Grace Bianchi

Pronouns: she/her

Bio
Grace Bianchi graduated from Purdue University in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and minor in Environmental and Ecological Engineering. During her undergraduate education, she studied abroad in Australia and worked in an insect ecology research lab at the University of Sydney. While there, Grace was devastated to see bleached coral reefs and wildfires that resulted from climate change. She was determined to mitigate the damage to our ecosystems, leading her to Bren. For the last year, Grace was an undergraduate researcher in an ecotoxicology lab, investigating the effects of herbicides, aqueous film forming foams (AFFF), and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on amphibians. Grace’s work experience with contamination in aquatic ecosystems and interest in persistence of hazardous waste in the environment, has led her to pursue a specialization in Pollution Prevention and Remediation. Currently, Grace is learning about local wildlife rehabilitation and volunteers at the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network.