Master's Project Directory | UC Santa Barbara Bren

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Teamwork engineer wearing safety uniform standing crossed arms at wind turbine

Modeling the Impact of Decarbonization on Labor in California’s Central Coast

This project maps the shifting energy job landscape on California’s Central Coast as offshore wind development accelerates. By visualizing job gains and losses, it empowers labor, environmental, and community groups to advocate for a just transition to clean energy.

Group Members: Liz Peterson, Marina Kochuten, Brooke Grazda

Faculty Advisors: Ranjit Deshmukh

Clients: The 2035 Initiative, UCSB Community Labor Center

Surf Protected Areas: Bridging Conservation, Communities, and Sustainable Development, in Western Sumatra, Indonesia

2025 MESM Group Project: Conservation Gap Analysis and the Business Case for Protecting Surf Ecosystems

Group Members: Ryan Anderson, Manuela Díaz, Sofia Gutierrez, Miranda Scalzo, Emma Tao

Faculty Advisors: Hunter Lenihan

Clients: Conservation International Indonesia

Life Finds a Way: Photo of Grass Pushing Through Dry Earth in a Barren Field

Data for Drought Resiliency

This project enhances California’s water data portal by assessing data quality, accessibility, and usability for improved drought management. Through gap analysis and automated visualization tools, it empowers water managers with actionable insights to better predict and respond to water shortages.

Group Members: Tom Gibbens-Matsuyama, Emma Bea Mitchell, Karol Paya, Takeen Shamloo

Faculty Advisors: Christina Tague

Clients: California Water Data Consortium

Sustainability and Economic Feasibility of Biosolids-Based Biochar for Agricultural Applications

MESM 2025 Group Project: Safety and sustainability assessment of pyrolyzed biochar produced from wastewater treatment plant biosolids for agricultural applications

Group Members: Riley Black, Sam Lance, Lauren Londoño, Jessica Rodriguez

Faculty Advisors: Arturo Keller

Clients: The Santa Ynez Chumash Environmental Office

Coastal california scene with dark clouds, waves, rocky beach and cliffs

Assessing Range Shifts of Coastal Species to Inform Conservation in California’s Biogeographic Transition Zones

This project examines how Point Conception, a major biogeographic barrier, influences the range shifts of intertidal species in response to climate change. Using long-term ecological survey data and environmental projections, it will map species range edges and develop an interactive dashboard to support conservation efforts at The Nature Conservancy’s Dangermond Preserve.

Group Members: Amanda Overbye, Ian Morris-Sibaja, Matteo Torres, Jordan Sibley

Faculty Advisors: Bruce Kendall

Clients: The Nature Conservancy, Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve

Many computer servers in a dark room in a data center

Uncovering the Hidden Upstream Resource Use of Data Center Cooling

MESM 2025 Group Project: Understanding the tradeoffs of embedded energy and water use associated with Equinix's CA-based data center cooling needs

Group Members: Michaela Galarza, Tulsi Mistry, Matilde Saucedo, Vrunda Tol

Faculty Advisors: Eric Masanet

Clients: Equinix

Understanding and Mitigating Kelp Forest Losses Caused by Environmental Change in Aotearoa New Zealand

MESM 2025 Group Project: Understanding and Mitigating Seaweed Forest Losses Caused by Environmental Change in New Zealand/Aotearoa

Group Members: Kyle Burt, Jessica Copeland, Caroline Edmonds, Natalie Mayer, Shane O'Brian

Clients: Cawthron Institute

vegetables for sale in a supermarket - 7N3YFR5GPL

Roadmap and Recommendations for Sustainability Reporting in Food Manufacturing

MESM 2025 Group Project: Food Manufacturing Impact Measurement and Reporting

Group Members: Akshaya Jagannathan, Madison Kilkenny, Wesley Martinez, Daphne Prodis, Brenda Vuong

Faculty Advisors: Matt Potoski

Clients: Albertsons Companies

Health center with solar panels on the roofs

Supporting Equitable Healthcare Through Solar Energy Assessment Tools

MESM 2025 Group Project: Cost-Benefit Analysis Tools for Federally Qualified Health Centers Considering On-Site Solar Installation: A Healthcare Equity Project

Group Members: Ivette Castaneda, Kyle (Reeves) Erickson, Temesgen Gebreyesus, Sabrina Molina Ramos, Henry Strecker

Faculty Advisors: Christopher Costello

Clients: Collective Energy Company, LLC

Coral reef with different colored corals.

ResiliReefs: Mobile Coral Restoration Labs for Coral Reef Restoration Organizations to Scale Up Operational Capacity and Impact (Eco-E)

MESM 2025 Eco-Entrepreneurship Project: Develop a product/service that accelerates coral bleaching prevention through the diving community, raising awareness and adding value to the diving experience

Group Members: Camille Kaczmar, Samantha Mislinski, Zoe Zhou

Faculty Advisors: Steve Gaines, Emily Cotter

Woman holding a tablet with statistics data on the screen

ScopeWise: A Platform for Supply Chain Sustainability and Scope 3 Emissions Tracking (Eco-E)

MESM 2025 Eco-Entrepreneurship Project: A standardized data collection tool for sustainability reporting of Scope 3 emissions

Group Members: Lawrence Angelo (Rence) Balitaan, Jacob (Jake) Cosmo, Jacques Rebibo, Chelsea Sanford

Faculty Advisors: Charles Kolstad, Kyle Meng, Emily Cotter

Lost and Frond: Producing a Carbon-Rich Biochar Through the Pyrolysis of Palm Frond Waste (Eco-E)

Palm fronds, common in Southern California, don’t decompose easily and overcrowd landfills. This project aims to convert palm waste into biochar to reduce landfill use, improve soil health, and sequester carbon, supporting regional waste management efforts.

Group Members: Lilli Bennett, Isabelle (Izzy) Coiro, Anna Perko, Michael Roysner

Faculty Advisors: Emily Cotter

Evaluating Ecological Conservation Gaps Across a Proposed Sentinel Landscape

MESM 2025 Group Project: Exploring High-Impact Regional Habitat Connectivity Projects in Support of a Sentinel Landscape Partnership Designation at Vandenberg Space Force Base

Group Members: Thuy-Tien Bui, Madison Calbert, Andrew Palacios, Natalie Smith, Priscilla Ta

Faculty Advisors: Ruth Oliver

Clients: LegacyWorks Group

Large garbage dump against the backdrop of the forest, the landfill pollutes the environment

Identifying Justice40 Communities Based on Cumulative Environmental Burdens

This project enhances the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST) by incorporating cumulative climate and environmental burdens, ensuring more equitable investment in the most at-risk communities. Using advanced geospatial analysis, it refines how disadvantaged areas are identified, strengthening the impact of the Justice40 initiative.

Group Members: Kat Le, Haylee Oyler, Josephine Cardelle, Kimberlee Wong

Faculty Advisors: Jayajit Chakraborty

Clients: Jayajit Chakraborty, UCSB Bren School

Finding Balance in Our Managed Beaches: Policy Recommendations to Mitigate Emergency Sediment Disposal Impacts in Santa Barbara County

MESM 2025 Group Project: Finding Balance in Our Urbanized Watersheds - Policy Recommendations for Alternative Emergency Debris Management Actions in Santa Barbara County

Group Members: Letty Aguilar, John (Tali) Cook, Roxana Lagunas, Sophia Lecuona, Janiece Luu

Faculty Advisors: Patricia Holden

Clients: Santa Barbara Channelkeeper