Activities

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• Intramural Sports
• UCSB Health & Wellness

Bren Student Committee Descriptions

See descriptions below and scroll down to the next section for an overview of the election timeline and a list of committee members. 

Dean's Advisory Council (DAC)
The DAC serves as an information conduit between students and the administration. It works with the administration to ensure the Bren School provides a supportive and positive environment for its students. DAC represents the entire student body and explores different student opinions and views to motivate problem-solving for any student-related issues. The MESM DAC includes three 1st-year MESM and three 2nd-year MESM students. The PhD DAC includes up to five PhD students. The DAC is responsible for scheduling meetings, creating its own minutes, and defining its processes and procedures. Meetings are held quarterly. DAC may lead school-wide functions that involve the student body. 

Diversity Committee
The Diversity Committee is composed of two Bren faculty, three staff, and one PhD and one MESM student who focus on diversity and integrate diversity considerations into all decision-making. The Diversity Committee meets once or twice per quarter, or as needed. The Bren School Diversity Values are posted to the website under About Bren.

PhD Program Committee
The PhD Program Committee consists of faculty, staff, and two PhD student representatives, one that has advanced to candidacy and one pre-candidacy. The committee sets standards and policy for the PhD curriculum. It provides advice and consent on matters of policy, programs, and practice that impact the quality of the PhD educational program and the educational experience of PhD students. According to University rules, the student representatives cannot be voting members; only faculty that are members of the Academic Senate can be voting members. Nonetheless, the students play an important and valuable role. The Committee reserves the right to have Executive Sessions that exclude the student representatives as needed to discuss confidential personnel issues or issues related to specific students. The staff contact for the PhD Program Committee is the Academic Programs Manager.

Master's Curriculum Committee
The Master's Curriculum Committee consists of faculty, staff, and student representatives. In Spring Quarter, the MESM student representative is elected from the 1st-year class and serves on the committee through his/her second year. The committee sets standards and policy on master's education. It provides advice and consent on matters of policy, programs, and practice that impact the quality of the MESM and MEDS educational programs and the educational experience of Bren master's students. According to University rules, the student representatives cannot be voting members; only faculty that are members of the Academic Senate can be voting members. Nonetheless, student representatives play an important and valuable role in shaping the committee agenda and working to address students’ interest and concerns. The Committee reserves the right to have Executive Sessions that exclude the student representative as needed to discuss confidential personnel issues or issues related to specific students. The staff contact for the Master's Curriculum Committee is the Academic Programs Manager.

Group Project Committee
The Group Project Committee consists of faculty, staff and three 1st-year MESM students who oversee the Group Project selection process. In Fall Quarter, MESM students are elected from the 1st-year class to serve on the committee during the Winter Quarter of the first year of study. The committee reviews and selects Group Project proposals. The faculty and staff guide Group Project policy and communicate guidelines to students. The staff contact for the Group Project Committee is the Academic Programs Manager.

Eco-Entrepreneurship (Eco-E) Program Committee
The Eco-E Program Committee consists of faculty and staff who oversee the Eco-E Program. The committee mentors students in Eco-E Projects, provides feedback to Eco-E groups through quarterly lessons-learned presentations and Eco-E Project defenses, and allocates funding for Eco-E student recruitment, internships, and prototypes. The staff coordinator for the Eco-E Program Committee is the Eco-E Program Manager.

Bren Seminars Committee
The Bren Seminars Committee consists of staff, PhD, and MESM students who plan the Bren Seminar series. Seminars are focused on research topics of interest to environmental science students and faculty. Bren Seminars are scheduled on Mondays at 11:00 am – 12:00 pm. The Bren Seminar Committee works closely with the Senior Events Managr and Assistant Dean for Academic Programs.

MESM Class Chairs
Each MESM class elects two co-chairs in early Winter Quarter. The MESM Class Chairs facilitate communication between alumni in each class and the Bren School. Class Chairs provide meaningful feedback to the school and can open doors to internships, employment opportunities, and matching gifts. Each year Class Chairs play a leadership role in rallying classmates to provide annual support to the school in the form of personal contributions. It is through the support of our alumni and friends that the school can offer comprehensive, leading-edge approaches to environmental problem-solving. 

UCSB Orgs with student representatives

Graduate Student Association (GSA) 
The Graduate Student Association (GSA) is the elected representative government for the UC Santa Barbara graduate students. They articulate graduate student concerns to the campus administration and to campus-wide committees that deal with topics ranging from parking and student family concerns to long-range academic planning. Becoming a GSA rep is a great way to get to know UCSB outside of Bren and contribute to the wider graduate student community on campus. 

