
Bren Student Organizations & Activities
Welcome, Brennies!
There are many ways to get involved as a Bren student! Scroll down for information on student clubs, committees, and activities. As always, Bren School staff are here to help if you can't find what you're looking for or if have any questions along the way (academics@bren.ucsb.edu).
Current Student Resource Guide Sections:
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UCSB Resources
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Funding & Employment
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Academic Resources
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Student Orgs & Activities
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Administrative Services
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BrenConnect
Clubs
- Environmental Justice (EJ) Club
The Bren School's goal is to ensure that Bren students leave equipped with the ability to identify and address environmental justice in their future careers. Striving to remove the shroud between science, policy, and people, the EJ Club serves the Bren community by providing a setting where students can build awareness and understanding of environmental justice. Stay informed about EJ Club meetings and other ways to get involved (guest speakers, initiatives, organizing, field trips, etc) by joining their listserv. Contact Madeline Oliver (MESM '21), Evan Heberlein (MESM '21), or Kazia Mermel (MESM '21) with any questions. - Brengrass
Brengrass is the fabled, legendary and official band of the Bren School. - Bren School Sustainability Committee
The Bren School Sustainability Committee (BSSC) is comprised of Bren MESM and PhD students who have an interest in creating a more sustainable community at Bren, UCSB and greater Santa Barbara. The BSSC coordinates interesting activities to promote sustainable action and education. To join BSSC, provide feedback, or make a recommendation, send an email to bssc@lists.bren.ucsb.edu. To join the BSSC listserv, please visit https://lists.connect.ucsb.edu/bren/info/bssc.
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 Student Committee Election Timeline
The Bren School Student Affairs team will ask students to self-nominate if they're interested in serving on one of the following committees. Elections for student representatives are held at different times throughout the year and each committee has a different number of representatives. See the table below for an overview.
Committees | Elections | # of Student Representatives |
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MESM Dean's Advisory Council (DAC) | Fall Quarter | 3 first-year MESM; 3 second-year MESM |
Group Project Committee | Fall Quarter | 3 first-year MESM students |
Graduate Student Association (GSA) | Fall Quarter | 2 Bren students |
MESM Class Co-Chairs | Winter Quarter | 2 MESM students from each cohort |
PhD Dean's Advisory Council (DAC) | Spring Quarter | 5 PhD students (1 from each cohort) |
PhD Program Committee | Spring Quarter | 2 PhD students (1 pre-candidacy and 1 post-candidacy) |
Diversity Committee | Spring Quarter | 1 PhD student; 1 MESM student |
Master's Curriculum Committee | Spring Quarter | 1 MESM student representative |
Bren Seminar Committee | Spring Quarter | 2 MESM students; 2 PhD students |
The Green Initiative Fund | Spring Quarter | 1 Bren student |
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, 4th year PhD Student Representative
Casey O’Hara, 4th 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
Specialization Advisors
Graduate Advisor
Satie Airamé
Coastal Marine Resources Management (CMRM):
Chris Costello (Class of 2021)
Hunter Lenihan (Class of 2022)
Conservation Planning (CP):
Frank Davis (Class of 2021)
Ashley Larsen (Class of 2022)
Corporate Environmental Management (CEM):
Matt Potoski (Class of 2021) Sabbatical in W21
Eric Masanet (Class of 2022)
Economics and Politics of the Environment (EPE):
Mark Buntaine (Class of 2021)
Sarah Anderson (Class of 2022)
Energy and Climate (EC):
Sangwon Suh (Class of 2021) Sabbatical in W21
Kyle Meng (Class of 2022)
Pollution Prevention and Remediation (PPR):
Patricia Holden (Class of 2021)
Roland Geyer (Class of 2022)
Water Resources Management (WRM):
Scott Jasechko (Class of 2021)
Arturo Keller (Class of 2022)
Communication Focus Advisor:
Lisa Leombruni
Eco-E Focus Advisor:
Emily Cotter
Economics and Environmental Science (EES) PhD Emphasis
Chris Costello, Faculty Advisor
Interdepartmental PhD Emphasis in Environment and Society
Kelly Caylor
Faculty Mentors
Arturo Keller/Eric Masanet (2nd year)
Kyle Meng/Tamma Carleton (1st year)
Naomi Tague/Allison Horst (1st year)
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
Ad Hoc Committees
MEDS Curriculum Cohesion Committee
Allison Horst
Tamma Carleton
Ben Halpern
Scott Jasechko
Samantha Stevenson
Naomi Tague
Sean Kerr, Staff Consultant
Satie Airame, Staff Consultant
Computing Committee
Steve Miley, Staff Coordinator
Eric Masanet, Chair
James Frew
Samantha Stevenson
Brad Hill, Staff Consultant
Geoff Jewel, Staff Consultant
H. William Kuni Project Committee
Hunter Lenihan, Chair
Tamma Carleton
Steve Gaines, Ex officio
Satie Airamé, Staff Coordinator
Lotus Vermeer, Staff Consultant
Sustainable Water Markets (SWM) Fellowship Program Committee
Bob Wilkinson, Chair
Jim Salzman
Steve Gaines, Ex officio
Lili Prahl, Staff Coordinator
Sustainable Forests Fellowship (FSF) Program Committee
Bruce Kendall, Chair
Robert Heilmayr
Naomi Tague
Kristine Duarte, Staff Coordinator
Satie Airamé, Staff Consultant
Web Design Executive Committee
Melissa Van De Werfhorst, Chair
Lisa Leombruni
Steve Miley
Satie Airamé
Web Design Review Committee
Melissa Van De Werfhorst, Chair
Satie Airamé
Kristi Birney
Kristine Duarte
Brad Hill
Steve Miley
Signe Nicklas
David Parker
Rebecca Webb
Sophia Wilmore
Lisa Leombruni, Faculty Representative
Ben Halpern, Faculty Representative
Indigo Bannister, MESM Student Representative
Zurich Financial Services Distinguished Visitor Program Selection Committee
Bruce Kendall, Chair
Kyle Meng
Satie Airamé, Staff Consultant
Sean Kerr, Staff Consultant
Lotus Vermeer, Staff Consultant
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