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Springtime brought sunny days, more dissertation defenses, a new class of Joint MS students, and some fascinating guests. We look forward to commencement, and a summer of research, internships and new jobs.
In this issue:
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News Features 
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The toast of the cup of interdisciplinarity (...that miraculous crucible
in which E-IPER students forge, from various disciplinary constituents...), has traditionally been reserved to celebrate the completion of a successful E-IPER PhD dissertation defense. On May 10th, the E-IPER community celebrated Peter Vitousek with such a toast. A group of students and alumni, led by Jose Urteaga (PhD 5th), Nik Sawe (PhD 2016), Christa Anderson (PhD 2018), and Ranjitha Shivaram (PhD 1st), with distance-advising from Dan Reineman (PhD 2015), raised the unicorn cup and mixed the following ingredients to celebrate Peter and his many years of leadership: champagne (bubbling spring of leadership), organic chilies (magmatic commitment to E-IPER), and a Hawaiian flower (roots and research in Hawaii).
The party, AKA PeterFest, took place at the O'Donohue Family Stanford Educational Farm, where Dean Stephan Graham raised a glass in gratitude for Peter's service, followed by a glowing tribute from the new Faculty Director, Nicole Ardoin. Peter was surrounded by alumni, students, faculty and staff from across campus, along with a surprise appearance by his daughter, Liana Vitousek. Peter said, "I thought the event was great fun, and I very much enjoyed getting to drink from the cup of interdisciplinarity at the party. That was a huge and very pleasant surprise."
We thank you, Peter, for your years of dedicated and visionary service as our Faculty Director, and look forward to many more years of your engagement with E-IPER.
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Joint MS Student-Faculty Lunches 2018-19
Over the past few years, the E-IPER Joint MS program has hosted student-faculty lunches to support faculty advising relationships with our current student population. These small, quarterly lunches are designed to be student-driven conversations, in which the students come prepared to talk with the invited scholar.
Discussions often focus on the scholar's own work, but include student interests, projects of mutual interest, courses, and more. In the 2018-2019 academic year, we had the pleasure of hosting the following faculty members: David Lobell, Nicole Ardoin, Greg Ablavsky, Leon Szeptycki, Rishee Jain, Roz Naylor, Steven Chu, and William Tarpeh. Many thanks to these remarkable scholars for meeting with our students, and to the students who so eagerly attended the lunches! We look forward to another year of hosting more scholars for these events.
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Pictured clockwise from left front: Mike Caron (MS-MBA), Caroline Jo (MS-JD), Professor Steven Chu, Valerie Shen (MS-MBA), Thomas Miller (MS-JD), Annie Baldwin (MS-MBA), Ida Hempel (MS-MBA), and Sarah Guzick (MS-MBA). Photo by Valerie Shen
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This spring, E-IPER co-hosted two distinguished environmental scholars: Tim McClanahan, Senior Conservation Zoologist at the Wildlife Conservation Society, and Julia Marton-Lefèvre, former Director General of the International
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Julia Marton-Lefèvre, left, with E-IPER Faculty Director Nicole Ardoin and Woods Institute Director Chris Field.
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Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Nicole Ardoin, E-IPER's Faculty Director, interviewed Julia Marton-Lefèvre about her life's work as part of the Woods Institute's Conversations series. They discussed some of the interesting turns along the way in the long road from her beginnings in Hungary, and her education in the US and France, to directing LEAD International, the International Council for Science, and the University for Peace, among many other positions.
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Tim McClanahan talking with students in the Social Oceans class.
Photo by Josheena Naggea
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Tim McClanahan had a busy day with us, delivering a lecture on "Democratizing Fisheries" at the Earth System Science seminar, meeting informally with students at lunch, and joining the Social Oceans class late in the afternoon. A coral reef ecosystem ecologist who has spent most of his career living and working in the western Indian Ocean, he discussed the need to bring many voices to the table in order to find satisfactory solutions to problems that occur at the intersection of coral reef ecology and human livelihoods.
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Winter Joint MS Capstone Symposium
The Winter 2019 Capstone Symposium featured twelve presentations from MS-MBA and MS-JD students, spanning a variety of timely and significant issues. Projects explored understanding and addressing human impact from climate change, including ramifications of the devastating California wildfires, flooding due to extreme storms, and possible forced migration of the populations of small island nations. Additional themes of environmental justice included energy access in Puerto Rico and access to clean water in the California Central Valley. Projects featured innovative product solutions that optimized sustainability in clothing and sensors, as well as utility digitization and solutions to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicle fleets.
The winners of the Winner 2019 Feigenbaum Nii award are Donna Ni and Sarah Rowan for their project, "Enacting Human Right to Water: Voices from the Central Valley." The Autumn and Winter Symposia have been generously funded by the Feigenbaum Nii Foundation for several years. We are grateful to Ed Feigenbaum, Penny Nii and their family for their support.
