Maizey MabrySmith

Maizey MabrySmith is a senior from Columbia, CT pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies. Maizey is a Presidential Scholar, Babbidge Scholar, and a recipient of the Jeffrey D. Urman, M.D. Endowed Scholarship for Leadership in Environmental Studies. As a Senior Sustainability Intern at the UConn Office of Sustainability, Maizey has worked on a variety of initiatives at UConn, most notably the AASHE Sustainability Tracking and Rating System (STARS) Assessment which awarded UConn its first ever Platinum score. She is also passionate about improving waste operations on campus and serves as a member of the Zero Waste Workgroup of the UConn Environmental Policy Advisory Council (EPAC). By conducting a large-scale assessment of waste operations on campus, Maizey worked with the Post-Landfill Action Network (PLAN) to offer incremental policy recommendations for UConn to achieve “zero waste.” Outside of the OS, Maizey is an advocate for equitable housing policy. During the summer of 2021, Maizey had the opportunity to research aggravating factors for evictions and homelessness in the wake of Covid-19. She spends nights at the Windham Region No Freeze Shelter, providing resources and support to individuals experiencing homelessness. After UConn, Maizey aspires to attend law school and pursue a career in environmental law.

Lindsay Alfano

Lindsay Alfano is a third-year law student at the University of Connecticut School of Law pursuing an Energy and Environmental Law certificate and has a strong passion for environmental, energy, and animal law. She is currently a law clerk for the Department of Justice in the Environmental and Natural Resources Division in Washington, D.C. She was a summer associate at the Connecticut Green Bank where she aided with clean energy development on the state level, working closely with Connecticut’s leaders in clean energy and resiliency. She served as a law clerk at the Humane Society of the United States where she worked on issues such as improper hunting practices and improving animal legislation. She was a research assistant to two professors at UConn law. First, she was a research assistant for Professor Lindseth and completed a special research project focusing on the late Elinor Ostrom’s Institutional Analysis and Development Framework and common-pool resource management. She was then a research assistant to Professor Sara Bronin. With Professor Bronin, she completed research on zoning and local regulation of land use. Lindsay has a BA in Anthropology and Environmental Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and completed a study abroad program in Copenhagen studying European Sustainable Development.

Khadija Shaikh

Khadija Shaikh is from Charlotte, North Carolina and is a sophomore majoring in Environmental Studies with a minor in Social Justice Organizing. She is a STEM Scholar in the Honors program, as well as on the CLAS Dean's List throughout her time as a student at the University of Connecticut. Khadija spent this past summer interning with the Connecticut Trail Finder and Trail Census Programs where she supported the team by aiding and implementing initiatives focused on intersectional environmentalism and environmental justice such as land acknowledgments, environmental justice blog series, collaborations between NatureRx and CT Trail Finder, and the Anti- Racism in the Outdoors Symposium. She also composed narrative trail postings of trails around the state of Connecticut and provided them to trail managers, as well as published them on the CT Trail Finder for public access. This semester, Khadija started working at the Asian American Cultural Center as the Salaam Coordinator, through which she organizes events with other student organizations with the hope of eradicating Islamophobia at UConn with the awareness and understanding of the Islamic lifestyle. She is currently facilitating communication between UConn Muslim student organizations to build an active all-inclusive Muslim community as well as working to develop a respectful relationship between the Muslim community and the University's administration. In addition to being the Salaam coordinator, Khadija is a student grader for the Environmental Studies Department, for which she helps incoming professors develop syllabi and lesson plans, grade assignments, and provide feedback on the effectiveness of the course. Khadija has also established the My Environmental Story column in the Daily Campus Opinion Section this semester which has an emphasis on fostering a community that provides a space for those who marginalized identities and voices that have been historically suppressed and unheard in the environmentalism movement due to systemic injustices. If you would like to contribute, let her know! She is always looking for more contributors! Alongside her many jobs, Khadija is involved in EcoHusky and UConn Collaborative Organizing (UCCO), both of which are student-led organizations focused on the intersectionality of social justice movements. Through her E-board positions in both organizations, Khadija promotes the intersectionality of environmentalism while combatting tokenism and promoting diversity and active inclusivity. She challenges the norms of the environmental movement by having critical conversations of intent vs impact with both officers and members of the clubs. Khadija is passionate about personalizing and decolonizing the environmental movement by working towards the active inclusion and empowerment of individuals with marginalized identities. These values are the reason why Khadija was interested in the UConn@COP26 Program - she loves making connections with other environmentalists with identities that are not typically represented in the climate movement, like herself! Outside of being a voice for the climate justice movement, Khadija loves modest sustainable fashion, making art, and being a plant mom!