The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF)
The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF) was the first green fee in the UC system. It was created by students in the spring of 2006 with a charge to “reduce the University’s impact on the environment.”

Bren school committee Membership

- updated on november 12, 2020

Faculty Committees

Affirmative Action
Steve Gaines, Dean
Faculty TBD
TBD, Staff Coordinator
 
Environmental Data Science Search
James Frew, Chair
Sarah Anderson, Equity Advisor
Frank Davis
Ben Halpern
Naomi Tague
Alice Lepissier, Student Representative
Juan Carlos Villasenor Derbez, Student Representative
Kelly Keogh, Staff Coordinator
 
Diversity Committee
Kyle Meng, Chair
Sarah Anderson, Ex officio
Steve Gaines, Ex officio
Lisa Leombruni
Qusai Bhaijeewala, MESM Student Representative
Annette Hilton, PhD Student Representative
Kristine Duarte, Staff Coordinator
Satie Airamé, Staff Consultant
Kelly Keogh, Staff Consultant
Melissa Van De Werfhorst, Staff Consultant
Sophia Wilmore, Staff Consultant
 
Faculty Executive Committee
Mark Buntaine, Chair (2nd year)
Roland Geyer (2nd year)
Kelly Caylor (1st year)
Kelsey Jack (1st year)
Steve Gaines, Ex officio
Bruce Kendall, Ex officio
Sarah Anderson, Ex officio
Kelly Keogh, Staff Coordinator
Satie Airamé, Staff Consultant
 
Personnel
Matt Potoski, Co-Chair, Sabbatical W21
Naomi Tague, Co-Chair
Bren Faculty
Kelly Keogh, Staff Coordinator
 
Recruitment, Admissions and Support (RAS)
Hunter Lenihan, Chair
Trish Holden
Kelsey Jack
Jim Salzman
Kristine Duarte, Staff Coordinator
Satie Airamé, Staff Consultant
Rebecca Webb, Staff Consultant
 
Group Project
Frank Davis, Chair
Chris Costello 
Roland Geyer
Steve Gaines, Ex officio
Sean Kerr, Staff Coordinator
Satie Airamé, Staff Consultant 
Beth Pitton-August, Staff Consultant
Anastasia Kunz, 1st Year MESM Student Representative
Nikole Vannest, 1st Year MESM Student Representative
Anna Talken, 1st Year MESM Student Representative
 
Master’s Curriculum (priority for 2020-21 will be MEDS)
James Frew, Chair
Sarah Anderson
Ben Halpern 
Allison Horst
Victoria Wallace, 2nd Year MESM Student Representative
Sean Kerr, Staff Coordinator
Satie Airamé, Staff Consultant
Kristine Duarte, Staff Consultant
 
PhD Program
Chris Costello, Chair
Bruce Kendall
Ashley Larsen
Vincent Thivierge, 3rd year PhD Student Representative
Casey O’Hara, 3rd year PhD Student Representative
Sean Kerr, Staff Coordinator
Satie Airamé, Staff Consultant
Kristine Duarte, Staff Consultant
 
Eco-Entrepreneurship (Eco-E) Program
Emily Cotter, Staff Coordinator
Sangwon Suh, Chair Sabbatical in W21
Darcy Bradley
Robert Heilmayr
Sean Kerr, Staff Consultant
Satie Airamé, Staff Consultant
Anthony Luna, 2nd Year MESM Student Representative
Kazia Mermel, 2nd Year MESM Student Representative
 
Strategic Environmental Communication and Media (Comm) Program
Matt Potoski, Chair Sabbatical in W21
Scott Jasechko
Lisa Leombruni, Staff Coordinator
Satie Airamé, Staff Consultant
Sean Kerr, Staff Consultant
 
Career Development and Alumni Relations Committee
Arturo Keller, Chair
Eric Masanet
Kristi Birney, Staff Coordinator
David Parker, Staff Consultant
Beth Pitton-August, Staff Consultant
 
Council of Legal Advisors
Jim Salzman, Chair
Beth Pitton-August, Staff Coordinator
 
Building/Space
Arturo Keller, Chair
John Melack Sabbatical in W21
Sage Davis, Staff Coordinator
Kim Fugate, Staff Consultant
Corina Aguiar, Staff Consultant