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Winter 2019 Capstone Students (from left to right): Row 1: Ben Degolia (MS-JD), Monica Molina (MS-JD), Nihal Shrinath (MS-JD); Row 2: Martin Rudigier (MS-MBA), Artem Barsukov (MS-MBA), Carlotta Mathieu (MS-MBA), Stella Chen (MS-MBA), Natalie Bodington (MS-MBA), Will Foiles (MS-MBA), Ryan Calvert (MS-MBA), Donna Ni (MS-JD), Sarah Rowan (MS-JD), Jenny Park (MS-MBA), Michael Levin (MS-JD), Carlos Marinetti (MS-MBA), Srishti Sundram (MS-MBA); Not Pictured: Autumn Bordner (MS-JD).
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New E-IPER Collaboration Grants
The awardees of this year's Collaboration Grants have been announced, with an unprecedented four awards being granted to four innovative projects. Collaboration Grant recipients are listed below.
The E-IPER Collaboration Grants encourage E-IPER PhD and Joint MS students to work collaboratively to address significant environmental issues in ways that cannot be as effectively addressed through individual efforts. Successful projects couple the research rigor of the doctoral student with the implementation skills of the joint master's student. Students receive $10,000 for the project costs, as well as a stipend for the PhD students and one quarter of graduate tuition for the MS students.
Congratulations to all!
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Annie Baldwin (MS-MBA)
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Nathan Ratledge (PhD)
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"Evaluating the Potential for Energy Storage in East African Cities through the Lens of California's Energy Storage Market"
Team: Annie Baldwin (MS-MBA) and Nathan Ratledge (PhD)
Advisors: Sally Benson (ERE/PIE), Jeff Brown (GSB), Stephen Comello (GSB) and Arun Majumdar (ME/PIE)
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Jayce Hafner (MS-MBA)
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"The Grass is Greener: The Role of Conservation Easements in Protecting California's Rangelands and Promoting Grassfed Beef"
Team: Nicole Buckley (PhD) and Jayce Hafner (MS-MBA)
Advisors: Jeremey Bulow (GSB), Bruce Cain (PoliSci/Bill Lane) and Eric Lambin (ESS)
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KC McKanna (PhD) |
"An Energizing Opportunity: Policy and Behavioral Interventions to Incentivize Renewable Energy Investment in Opportunity Zones"
Team: Cody Evans (MS-MBA) and KC McKanna (PhD)
Advisors: Becky Lester (GSB), Dale Miller (GSB), and Michael Wara (Woods)
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Sudatta Ray (PhD)
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"Productive Power: Estimating the Potential for Productive Load Uses in Zimbabwe"
Team: Caroline Jo (MS-JD) and Sudatta Ray (PhD)
A
dvisors: Sally Benson (ERE/PIE) and Erik Jensen (SLS)
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Spring Dissertation Defenses:
Jenna Forsyth, Michael Harris, and Miyuki Hino
In April, Jenna Forsyth defended her dissertation, "Root Causes of Lead Exposure in Rural Bangladesh."
Michael Harris successfully defended his dissertation, "Household sanitation services in Sub-Saharan Africa: coverage targets, child health outcomes, and a benefit-cost analysis."
Miyuki Hino successfully defended her dissertation, "Managing Flood Risk in a Changing Climate."
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Welcome Joint MS 2019 Cohort!
On the evening of April 17th, the E-IPER Joint MS program officially welcomed our newest cohort of students. This cohort is one of E-IPER's largest classes, with twenty-five first-year MBA students, three second-year MBA students, six first-year JD students, and one PhD student from Mechanical Engineering, for a total of thirty-five students!
The program welcomed the new cohort with dinner and an orientation. During the orientation, staff provided an in-depth review of degree requirements and community programing and engagement. The evening closed with current student perspectives from second-year students, Annie Baldwin, (MS-MBA), Ida Hempel (MS-MBA), Caroline Jo (MS-JD), and Madhu Yalamarthi (MS-MBA).
It was a great opportunity for all to gather outside of the classroom and learn more about the program.
Welcome to E-IPER new Joint MS students!
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Alumni Spotlight
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Julia Forgie (MS-JD 2014) is a Deputy Attorney General in the Natural Resources Law Section of the California Attorney General's Office. This Section represents the more than 100 environment-related state agencies. With a primary focus on air, Julia has represented the California Air Resources Board in litigation against the Trump administration's efforts to roll back regulations controlling emissions from landfills, vehicles, refrigeration equipment, and more. She has spent a great deal of time defending California's right to have greenhouse gas standards for light-duty vehicles and a zero-emission vehicle mandate.
