Year
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Coral reef

Modeling coral population dynamics to better conserve, manage, and restore coral reef ecosystems

Coral reefs around Mo’orea, French Polynesia, have not recovered as expected after a major marine heatwave in 2019. This project will identify what is limiting recovery and help inform strategies to support healthier reefs in the future.

Group Members: Joaquin Sandoval, Kylie Newcomer, Vedika Shirtekar

Faculty Advisors: Hunter Lenihan

Clients: Hunter Lenihan, Moorea Coral Reef Long-Term Ecological Research (National Science Foundation)

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Dry agriculture fields

Characterizing The Relationship Between Evapotranspiration and Groundwater Decline Across Arid Agricultural Regions

Groundwater is a critical water source for agriculture in hyper-arid regions, but increasing irrigation often depletes it faster than it can be replenished. This project will create an accessible, reproducible workflow using satellite data to analyze how agricultural water use relates to groundwater decline, helping researchers and decision-makers support more sustainable water management.

Group Members: Austin Martinez, Richard Montes Lemus, Henry Oliver, Marie Tolteca

Faculty Advisors: Scott Jasechko

Clients: Scott Jasechko, UCSB Bren School

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Grape vines

Mapping Missing Vines: Assessing the Health of Vineyards Using HD LIDAR Data

France’s vineyards are increasingly threatened by climate change and disease, leading to long-term losses of grapevines. This project will use high-resolution geospatial data to identify and measure missing vines, providing a scalable and reproducible approach to support vineyard monitoring and long-term management decisions.

Group Members: Joshua Ferrer-Lozano, Stephan Kadonoff, Jay Kim, William Mullins

Faculty Advisors: Andrew Plantinga

Clients: Andrew Plantinga, Jean-Sauveur Ay, UCSB Bren School

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Road lined with powerlines

Power lines and people: Mapping how distribution grid constraints shape resilient and equitable energy transition

Small-scale energy technologies like rooftop solar and electric vehicles are key to decarbonizing energy systems, but grid capacity to support these technologies may not be distributed equitably across communities. This project will develop an accessible workflow that combines grid infrastructure and socioeconomic data to help identify inequities and support a fairer transition to clean energy.

Group Members: Zach Loo, Sofia Rodas, Sofia Sarak

Faculty Advisors: Grace Wu

Clients: Yohan Min, UCSB Environmental Studies Department

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Wildfire among pine trees

Turning Data into Action. An R Package for the Wildfire Resilience Index

Wildfires are an increasing threat in the western U.S., and understanding community and ecosystem resilience is critical for reducing risk. This project will create an open-source tool that makes wildfire resilience data easier to access and use, helping researchers and practitioners support better preparedness and recovery.

Group Members: Ixel Medrano, Hylaea Miller, Kaiju Morquecho, Emily Miller

Faculty Advisors: Max Czapanskiy

Clients: Cat Fong, National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS)

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Marsh lands near Fremont, CA

Rincon’s Bio Weaver Tool- From Disparate Data to Actionable Analysis

Environmental reviews in California rely on accurate species data, but current workflows are time-consuming and difficult to reproduce. This project will create an automated system that streamlines species data management, helping biologists make more consistent and effective conservation decisions.

Group Members: Jaslyn Miura, Melannie Moreno Rolon, Ava Robillard

Faculty Advisors: Kelly Caylor

Clients: Rincon Consultants, Inc.

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Aerial view of Kerr Dam

Hydropower’s Low-Hanging Fruits: Leveraging least impact dams to power a net-zero future

Hydropower is a key renewable energy source, but expanding it can harm rivers and ecosystems if not carefully planned. This project will estimate how much hydropower can be developed sustainably worldwide and share the results through an interactive tool to support climate and conservation goals.

Group Members: Leela Dixit, Aakriti Poudel, Megan Hessel, Lucian Scher

Faculty Advisors: Rafael J.P. Schmitt

Clients: Jeff Opperman, WWF Global Science, Rafael Schmitt, UCSB Environmental Studies Department

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Flock of birds at sunset in front of mountains

Mind the GAP: Avian responses to conservation investments in California

California’s 30×30 initiative aims to protect biodiversity, but decision-makers need better evidence to guide conservation investments. This project will use bird observation data to compare biodiversity trends in protected and unprotected areas, helping inform more effective conservation strategies across the state.

Group Members: Nathalie Bonnet, Peter Vitale, Isabella Segarra

Faculty Advisors: Christina Tague

Clients: Point Blue Conservation Science

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Wildfire in Valencia, Newhall, Santa Clarita area

Remote Sensing of Defensible Space Compliance 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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Fisherman boat on the sea with birds behind during sunset

Quantifying Greenhouse Gas (GHG) 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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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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 Blue light industrial factory with chemical refinery and building material glowing light at night

Industrial Energy Efficiency Data Explorer: A Data-Driven Support Tool for Industrial Energy Modelers

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

Visualizing Urban Water Data for Drought Management Across California

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

Assessing Range Shifts of Coastal Species to Inform Conservation in a Key California Biogeographic Transition Zone

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