Student Committees

Bren Seminars
Simone Alburquerque, MESM Student Representative
Claudia Flores, MESM Student Representative
Alberto Garcia, PhD Student Representative
Liliana Sierra Castillo, PhD Student Representative
Aleah Van Woert, Staff Coordinator
Satie Airamé, Staff Consultant

PhD Dean's Advisory (PhD DAC)
Alice Lepissier, 4th year PhD Student Representative
Phoebe Racine, 3rd year PhD Student Representative
Steve Gaines, Dean
Kristine Duarte, Staff Coordinator
Satie Airamé, Staff Consultant
David Parker, Staff Consultant

MESM Dean's Advisory (MESM DAC)
Monica Gordon, 2nd year MESM student representative 
Becca Reynolds, 2nd year MESM student representative 
Anthony Luna, 2nd year MESM student representative 
Joaquin Meckler, 1st year MESM student representative
Shelby Smith, 1st year MESM student representative
Matthew Koller, 1st year MESM student representative
Steve Gaines, Dean
Kristine Duarte, Staff Coordinator
Satie Airamé, Staff Consultant
David Parker, Staff Consultant

MESM Class Chairs
Class of 2021: Alicia Fennell and Elliot Matthews
Class of 2022: TBD

The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF) Representative
Kaili Brande (PhD Student)

Bren School Graduate Student Association (GSA) Representatives
Mauricio Collado, 2nd year MESM student representative
Alexandria Wilkins, 2nd year MESM student representative
Jake Nyiri, 1st year MESM student representative
Aya Rosenfeld, 1st year MESM student representative
Satie Airamé, Staff Advisor

Campus Committees

Central Fellowships Committee
Dave Tilman

Chancellor’s Sustainability Committee
Sangwon Suh
Hunter Lenihan

Chancellor's Advisory Committee on the Status of Women
Sarah Anderson

Chancellor's Task Force on Childcare
Sarah Anderson

Program Review Panel (PRP) (meets Wed at 1-3)
Naomi Tague

AVC for Academic Personnel Search Committee
Bruce Kendall

Dangermond Chair Faculty Search Committee
Ben Halpern
Patricia Holden
John Melack

Faculty Salary Equity Committee
Chris Costello

Privilege and Tenure 
Matt Potoski

Academic Welfare and Awards
Hunter Lenihan

Committee on Information Technology, Academic Senate (meets Fri PM)
James Frew, Chair

Information Technology Council
James Frew, CIO

Faculty Steering Committee, Center for Information Technology and Society
James Frew

Campus Data Science Initiative Working Group
Kelly Caylor

Data Science Curriculum Committee
Kelly Caylor

Committee on International Education
Arturo Keller

Office of Research Space Committee
Kelly Caylor

National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis
Ben Halpern, Director

NCEAS Campus Advisory Committee
Kelly Caylor

ERI Director
Kelly Caylor

UCSB Natural Reserve System (NRS)
Patricia Holden, Director

UC Natural Reserve System (NRS) University-wide Advisory Committee
Patricia Holden, Chair in Spring 2020

Natural Reserve System (NRS) Advisory Committee
Patricia Holden, Ex Officio
Frank Davis
John Melack
James Frew

Valentine Eastern Sierra Reserve
John Melack, Faculty Advisor

ISBER Advisory Committee
Mark Buntaine

Institute for Energy Efficiency (IEE) Leadership Committee
Sangwon Suh

Marine Science Institute (MSI) Advisory Committee
Patricia Holden, Ex Officio
Ben Halpern

Scientific Diving Committee
Hunter Lenihan

Small Boat Operations Committee
Hunter Lenihan

VCR Building Committee (COAST Building)
Ben Halpern

North Campus Open Space (NCOS) Administrative Advisory Group
Kelly Caylor
Frank Davis

La Kretz Center
Frank Davis, Director

LTER Network Office 
Frank Davis, Executive Director

Advisory Council for the Center for Black Studies Research
James Frew

UC Academic Freedom Committee
Hunter Lenihan

UC Systemwide Committee on Academic Computing and Communications
James Frew

UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program Application Review Committee
Ashley Larsen

UC Environmental Economics (EE) Committee
Chris Costello, Chair

UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC) Steering Committee
Kelsey Jack

Faculty Legislature Representative
Samantha Stevenson

UCSB Campus Climate Survey Committee
Sean Kerr