Program

Clients

Year

Faculty Advisors

Image
Mountains covered in snow

Understanding Snow as a Resource

This short film highlights snow monitoring and hydrologic research at CUES (Cold Regions Research and Energy Laboratory & UCSB), a shared snow research site utilized by UCSB, CRREL, and Desert Research Institute (DRI).

Group Members: Alex Gaynor, Halley McVeigh, Caitie Reza

Faculty Advisors: Lisa Leombruni

Clients: Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL)

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Wildfire in the forest

Fire Fuel Mitigation in Mammoth Lakes

This communication strategy will help the Whitebark Institute motivate second-home owners in the Mammoth Lakes area to participate in wildfire mitigation through political action and fuels reduction on personal property.

Group Members: Brianna (Bri) Baker, Kaley Dodson, Aaron Kreisberg

Faculty Advisors: Lisa Leombruni

Clients: Whitebark Institute

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Balloons by ocean

Balloon Free Seas

This communication strategy for Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS) will help reduce harmful balloon pollution in the Santa Barbara Channel through consumer education and a local campaign focused on special events, such as holidays and graduation.

Group Members: Krista Finlay, Elena Ortiz, Lauren Skube

Faculty Advisors: Lisa Leombruni

Clients: Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary

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Cougar in the woods

Conserving Cougars Through Connectivity

This short film for The Nature Conservancy is meant to inspire and educate local communities about the importance of habitat connectivity for the conservation of mountain lions and other wildlife.

Group Members: Meghan Fletcher

Faculty Advisors: Lisa Leombruni

Clients: The Nature Conservancy

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Maunalua Bay water and sand

Optimal Green Infrastructure: Reducing Stormwater Pollution in Maunalua Bay, O'ahu, Hawai'i

Identifying stormwater areas on land that contribute the greatest amount of runoff in Maunalua Bay, Hawaii to mitigate runoff impacts, improve bay health, and benefit the community.

Group Members: Genevieve Chiong, Kristin Gill, Lauren Skube

Faculty Advisors: Samantha Stevenson

Clients: Mālama Maunalua

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Aerial view of channel islands and pacific ocean

Seal Bomb Impacts to Cetaceans in California National Marine Sanctuaries

Analyzing the impacts of a legal marine mammal acoustic deterrent known as a “seal bomb," underwater explosives used in purse seine fisheries.

Group Members: Ian Brunjes, Anastasia Kunz, Taylor Lockmann, Caitlin Manley

Faculty Advisors: Steve Gaines

Clients: NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries

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Mud and debris half burying a house

Post-Fire Debris Flows: Leveraging Science for Environmental Management and Community Resiliency

Quantifying sediment distribution through modeling; economic and social cost-benefit evaluation; and recommendations and outreach.

Group Members: Nicholas Bissonnette, Mikel Irigoyen, Aaron Kreisberg

Faculty Advisors: Arturo Keller

Clients: South Coast Habitat Restoration

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Kelp floats near the surface of the water

Perceptions of Seaweed Aquaculture in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties

Developing a community engagement and outreach strategy for commercial kelp producer Ocean Rainforest to use as a framework for aquaculture expansion along the California coastline. 

Group Members: Janelle Gaun, Madeline McEwen, Sydney Rilum, Laurel Wee

Faculty Advisors: Hunter Lenihan

Clients: Ocean Rainforest

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Aerial view of solar panels on grass

Modeling Land-Use Change for Solar and Conservation on Predicted Retired Farmland in the San Joaquin Valley

Analyzing potential for new solar development on formerly irrigated lands.

Group Members: Travis Christy, Kaley Dodson, Roshni Katrak-Adefowora

Faculty Advisors: Kyle Meng

Clients: The Nature Conservancy

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Pine trees and mountains around Lake Tahoe

Funding Future Forests: Evaluating Ecosystem Services for Forest Restoration in the Tahoe-Central Sierra

Identifying financial incentives for forest restoration projects, examining supply and demand of ecosystem services within California’s Tahoe Central Sierra Initiative.

Group Members: Laurel Abowd, Kirsten Hodgson, Brendan McGovern

Faculty Advisors: Charles Kolstad

Clients: Blue Forest Conservation

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Plastic bag that says thank you

Environmental and Financial Analysis: Single-Use Plastic versus Reusable Recycling Bags

Analyzing environmental and financial factors to develop a calculator and marketing tool to help a commercial recycling company make decisions about transport packaging.

Group Members: Karla Bonilla Cordero, Kat Cotti, Larissa Neilson, Morganne Sigismonti

Faculty Advisors: Matt Potoski

Clients: WSP Sustainability, Energy & Climate Change Division

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Mouth of Pacific Lamprey

Identification and Conservation of Larval Pacific Lamprey Habitat in the Columbia River Estuary

Identifying larval Pacific lamprey habitat locations to aid ongoing restoration efforts, and providing policy recommendations to the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission.

Group Members: Ethan Hoffman, Lory Salazar-Velasquez

Faculty Advisors: Scott Jasechko

Clients: Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission - CRITFC

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Baseball field and stadium

Play Sustainaball: An Environmental Footprint for an MLB Team Season

Quantifying the environmental impacts of a stadium and clubhouse operations to better understand and mitigate these impacts.

Group Members: Gabrielle Barsotti, Hannah Brady, Jordan Davis, Carly Norris, Eric Shaphran

Faculty Advisors: Eric Masanet

Clients: Goldring Family Foundation, Players for the Planet

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Aerial view of solar panels floating in pond

Exploring the Feasibility of Floating Solar on Lauro Reservoir

Developing a framework for a floating photovoltaic system identifying potential opportunities, difficulties, and concerns for various stakeholders, including financial, regulatory, and technical components necessary to gain permitting approvals.

Group Members: Trent Buchanan, Andrea Gracia Duran, Colin Schimmelfing, Carlos Simms

Faculty Advisors: Roland Geyer

Clients: City of Santa Barbara

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Offshore mussel farm and boat

Assessing the Value of Environmental Information for Shellfish Aquaculture Farmers in British Columbia

Identifying locations for new shellfish aquaculture development along British Columbia’s coastline and a geospatial visualization tool for First Nations rights and title holders.

Group Members: Emiliano Espinoza, Halley McVeigh, Caitie Reza

Faculty Advisors: Christopher Costello

Clients: ScootScience

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Hand holding a glass orb

Identifying the Impact Potential of Early-Stage Circular Investment Opportunities

Developing a standardized framework to measure the circularity of potential investment opportunities which can be used to provide an impact assessment of a venture capital firm's investments.

Group Members: Alex Gaynor, Amber McEldowney, Joaquin Meckler-Pacheco, Aya Rosenfeld, Dani Sclafani

Clients: Regeneration.VC