Master's Project Directory | UC Santa Barbara Bren

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Understanding US Wind and Solar Energy Siting

Identifying the historic drivers of wind and solar power plant siting, and generating a predictive model for future siting using machine learning.

Group Members: Paloma Cartwright, Joseph (Joe) DeCesaro, Daniel Kerstan, Desik Somasundaram

Faculty Advisors: Ranjit Deshmukh

Clients: UCSB Environmental Science Department

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

A Reproducible Machine Learning Approach for Interpreting Ecohydrologic Model Outputs

Developing a machine learning algorithm designed to interpret RHESSys output and extract insights into possible impacts of climate change on forest health.

Group Members: Alex Clippinger, Wylie Hampson, Shale Hunter, Peter Menzies

Faculty Advisors: Christina Tague

Clients: UCSB Bren School

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

An Open-source Pipeline for Remote Sensing of Crop Yields: a Zambia Case Study

Using the MOSAIKS machine learning approach to make fine-resolution agricultural crop yield predictions over time across all of sub-Saharan Africa.

Group Members: Steven Cognac, Juliet Cohen, Grace Lewin, Cullen Molitor

Clients: UCSB Bren School

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

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

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

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

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

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

Identification and Communication of Climate Change Impacts on Rock Climbing and Trail Sports

Identifying the scientific and economic impacts of climate change on the rock climbing and trail sports communities to produce strategic communication materials for non-profit ambassadors.

Group Members: Sam Fearer, Karla Garibay Garcia, Will Geiken, Sage Kime, Matt Koller

Faculty Advisors: James Frew

Clients: Protect Our Winters

Discoveries At Dangermond

The Dangermond Preserve has over three years of research to share with the public since they acquired the land, and this ESRI ArcGIS StoryMap, helps to articulate new discoveries, to grow awareness, and to promote engagement and economic support from the local community.

Group Members: Kristin Gill, Kirsten Hodgson, Roshni Katrak-Adefowora, Morganne Sigismonti

Faculty Advisors: Scott Jasechko

Clients: The Nature Conservancy, Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve

Equity & Wildfire Resilience: Recommendations for Inclusive Wildfire Management in Ventura County

Identifying socially vulnerable communities at risk of wildfire and developing a Community Wildfire Protection Plan that equitably addresses community needs.

Group Members: Brianna (Bri) Baker, Yvonne Dinh, Elena Ortiz, Alison Sells, Iris Foxfoot

Faculty Advisors: Sarah Anderson

Clients: Ventura Regional Fire Safe Council

Growing in the Ocean

This educational film outlines the benefits of seaweed aquaculture and is targeted at stakeholders in the California seaweed aquaculture industry, with the goal to help eliminate barriers to offshore aquaculture expansion on the West Coast.

Group Members: Madeline McEwen, Laurel Wee, Janelle Gaun, Annie Lovell, Karla Garibay Garcia

Faculty Advisors: Lisa Leombruni

Clients: Ocean Rainforest