Program

Clients

Year

Faculty Advisors

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Ocean sunset, with the sun just on the horizon. The sky is a dark blue, while the sunset is shades of yellow and orange.

Assessing Lost Gear Removals in Southern California by a Nonprofit

MESM 2023 Group Project

Group Members: Sarah Lam, Logan Ossentjuk, Meghna Rao, Cristina Robinson

Faculty Advisors: Steve Gaines

Clients: Ocean Defenders Alliance

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bioplastic compostable grocery bag, filled with red, yellow apples

Seaweed: The Solution to Pollution? A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of LDPE and Algal Flexible Film Packaging

MESM 2023 Group Project

Group Members: Taylor Gries, Marielena (Mari) Herbst de Cortina, John (Jack) Miller, Devin Ngo, Jonah Seif

Faculty Advisors: Roland Geyer

Clients: PANGAIA

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Sinclair Mountain across Lynn Canal

Projecting Impacts of Resource Extraction on Wildlife Habitat in the Greater Chilkat Watershed, Alaska

MESM 2023 Group Project

Group Members: Alia Ajina, Eric Cole, Katheryn Moya, Katherine (Katie) Pietrucha, Evert (Evie) Vermeer, Charles (Charlie) Wilson

Faculty Advisors: Andrew MacDonald

Clients: Lynn Canal Conservation

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black bear

Black Bear Aware: Predicting Human-Black Bear Conflict Likelihood in a Changing Climate

MESM 2023 Group Project

Group Members: Mia Guarnieri, Claire Meuter, Samantha (Sam) Rozal, Chase Tarr

Faculty Advisors: Sarah Anderson

Clients: California Department of Fish & Wildlife

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four lightbulbs

Carbon Free Housing and Dining: A UCSB Electrification Study

MESM 2023 Group Project

Group Members: Drew Andersen, Logan Babcock, Daija Odom, Marco Palombo, Emily Pelstring

Faculty Advisors: Kyle Meng

Clients: UCSB Sustainability , UCSB Housing, Dining & Auxiliary Enterprises

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solar panels on house roof

Constructing a Model to Identify Markets for Rooftop Solar on Multifamily Housing

MESM 2023 Group Project

Group Members: Cameron (Cam) Audras, Grace Bianchi, Virginia Pan, Naomi Raal, Julia Bickford

Faculty Advisors: Eric Masanet

Clients: Zero Net Energy (ZNE) Capital

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waves crashing on the coastline with two surfers on the wave.

Integrating Ecosystem Services into a Prioritization Model for Surf Protected Areas

MESM 2023 Group Project

Group Members: Kort Alexander, Sachiko Lamen, Kiera Matiska, Conner Smith, Kirsten White

Faculty Advisors: Ben Halpern

Clients: Surf Conservation Partnership

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agricultural plan greenhouses

Projections of Future Cropland Abandonment: Impacts to Biodiversity and Carbon Sequestration

MESM 2023 Group Project

Group Members: Lucas Boyd, Michelle Geldin, Shayan Kaveh, Nickolas (Nick) McManus, Max Settineri

Faculty Advisors: Ashley Larsen

Clients: Conservation International

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California landscape of rolling hills with green vegetation and blue skies

Collaborative Conservation Planning for the Gaviota Region

MESM 2023 Group Project

Group Members: Pol Carbó Mestre, Lauren Harris, Alexandra Martin, Alissa Patterson, Alessandra Puig-Santana, Katherine (Kat) Rosencrance

Faculty Advisors: Kelly Caylor

Clients: The Nature Conservancy, Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve

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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