusetts. Her goal in pursuing graduate school is to improve relationships among the environment, animals, and human health while adding a diversity of people to the field. Her broad research interest stems in environmental conservation efforts by monitoring how anthropogenic stressors can influence and change ecosystems and urban environments.
Lyn Watts is a Masters of Geosciences candidate at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She received her B.A in Geoscience and Global South Development Studies from Smith College in 2017. Currently she is studying wetland restoration in eastern Massachusetts and the effect of restoration on groundwater sources.
Previously, Lyn has worked for county and federal land management agencies. She is interested in pursuing a career in hydrology research and its intersection with community development.
Hnin Wuit Yee Kyaw is currently enrolled as a student in the joint MSc “Geography of Environmental Risks and Human Security” of UNU-EHS and the University of Bonn in Germany and she received DAAD EPOS scholarship for her master study. She has a strong interest in disaster risk assessments, loss and damage assessments, risk reduction, climate change adaptation and socio-ecological ecosystem resilience, especially in the application of modelling techniques, geospatial and remote-sensing technologies. Wuit Yee has previously worked as a regional GIS and Research Officer at OneMap Myanmar, with a special focus in achieving high quality spatial and non-spatial data for better decision making in land and other natural resource management. Previously she has also worked for EGuard Environmental Services Co., Ltd. where she analysed environmental and social impacts of development projects in Myanmar. Her academic background is in Forestry and Environmental Science and she wrote her bachelor thesis on “Disaster Risk Reduction Measures for Floods, Landslides and Cyclones”. Wuit Yee joined UNU-EHS as a student assistant in the FloodAdaptVN project where she work on literature review and GIS-based analyses of Ecosystem-based Adaptation measures.
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