2023 Master's Project Presentations

Master of Environmental Science and Management student projects are the culmination of a year working in collaboration with a client partner or on a business plan which addresses an environmental problem. The Class of 2023 will present 16 Master's Group Projects and Eco-Entrepreneurship Projects on Friday, April 28, 2023, from 1:00pm to 5:25pm Pacific Time. This event will be held in-person on the UC Santa Barbara campus and streamed live online. Presentations will be held in two simultaneous sessions:  Session A is in Bren Hall 1414, and Session B is in the Marine Science Institute (MSI) Auditorium.

This event is open to the public, both in-person and online. No registration is required.

SCHEDULE

Session A: Bren Hall 1414 

+ Watch the Session A livestream here

• 1:05 - 1:15pm: Dean's Welcome
• 1:15 - 1:40pm: Assessing Lost Gear Removals in Southern California by a Nonprofit; Sarah Lam, Logan Ossentjuk, Meghna Rao, Cristina Robinson, Abigail Sanford
• 1:45 - 2:10pm: Cost Analysis of Social and Environmental Improvements in Fiji's Longline Albacore Tuna Fishery; Sam Kuglen, Katie Munster, Devon Rossi
• 2:15 - 2:40pm: Integrating Ecosystem Services into a Prioritization Model for Surf Protected Areas; Kort Alexander, Sachiko Lamen, Kiera Matiska, Conner Smith , Kirsten White
• 2:45 - 3:10pm: A Business Model Centering Environmentally, Economically, and Socially Responsible Adventure Tourism (Eco-Entrepreneurship); Annie Combs, Deanna Elliott, Kat Orellana
• 3:30 - 3:55pm: MATE the Label Product Chemistry Hotspot Analysis to Reduce Human Health and Ecological Impacts; Sarah Hamilton, Maggie Hammond, Carleigh Osen, Alexandra Setmajer, Caroline Shepherd
• 4:00 - 4:25pm: Seaweed: The Solution to Pollution? A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of LDPE and Algal Flexible Film Packaging; Taylor Gries, Mari Herbst de Cortina, Jack Miller, Devin Ngo, Jonah Seif
• 4:30 - 4:55pm: Impacts of Regenerative Land Management at Jalama Canyon Ranch: Assessing the Role of Remote Sensing in the Accreditation Process for Regenerative Agriculture Certifications; Elijah Baker, Tommy King, Sophia Leiker, Patrick Pelegri-O'Day, Sarah-Anne Rohlfing, Eva Wilson
• 5:00 - 5:25pm: Projections of Future Cropland Abandonment: Impacts to Biodiversity and Carbon Sequestration; Lucas Boyd, Michelle Geldin, Shayan Kaveh, Nick McManus, Max Settineri

Session B: MSI Auditorium

+ Watch the Session B livestream here

• 1:05 - 1:15pm: Dean's Welcome
• 1:15 - 1:40pm: Black Bear Aware: Predicting Human-Black Bear Conflict Likelihood in a Changing Climate; Mia Guarnieri, Claire Meuter, Sam Rozal, Chase Tarr
• 1:45 - 2:10pm: Projecting Impacts of Resource Extraction on Wildlife Habitat in the Greater Chilkat Watershed, Alaska; Alia Ajina, Eric Cole, Katheryn Moya, Katie Pietrucha, Evie Vermeer, Charlie Wilson
• 2:15 - 2:40pm: Ecosystem Services and Financing Community Forests: An Application to Wallowa County, Oregon; Andrea Cornelius, Cristina Mancilla, Hollie Pennington, Sachi Shiroma, Anusha Sridhara
• 2:45 - 3:10pm: Collaborative Conservation Planning for the Gaviota Region; Pol Carbó Mestre, Lauren Harris, Alexandra Martin, Alissa Patterson, Alessandra Puig-Santana, Kat Rosencrance
• 3:30 - 3:55pm: Exploring Advanced Treatment Options for California Water Security; Savana Gonzales, Renee LaManna, Thomas Lenihan, Trevor Maggart, Matt McCafferty, Taylor Medina
• 4:00 - 4:25pm: Carbon Free Housing and Dining: A UCSB Electrification Study; Drew Andersen, Logan Babcock, Daija Odom, Marco Palombo, Emily Pelstring
• 4:30 - 4:55pm: Constructing a Model to Identify Markets for Rooftop Solar on Multifamily Housing; Cam Audras, Grace Bianchi, Virginia Pan, Naomi Raal, Julia Bickford
• 5:00 - 5:25pm: Paramount Global’s Emissions Reduction Strategy: VPPAs and On-Site Solar; Ridhima Chaudhuri, Russell Fager, Allison Gracer, Ben Moscona, Julia Wilson, Anna Zauner

Reception to follow in the Bren Hall Michael J. Connell Memorial Courtyard

Master's Project Presentation Day: A Message from Dean Steve Gaines

I’m pleased to invite you to the 26th annual Master’s Project Final Presentations, showcasing projects completed by the Bren School Master of Environmental Science and Management Class of 2023. Over the course of a year, students work in teams with one or more faculty advisors who monitor progress, provide technical assistance and expertise, and evaluate the project. This hands-on experience prepares Bren graduates to be leaders in solving the environmental problems of the 21st century. 

The Master of Environmental Science and Management, or MESM, program offers a problem-solving, solution-oriented, multidisciplinary curriculum that blends training in the natural sciences, social sciences, law, and business. The capstone of the MESM program is either a Group Project or Eco-Entrepreneurship (Eco-E) Project.

Group Projects train students to work as a team while they conduct comprehensive analyses of current environmental issues containing both scientific and management challenges. Students partner with outside stakeholders as they define the scope of a real-world environmental problem and develop interdisciplinary solutions.

Eco-E Projects prepare students as entrepreneurs who can identify opportunities where market demands overlap environmental solutions. Students who complete an Eco-E Project develop a business model, build a prototype concept, and create a go-to-market strategy for a new environmental venture.

The Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara continues to play a leading role in researching environmental issues, identifying and solving environmental problems, and training research scientists and environmental-management professionals. The Bren School continues to be impressed by the depth of knowledge displayed by our students. We hope you'll join us for this fascinating day of presentations.

Thank you to the Bren School's Corporate and Institutional Partners:

AEP Channel Counties Chapter, Bank of America Charitable Foundation, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, California Homebuilding Foundation, Deckers Outdoor Corporation, Eli Lilly and Company, Inditex, Latham & Watkins, O’Melveny & Myers, Professional Environmental Managers Association (PEMA), Resources Legacy Fund, Rhodium Group, Rincon Consultants, Southern California Edison, The Nature Conservancy, Toad & Co.