Julia says that her interdisciplinary training is an important part of her work. While at Stanford, she was interested in learning numerous ways to assess difficult environmental problems. Her coursework on modeling, remote sensing, and applied economic theory, her participation in the environmental law clinic, and her capstone on water rights in California all have provided important context for the work of the Attorney General's office.
"My work on the vehicle emissions standards requires at least some understanding of quantitative modeling and analysis," she says. "On multiple occasions, I've been grateful that I took Professor Lobell's modeling course. It gave me a familiarity with models, their shortcomings, and the relevant vocabulary that has allowed me to converse freely with modeling experts."
After law school, and a yearlong clerkship in Hawaii, Julia began a two-year fellowship in environmental law and policy at the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the UCLA School of Law. There she immersed herself in the regulations of the California Air Resources Board, supported the environmental law clinic, and developed a seminar on disaster law and climate risks. Her experiences there helped her to decide to focus on litigation to protect the environment, and the California Attorney General's Office has given her that opportunity.
Julia is happy with this decision. California works with several other states and NGOs as a leader in action on climate change through high-profile legislation and court decisions.
California also pursues critical environmental protections through some less-well-known avenues.
For example, the Natural Resources Law Section helps ensure that agricultural disease outbreaks are controlled, an essential behind-the-scenes effort that does not typically generate headlines.
In her work, Julia regularly encounters fellow E-IPER alumni. She frequently works with Megan Herzog, of the Massachusetts Attorney General's office; Pete DeMarco, of NRDC, recently argued before the DC Circuit Court of Appeals in a case brought by NRDC and a number of states, including California; Joel Minor, of Earthjustice, has worked to control methane emissions from oil and gas operations, a fight in which California is also engaged. "It's inspiring," she says, "to see my peers doing such fantastic work and to be a part of the powerful coalition of NGOs and states pushing back against destructive policies."
When not at work, Julia plays ultimate Frisbee, runs, and explores as much as possible the parks, neighborhoods, and new restaurants to be found in Los Angeles. She is delighted to be living in Los Feliz, a thriving neighborhood that she describes as "full of interesting people who want to make the world a better place." A short walk north brings her into Griffith Park, which she describes as "a truly magical place and home to our very own mountain lion, P-22." A short walk south brings her to one of her favorite haunts, Skylight Books. She loves Los Angeles for its diverse population and unique mixture of cultural opportunities and natural beauty. "Los Angeles has its fair share of serious challenges, but I'm blown away every day by all of the people working hard to change that."
Julia is one of those people working hard for change. In addition to her day job, she serves on her neighborhood's environmental affairs committee, and spends a significant amount of time directing the Mother's Day Meso Run, an annual 5k run/walk to help fight mesothelioma. "My mom passed away from mesothelioma in May 2017, so I started this organization in early 2018 as a tribute to my mom and others who have lost their lives to this horrible disease. I truly hope that someday soon, nobody will have to go through what my mom did, and that no families will lose loved ones prematurely due to mesothelioma. But we have a long way to go, so we keep fighting!"
Julia's advice to E-IPER students:
I would recommend exposing yourselves to as many different ways of thinking about environmental problems as you can. I work with economists, engineers, modelers, and other scientists weekly. Without my experience at E-IPER, I would have a much harder time conversing with them and understanding and translating their analyses into support for our legal arguments.
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Student News
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Abhay Jain (MS-MBA 2nd) received a Summer Internship with Nextera Inc., and
was featured in the
Stanford News
for his work on waste management.
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Josheena Naggea and Krish Seetah, at left, with workshop colleagues.
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Josheena Naggea (PhD 2nd) and Caroline Ferguson (PhD 2nd)
presented their work on Mauritius and Palau, respectively, at the interdisciplinary heritage workshop,
"Across the Shore: Integrating Perspectives on Heritage," which took place on May 17 and 18 on Stanford's campus. The workshop, co-sponsored by the Stanford Classics Department, The Europe Center and the Stanford Archaeology Center, looked critically across the traditional divide between land and sea, focusing on an integrated approach to complex heritage. Through case studies in Mauritius, Sicily, and elsewhere, participants explored the intersection of environment, development, and archaeology, and discussed how research from a heritage perspective can be situated within the context of contemporary challenges to coastal communities. Josheena was also part of the organizing committee for this workshop
Valerie Shen (MS-MBA 2nd) was selected by Poets & Quants (the premier blog about all things related to MBA admissions) as one of their
2019 Best & Brightest MBAs
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Alumni News
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Austin Becker (PhD 2013) has been promoted to Associate Professor with tenure at the University of Rhode Island, effective July 1. He has been serving as the Director of Graduate Programs for the
Department of Marine Affairs
, and continues to conduct research on coastal hazards, climate adaptation, and the urban coast.
Samanthe Belanger (MS-MBA 2018) was featured in
Voices of Stanford GSB
, a growing collection of personal stories reflecting the diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and pursuits of the Stanford GSB community.
