Projects
Year
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coreopsis along the California coast

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

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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

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Yellow tractor on a sunny beach

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

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Wildfire in Valencia, Newhall, Santa Clarita area

Remote Sensing of Brush Clearance to Enhance Wildfire Preparedness

To enhance wildfire preparedness, this project develops a machine learning tool that predicts defensible space compliance using remote sensing imagery. By streamlining inspections for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, it enables more efficient resource allocation and real-time monitoring of wildfire risk.

Group Members: Joshua Paul Cohen, Ryan Green, Rachel Swick, Leilanie Rubinstein

Faculty Advisors: Mark Buntaine

Clients: Mark Buntaine, UCSB Bren School, Sarah Anderson, UCSB Bren School, Cesar Martinez-Alvarez, UCSB Political Science

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Redwood forest with tall trees and lower shrubs

Evaluating the Biodiversity Implications of Nature-Based Carbon Credits

This project evaluates nature-based carbon credits for their biodiversity impact. In collaboration with Carbon Direct, the team aims to guide buyers on selecting credits that benefit ecosystems, using data analysis and case studies of Indigenous and conservation efforts.

Group Members: Sophie Bartley, Dana Cohen-Kaplan, Jackson Hayes, Anissa Stull, Kelsey Warren

Faculty Advisors: Andrew MacDonald

Clients: Carbon Direct

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Fisherman boat on the sea with birds behind during sunset

Quantifying Greenhouse Gas Emissions Associated with Global Seafood Production

This project harnesses high-resolution satellite data to uncover the greenhouse gas emissions of global fisheries, a major yet understudied contributor to climate change. By building an open-source data pipeline and interactive dashboard, it provides actionable insights for research, policy, and market-based strategies to reduce emissions at scale.

Group Members: Stephen Carroll, Carmen Hoyt, Joshua Mull, Nicole Pepper

Faculty Advisors: Gavin McDonald

Clients: UCSB Environmental Markets Lab (emLab), Global Fishing Watch

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Mountain with blue sky and yellowing trees and grass in front of it in Colorado.

Integrating Climate Adaptation Strategies into Local Collaborative Forest Management in Northern Colorado

MESM 2025 Group Project: Integrating Climate Adaptation Strategies into Local Collaborative Forest Management in Northern Colorado

Group Members: Olivia (Liv) Hemond, Steven Mitchell, Maxwell Pepperdine, Nicole Rosen, Izzy Sofio

Faculty Advisors: Joan Dudney

Clients: The Nature Conservancy

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Beautiful shot of underwater nature

Evaluating the protection of diverse and representative coastal and marine habitats within California’s Marine Protected Area (MPA) network

This project enhances marine conservation by standardizing habitat analysis within California’s Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) using spatial data and remote sensing. By creating detailed habitat maps and statistical comparisons, it provides crucial insights for researchers and policymakers evaluating the effectiveness of the MPA network.

Group Members: Madison Enda, Bailey Jorgensen, Michelle Yiv

Faculty Advisors: Samantha Stevenson-Karl

Clients: Cori Lopazanski, UCSB Bren School

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Fishing boat on the water with a sunset behind it and birds flying around the boat.

A Bioeconomic Evaluation of Distant Water Fishing Management Strategies in Liberia

Liberia's waters face overfishing from foreign fleets, harming local ecosystems and fishers despite government profits. This project explores how limiting trawling could impact fish stocks and income, helping policymakers balance ecological and economic needs.

Group Members: Mara Booth, Taylor Cook, Dustin Duncan, Abigail Kirk, Maddie Whitman

Faculty Advisors: Anastasia Quintana

Clients: Conservation International, Center for Oceans (Liberia)

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 Blue light industrial factory with chemical refinery and building material glowing light at night

Industrial Energy Data Exploration Interface

This project enhances industrial decarbonization research by integrating greenhouse gas emissions and economic adjustments into the Industrial Assessment Centers (IAC) database. By developing a user-friendly interface with advanced visualization tools, it streamlines data access and supports more effective energy efficiency and emissions reduction strategies.

Group Members: Oksana Protsukha, Naomi Moraes, Eva Newby, Yos Ramirez

Faculty Advisors: Eric Masanet

Clients: Eric Masanet, UCSB Bren School

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Mountains in the distance with a field of beautiful flowers and shrubs.

Land & Biodiversity Conservation Through Sustainable Enterprise Advancement in Baja California Sur, Mexico

2025 MESM Group Project: Rancho Encinalito: Land & Biodiversity Conservation Through Sustainable Enterprise Advancement in Baja California Sur, Mexico

Group Members: Sadie Armstrong, Julia Field, Samson Grunwald, Shivank Jhanji, Tatianna Suriel

Faculty Advisors: Christina Tague

Clients: Unión de Conservación Agua de la Sierra (UCAS)

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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

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Drone shot of surfers in the water

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

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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

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Greenhouse with pots of plants.

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