2025 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 2025 will present 15 Master's Group Projects and Eco-Entrepreneurship Projects on Friday, April 25, 2025, 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. Livestream links below.
SCHEDULE
Session A: Bren Hall 1414
+ Watch the Session A livestream here
- 1:00 - 1:15 pm: Dean's Welcome
- 1:15 - 1:40 pm: ResiliReefs: Mobile Coral Restoration Labs for Coral Reef Restoration Organizations to Scale Up Operational Capacity and Impact (Eco-Entrepreneurship); Camille Kaczmar, Samantha Mislinski, Zoe Zhou
- 1:45 - 2:10 pm: ScopeWise: A Platform for Supply Chain Sustainability and Scope 3 Emissions Tracking (Eco-Entrepreneurship); Rence Balitaan, Jake Cosmo, Jacques Rebibo, Chelsea Sanford
- 2:15 - 2:40 pm: Lost and Frond: Producing a Carbon-Rich Biochar Through the Pyrolysis of Palm Frond Waste (Eco-Entrepreneurship); Lilli Bennett, Izzy Coiro, Anna Perko, Michael Roysner
- 2:45 - 3:10 pm: Evaluating the Biodiversity Implications of Nature-Based Carbon Credits; Sophie Bartley, Dana Cohen-Kaplan, Jackson Hayes, Anissa Stull, Kelsey Warren
- 3:30 - 3:55 pm: Roadmap and Recommendations for Sustainability Reporting in Food Manufacturing; Akshaya Jagannathan, Madison Kilkenny, Wesley Martinez, Daphne Prodis, Brenda Vuong
- 4:00 - 4:25 pm: Finding Balance in Our Managed Beaches: Policy Recommendations to Mitigate Emergency Sediment Disposal Impacts in Santa Barbara County; Letty Aguilar, Tali Cook, Roxana Lagunas, Sophia Lecuona, Janiece Luu
- 4:30 - 4:55 pm: Supporting Equitable Healthcare Through Solar Energy Assessment Tools; Ivette Castaneda, Reeves Erickson , Temesgen Gebreyesus, Sabrina Molina Ramos, Henry Strecker
- 5:00 - 5:25 pm: Uncovering the Hidden Upstream Resource Use of Data Center Cooling; Michaela Galarza, Tulsi Mistry, Matilde Saucedo, Vrunda Tol
Session B: MSI Auditorium
+ Watch the Session B livestream here
- 1:45 - 2:10 pm: Understanding and Mitigating Kelp Forest Losses Caused by Environmental Change in Aotearoa New Zealand; Kyle Burt, Jessica Copeland, Caroline Edmonds, Natalie Mayer, Shane O'Brian
- 2:15 - 2:40 pm: Surf Protected Areas: Bridging Conservation, Communities, and Sustainable Development, in Western Sumatra, Indonesia; Ryan Anderson, Manuela Díaz, Sofia Gutierrez, Miranda Scalzo, Emma Tao
- 2:45 - 3:10 pm: A Bioeconomic Evaluation of Distant Water Fishing Management Strategies in Liberia; Mara Booth, Taylor Cook, Dustin Duncan, Abigail Kirk, Maddie Whitman
- 3:30 - 3:55 pm: Sustainability and Economic Feasibility of Biosolids-Based Biochar for Agricultural Applications; Riley Black, Sam Lance, Lauren Londoño, Jessica Rodriguez
- 4:00 - 4:25 pm: Land & Biodiversity Conservation Through Sustainable Enterprise Advancement in Baja California Sur, Mexico; Sadie Armstrong, Julia Field, Samson Grunwald, Shivank Jhanji, Tatianna Suriel
- 4:30 - 4:55 pm: Integrating Climate Adaptation Strategies into Local Collaborative Forest Management in Northern Colorado: a Case Study with the Upper South Platte Partnership; Liv Hemond, Steven Mitchell, Maxwell Pepperdine, Nicole Rosen, Izzy Sofio
- 5:00 - 5:25 pm: Evaluating Ecological Conservation Gaps Across a Proposed Sentinel Landscape; Thuy-Tien Bui, Madison Calbert, Andrew Palacios, Natalie Smith, Priscilla Ta
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 28th annual Master’s Project Final Presentations, showcasing projects completed by the Bren School Master of Environmental Science and Management Class of 2025. 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 our 2025 Master's Project Presentations Supporter:
And thank you to the Bren School's Corporate and Institutional Partners:
Bank of America, BlueDot Institute, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, California Homebuilding Foundation, Deckers Brands, Direct Relief, Donald Bren Foundation, Google, Latham & Watkins, Manitou Fund, The Nature Conservancy, Professional Environmental Managers Association (PEMA), Rincon Consultants, Southern California Edison, The Kirby-Jones Foundation, The Natalie Orfalea Foundation, Tillamook Creamery, Toad&Co.