Kate Brauman (PhD 2010), a Coordinating Lead Author for the Global Assessment produced by the Inter-governmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) approved at the beginning of May at the IPBES7 Plenary. Kate worked on the chapter on "Nature's Contributions to People / Ecosystem Services," and appeared in various forms of media when the report was released: she was featured in TV France24 - The Debate; Democracy Now!; Twin Cities Public Television, Almanac and the Almanac, The Wrap; Radio KCRW, To the Point Climate Change Update; Minneapolis Star Tribune; BBC News, Science & Environment.
Rachael Garrett (PhD 2013)
is starting as an Assistant Professor of Environmental Policy at ETH Zurich. Hers is a joint appointment between the Department of Environmental System Science and the Department of Humanities, and Political and Social Sciences.
In Search of the Canary Tree
, the recent book by
Lauren Oakes (PhD 2015),
was selected as one of "Science Friday's Top Ten Science Books of 2018" and "Forbes' Top Ten Books about Climate Change, Conservation, and the Environment for 2018." It was also recently picked as the
Book In Common
for CSU, Chico, and Butte College; these institutions will host events in April 2020 to promote understanding and discussion of climate change.
In response to much interest from teachers and other engaged readers,
Lauren has been working to develop a reader's guide for the book, to be released this summer. She plans to make the guide available on her
website
, as well.
Andrew Perlstein (PhD 2012) recently started a new job as Legislative Assistant focused on transportation and infrastructure for Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland.
A.R. Siders (PhD 2018)
is joining the University of Delaware as an Assistant Professor in the Biden School of Public Policy and Administration and the Department of Geography, and she will be a core faculty member of the Disaster Research Center.
Xuehua Zhang, (PhD 2008) has joined the Lishui Institute of Ecology and Environment at Nanjing University, where she is a Senior Fellow of Environmental Policy and Chief Scientist leading the program on urban waste management, with a focus on the community composting of food waste in China.
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Xuehua Zhang giving a composting workshop in Shenzhen.
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Awards & Honors
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Marissa Childs (PhD 3rd), Rebecca Miller (PhD 2nd), Ranjitha Shivaram (PhD 1st) were awarded the Stanford Interdisciplinary Graduate Fellowship (SIGF), a competitive, university-wide program that awards three-year fellowships to outstanding doctoral students engaged in interdisciplinary research.
David Gonzalez (PhD 3rd) was awarded the DARE (Diversifying Academia, Recruiting
Excellence) Doctoral Fellowship from the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education.
Andrea Lund (PhD 4th), Chikara Onda (PhD 5th), and Michael Levin (MS-JD 3rd) were accepted into the
2019 cohort of the Rising Environmental Leaders Program (RELP) of the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. Each year a group of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars learn to develop the leadership and communication skills they need to optimize the impact of their research.
Valerie Shen (MS-MBA 2nd) and Julia Osterman (MS-MBA 2nd) were awarded the GSB's 2019 Miller Social Change Leadership Award for their outstanding contribution to the Stanford GSB's Social Innovation community and commitments to social and environmental action.
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Among winners of the 2019 Miller Social Change Leadership Award are, fourth from left, Valerie Shen, and third from right, Julia Osterman.
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Publications & Presentations
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Andrea Lund (PhD 4th)
presented her research at the Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers, in a talk entitled, "Unavoidable Risks: Persistent water contact despite local knowledge of schistosomiasis risk in an endemic region of northern Senegal." The presentation was part of a special session on "Political Ecologies of Health/Disease in Agrarian Settings."
In April, Rebecca Miller (PhD 2nd) presented "Prescribed Burn Policies in California: Perceptions, Barriers, and Opportunities" at the Western Political Science Association in San Diego and presented "Entry Points for Wildfire Risk Management Interventions in California" at the Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management, California Regional Student Conference in Irvine.
In April, Briana Swette (PhD 3rd) spoke as an invited panelist at the Rural West Conference, hosted in Park City, Utah by Stanford's Bill Lane Center for the American West. The panel focused on the environmental impacts of amenity migration, and Briana's discussion, drawn from her research in the Northern Rocky Mountains, was on the impact of social change on rangeland health.
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Upcoming Events
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Commencement Ceremonies
Stanford University 2019 Commencement Ceremony
Sunday, June 16, 2019
9:30 AM to 11:30 AM
Stanford Stadium
School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences
2019 Diploma Ceremony and Reception
Sunday, June 16, 2019
12:30 PM
Mitchell North Patio
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Contributors to this issue include:
Susannah Barsom,
Gabriela Magana,
Ann Marie Pettigrew, Anjana Richards,
and
Maile Yee.
Edited by:
The E-IPER Staff
Thank you for continuing to support E-IPER!
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