Chase Mack

Chase Mack is a junior from Haddam, Connecticut pursuing a dual degree in Environmental Science and Political Science along with a minor in History. Over the past few years, Chase has been active in both environmentally related extracurriculars and internships. Chase is the current vice-president of Ecohusky, which is a student group centered on furthering environmental justice on campus. At the same time, he works in the Office of Sustainability and is on the Environmental Policy Advisory Committee. Additionally, Chase does research for the Natural Resource and Environment department under Professor Lawrence, where he assists in saltwater marsh restoration projects. At the state level, Chase has interned for the previous state Environmental Committee co-chair Representative Borer and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Energy Bureau. In his spare time, he competes with the Club Track and Field team and enjoys watching Marvel movies. Chase hopes to apply to law school next year and pursue a juris doctorate in Environmental Law. From this conference, he hopes to learn as much as possible with international, national, and regional policy regarding the climate crisis.

Brandon Hermoza-Ricci

Brandon Hermoza-Ricci is currently a senior studying Civil Engineering with a minor in Urban and Community Studies at the University of Connecticut’s School of Engineering. He is a research intern at the Innovation and Partnership Building’s Eversource Energy Center. Here Brandon is reviewing the renewable energy goals by the state legislature and analyzing how it would carry over to sourced distribution among solar and wind generation. During his sophomore and junior year Brandon collaborated with other students and faculty on the President’s Working Group for Sustainability and the Environment (PWGSE). This group published two reports co-authored by its members outlining steps UConn can take to reducing its carbon footprint as well as a multiple scenarios outlining how the university can become a zero-carbon campus by 2050. Brandon has also been selected to be one of two student representatives on the Environmental Policy Advisory Council for the 2021-2022 academic year. In his hometown Brandon is the co-chair of his village’s sustainability committee which he was a founding member alongside other environmentally minded residents. Brandon became interested in this program after hearing from fellow students on the PWGSE explain how surreal the experience was. His main purpose in attending COP26 is to learn how world leaders are addressing the intersectionality of climate change and urban areas. Ultimately Brandon’s hopes to achieve a PhD in urban planning so he can contribute to building cities that are sustainable, interacting, enjoyable, and equitably just. During his free time Brandon enjoys playing Squash with the UConn Squash Club and when the winds are right, taking flight with his paraglider.

Lily Forand

Lily Forand is a junior from West Hartford, Connecticut majoring in Political Science and Journalism. Her experience interning with Senator Chris Murphy in Washington, D.C. showed her just how polarized this country is, and how much influence the narratives that dominate news media and politics have over our perception of issues like climate change. This motivated her to pursue work with The Daily Campus as associate video editor and with the Undergraduate Student Government as director of its public policy branch. Through her work in USG, she hopes to lobby state lawmakers to pass environmental legislation and encourage UConn administration to make climate conscious decisions. She will also be completing a journalism project next summer as part of the BOLD Women’s Leadership Network where she will interview people from across the political spectrum to understand how they’ve come to believe what they do. She plans to travel to both liberal and conservative communities in the states and ask residents questions about their views on climate change, the future of the fossil fuel industry, and other topics. She believes that the fate of the climate crisis hinges on how we talk to people about it, and how we can make the cause of climate justice accessible and compelling to everyone, even if they don’t yet see their place in the movement. She is very grateful for the opportunity to attend this conference. Outside of work and school, she loves hanging out with her friends and hammocking around campus.

Amisha Paul

Amisha is a senior at UConn (CLAS '22) pursuing a B.S. in Physiology and Neurobiology and B.A. in Economics, with minors in Global Studies and Anthropology of Global Health. On-campus, she serves as the Executive Director of UConn Global Health Spaces on Campus, organizing UConn's annual Global Health Symposium and Hackathon in efforts to encourage campus-wide awareness and dialogue surrounding current challenges and progress in global health. She has also been recognized as a UN Foundation Global Health Fellow and a Millennium Fellow. Amisha is also the co-founder of GloHub, a web platform that seeks to democratize access to global health education, resources, and community. She is engaged in developmental neurobiology research on campus in Conover Lab as well as in health economics research. Amisha also serves as a Trip Director with UConn Community Outreach's Alternative Breaks Program. She volunteers with the Mobility is Medicine program at Hartford Hospital and conducts social determinants of health and health literacy screenings at UConn Health. Amisha enjoys performing as a trained Odissi dancer and promoting Indian classical arts on campus in her role as Co-President of Sanskriti, UConn's Indian Classical Arts collaborative. She also enjoys traveling, learning new skills, and collecting stories. Amisha is interested in understanding the incredibly large and inequitable impact climate change has on the health of our communities. She is attending COP26 in hopes of learning more about the impact of climate change on health, understanding what international conversations in this space look like, and better preparing herself to advocate for climate action for human health to local and national leaders.

