MESM 2023
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Bio
Alia Ajina graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) in 2020 with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and a minor in Earth Science. During her undergraduate career, she honed in on her passion for hydrology both on campus and through the “Socio-Ecological Sustainability in Southern Chile” study abroad program. In Chile, she utilized her bilingual background to complete a capstone project researching the effects of livestock on riparian ecosystems. On campus, she completed research through the Earth Research Institute (ERI) on debris flows and their recurrence intervals in Santa Barbara County. This position led to a full-time research position with ERI after graduation. She then began working in fisheries biology researching endangered Southern California steelhead at two governmental organizations: Cachuma Operations and Maintenance Board and the US Forest Service in Los Padres. Alia hopes to further her knowledge of freshwater systems as she pursues the Water Resources Management specialization. Her immediate interests involve water toxicology issues and their correlation to public health crises. Separately, she is also interested in the removal of large dams across the Western U.S. and its initial and eventual effect on fish populations, specifically salmon and trout.