Joey Henschel

Something About Me

“This fellowship was the first time that I was able to actively engage with my passions relevant to my majors here at UCSB. It enabled me to truly test my critical thinking skills, analyze situations from as many perspectives as possible, and to push myself out of my comfort zone with a number of challenges that I was able to overcome. I certainly feel more confident overall, and ready for whatever the future brings.” 

Joey is a fourth-year Environmental Studies and Political Science double major at UC Santa Barbara and is interested in discovering interdisciplinary solutions to our current climate crisis. Growing up in the North Bay Area in California, Joey witnessed the impact that natural disasters and extreme weather events have on communities and the environment alike. Throughout his undergraduate studies, he has investigated the lasting effects of wildfires on vulnerable populations and the psychological impacts of living through a natural disaster, seeking methods of boosting community resilience and recovery efforts. 

This past summer, Joey developed an app through RShiny to facilitate wildfire resilience communication, specifically utilizing models to convey scientific information effectively to a variety of stakeholders and individuals. Working in collaboration with PhD student Sloane Stephenson in Dr. Naomi Tague’s lab, Joey is excited to be improving his technical skills through coding while simultaneously breaking down barriers of communication between scientists, policymakers, and community members.