Duygu Ozcan

Duygu is a senior at the University of Connecticut studying Business Management and minoring in Global Studies and Economics. Her experience interning at a sustainable consumer goods product company in London sparked her interest in researching corporate sustainability. She is the head of the Sustainability Committee in UConn’s Global Ambassador program where she presents on initiatives companies can take to contribute to tackling climate change. As the President of the International Business Association at UConn, she helps organize events featuring global organizations and corporate social responsibility leaders. She believes that companies hold a lot of power in creating meaningful change and protecting our planet; so as a prospective business leader, she takes part in organizations that allow her to learn about being a decision maker who puts forth the environment and people who live in it. Being a volunteer and the Vice President of Unicef Campus Initiative, she contributes to fundraising efforts and presents about key global human rights issues around the world to create awareness amongst students on campus. By attending COP26, she wants to hear about the perspectives of all; those who are directly affected by climate change, young leaders/activists and the decision makers. Through observing sustainable business models, she wants to find solutions for existing problems within mass consumer goods production and fast fashion. Coming back home, she wants to spread this knowledge to current and future workspaces she is a part of so they can create collective action.

Michael Goccia

Michael Goccia is a senior from Mystic, CT pursuing a dual degree in Management and Economics. He spent the summer working as a Strategic Investment Intern at Sikorsky Aircraft in Stratford, CT. His cross country road trip in 2018 exploring many of America’s National Parks and Forests and strong passion for the outdoors inspired him to get more involved with conservation and climate change related endeavors. Mike has a focus on resource economics and how climate change and sustainability policy relates to business operations. After graduation, Mike hopes to enter the workforce helping to impact business sustainability in a positive way. At UConn, Mike enjoys being involved and staying active. Mike is the volunteer Program Director for the Mansfield Middle School Tutoring Program where he oversees tutoring for about 75 other UConn students. Mike is also on the UConn Western Team and involved in weekend hiking trips with the UConn Outing Club.

Georgia G. Hernández

Georgia G. Hernández is a graduate student in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department at the University of Connecticut. Her research focuses on physiological responses of tropical plants to temperature and local adaptation, and how tropical plants will respond to climate change. She conducts her thesis research in her native Costa Rica, working with Zingiberales (gingers, heliconias, and banana tree-like plants). She earned a B.Sc. degree in Biology at National University of Costa Rica and then worked as an intern at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama for six months. Georgia is also co-founder of an environmental and social Enterprise called Brenesii, focusing on activities that combine science communication, outreach and research in Costa Rica. She received the recognition of Environmental Leadership Award (Office of Environmental Policy and the Environmental Policy Advisory Council, University of Connecticut) thanks to Brenesii’s contributions to education and dedication to environmental literacy of Costa Rican students.

Spencer Kinyon

Spencer is a Senior from Cheshire, Connecticut pursuing a degree in Political Science and Economics. From a young age, Spencer has been passionate about the environment and outdoors due to family fishing and camping trips. This passion for the great outdoors evolved into an interest in environmental policy and protecting wildlife. In spring of 2019, Spencer interned for Connecticut State Representative Mike Demicco, who is the Chairman of the House Environment Committee. At this internship, Spencer was able to learn more about the environmental policy issues in the State of Connecticut. On UConn’s campus, Spencer is the President and founder of the UConn Debate Team. After college, Spencer hopes to be an advocate for environmental policy and promoting renewable energy. At COP25 in Madrid, Spencer is looking forward to learning more about how leaders plan to deal with the effects of climate change at an international level.

