MEDS 2024
Pronouns: she/her
Bio
Kate Becker graduated in 2022 from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies. Her interest in the environmental field peaked during an academic field studies program in Hawai’i subsequently opening her eyes to human rights abuse propagated by environmental injustices. There, she worked directly with indigenous communities to overcome food insecurities, implement marine protected areas through spatial mapping, and combat the decline of native culture and language as a result of historic colonialism. Most recently, Kate worked as an undergraduate researcher in Erika Eliason’s Lab at UCSB investigating thermal tolerance of fishes under fluctuating temperatures and varying diets using cardiovascular performance as a metric. Using her experience and knowledge, she became determined to bridge the gap between equal access to basic human rights and the conservation of marine food resources.
Today, Kate is a master’s student in Environmental Data Science at the University of California – Santa Barbara’s Bren School of Environmental Science and Management. She aims to implement data science skills in machine learning and reproducibility to influence marine conservation policies, cultivate sustainable and attainable food systems, and fight environmental injustices faced by indigenous communities.