Xinyu Lin

Xinyu Lin is a senior studying Civil Engineering with minors in Environmental Engineering and Math. She spent this summer interviewing minority identity leaders in the environmental movement from across America as a BOLD Women's Leadership Network Scholar, and presented this work through a photo story exhibition this fall titled "Our Sides on the Outside" to bring awareness to diversity issues in environmental advocacy. As the Program Director of the SOS Food Recovery Program, she works closely with food waste and insecurity issues in the UConn and Willimantic communities. Xinyu is a researcher on the UConn PIRE Project and is investigating how groundwater resources in Ethiopia can be utilized as a dependable water source by subsistence farmers to supplement unpredictable rainfall patterns due to the climate crisis. She is also a trip leader for UConn Outdoors and enjoys climbing, hiking and biking. Xinyu hopes to work as a technical expert on community-based solutions to social issues exacerbated by the climate emergency. She loves eating hummus and having thoughtful conversations.

Emma MacDonald

Emma MacDonald is a junior in the College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources. She is a Natural Resources major with a focus in sustainable forest management; by the end of a hike with her, you will be able to identify at least one more tree than you could at the beginning of the hike. She was elected President of Service of EcoHusky for the 2019-2020 school year and was selected to serve as a student representative on the Environmental Policy Advisory Committee this year as well. Additionally, she is a member of the organizing board for Fridays For Future, the club on campus that led UConn’s branch of the Global Climate Strike on September 20^th, 2019. She is passionate and curious, and if she could spend the rest of her life attending college, she would pursue a degree in everything from Astronomy to Musical Theatre. She has performed in more than 25 musicals, and has a love for singing that rings through in all aspects of her life.

Himaja Nagireddy

Himaja Nagireddy, from Acton, MA, is a senior undergraduate student pursuing three degrees in Molecular and Cell Biology, Physiology and Neurobiology, and Sociology with a minor in Chemistry. She is a STEM Scholar, Honors Scholar, BOLD Scholar, 2019 Leadership Legacy Fellow, and was a UConn representative for the Truman, Udall, and Marshall Scholarships. Himaja is an elected representative of the National Council for the United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA), a civil organization founded by Eleanor Roosevelt, where she works with over 20,000 members to coordinate efforts to support the UN. Through her work at UNA-USA, she has attended the 62nd and 63rd Commission on the Status of Women and launched a national gender equality education program called the 2019 Emerging Leaders Fellowship. Himaja is currently pursuing her theses research in Sociology and Molecular and Cell Biology at the UConn-Eversource Center and the Jackson Laboratory in Genomic Medicine, respectively. Himaja is also a 2019-2020 Virtual Student Federal Intern for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) where she works on world food resiliency research with the Senior Youth Advisor for the Bureau for Food Security. Through her work, Himaja strives to better understand the intersectionalities between health, society, and the environment, which is why she is excited to attend the COP25 this year.

Danny Alejandro Osorio

Danny Alejandro Osorio was born in Colombia and is a junior studying Molecular and Cellular Biology and Marine Sciences. He spent his previous summer conducting research through an REU at Pepperdine University in Malibu. Here, he studied the ecology of the fish species, California grunion, on California beaches, an environment under pressure. Beaches play critical roles in many plant and animal life cycles, and support unique biodiversity. However, traditionally they have been treated as recreational areas to protect human health and safety; few people know that beaches play a key role in coastal ecosystems. Compared to other environments, sandy beaches have been studied very little, so the research group that Danny was part of studied the nature of the California grunion on some tourist beaches where it spawns. He and his group were developing new methods to monitor and look at keystone species on sandy beaches.

Additionally, Danny volunteers at Mystic aquarium in the animal rescue center where he’s had the opportunity to deal with different species and help in their recovery. He also conducts research at UConn with Dr. Nyholm. The focus of this research is squid and their symbiotic relationship with bacteria. He is pursuing his degree because he loves the ocean and wants to be part of the genetic modification projects that are done in coral to prevent them from bleaching, keeping them healthy and protecting them from the effects of global warming. Aside from his passion for marine life, he is interested in policies that affect coastal communities due to the fact that the communities like the one he grew up in are the first areas to be severely affected by the environmental crisis we are living in. In his free time, Danny is the vice-captain of UConn taekwondo and as a fun fact, was team Colombia sub 16. He has traveled with many UConn clubs to different places to raise awareness of many social issues (mostly with UConn Outreach and Hearts Over Latin America). He is a realist and knows that small scale social work can only do so much. However, he considers himself really lucky to have had the opportunity to come to America and tries to impact at least one person with the same positivity and hardworking attitude that he tries to achieve every day.

Lauren Pawlowski

Lauren Pawlowski is a sophomore from Shelton, CT. She is pursuing a BA in Environmental Studies and a BS in Economics as part of the UConn Honors Program. Lauren spent this past summer interning at the Fairfield Water Pollution Control Facility, where she conducted laboratory water quality analyses and learned more about wastewater treatment. At UConn, she works as an intern for the Office of Sustainability and is involved with EcoHusky, UConn Club Pole Vault, Women and Minorities in Economics, the Outing Club, and more. After attending the Alternative Spring Break to Immokalee, FL focused on migrant farmworker rights and rural poverty, she co-founded the UConn Student Farmworker Alliance to raise awareness about these issues. She also recently joined SOS Food Recovery to alleviate food waste and food insecurity and UConn’s She’s the First Chapter to raise money for women’s education. In her spare time, Lauren enjoys painting, travelling, and propagating plants. She is interested in renewable energy, sustainable business and green design as potential career paths. At COP25, she hopes to learn more about the intersections of economic development, social justice, and environmental issues, while enjoying all that Chile has to offer!

Natalie Roach

Natalie is from Cheshire, CT. She is an Environmental Sciences major with minors in Human Rights and Sustainable Food Crop Production. She will complete a Master’s in Public Policy in a fifth year as part of the UConn Fast Track Program. Natalie came to UConn to learn how to best solve social and environmental issues, which are inextricably linked. On campus, she is an officer of Revolution Against Rape, co-chair of the USG Sustainability Subcommittee, co-facilitator of a Rainbow Center discussion group, a participant in Community Outreach’s alternative breaks, and was a lead organizer of September’s climate strike. She works at UConn’s Office of Sustainability, where she focuses on outreach, environmental justice, office blogs, and more. As a BOLD scholar in UConn BOLD Women’s Leadership Network, Natalie plans to complete a summer project that will bring light to the concept of climate migration and help to create better support systems for people who have been displaced because of climate change. Natalie is also an undergraduate researcher of cross-cultural climate communication as part of UConn’s PIRE Project, which focuses on sustainable development in Ethiopia. Outside of UConn, she is a dedicated member of the CT Sierra Club Political Committee. She loves learning, climbing trees, community gardens, baking, and spending quality time with her friends. After graduation from UConn, she plans to carry the mindset of finding community-based, intersectional, and just solutions to environmental and social issues into a career in public service.

Sarah Schechter

Sarah Schechter is a junior from Danbury, CT, double majoring in Environmental Studies and Anthropology. She enjoys studying the effects of climate change, specifically sea level rise and coastal flooding. This past summer, Sarah was an intern with the Connecticut Sea Grant College Program, and she created a video about flood management and mitigation. This video is the first in an online series that she will continue working on throughout the rest of her time at UConn. Also, as a member of EcoHouse for two years, Sarah took part in many environmental activities around campus such as improving the Hillside Environmental Education Park, assisting at Green Game Days, and teaching students about food waste during the Earth Day Spring Fling. Sarah took part in UConn’s Sustainable Amsterdam Program in the summer of 2018, where she developed a video about foreign food sustainability practices. She also enjoys running with UConn’s running club and hiking. Sarah is excited for the opportunity to attend COP25 in Chile and looks forward to learning about aspects of climate change through an international lens.

Mara Tu

Mara Tu is a junior Environmental Science and Urban and Community Studies student in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Mara works at the Office of Sustainability as an intern and is an officer of EcoHusky and Student Farmworker Alliance where she wishes to spread her interests in conservation, communal energy, spread of ideas, social issues and climate and environmental justice. As a BOLD Scholar, Mara hopes to explore how climate change has and will affect the mental health of individuals and communities and how to work on climate issues productively. Over the summer, she interned at the C.S. Mott Foundation based in Flint, MI as their Environment Team intern where she learned about non-profit and philanthropy work and worked on research about climate migration from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras and local clean drinking water advancements. In her future, she hopes to continue mitigative and adaptive work that addresses climate and environmental effects on people and the ecosystems around us. She enjoys being self-reflective, being with those she loves, and learning as much as possible in her free time.

Matthew Yang

Matthew Yang is a senior civil engineering from Stamford CT. At UConn he is involved with UConn’s Seismic Design Team, and SOS Food recovery program where he helps deliver excess food to a local soup kitchen. He is also the treasurer of the UConn Green Building Council where he has contributed to projects including a sustainability plan for a local commercially licensed kitchen. During the Summer of 2018 he conducted research through an REU at UConn on emerging wind energy technology. He is passionate about entrepreneurship and creating sustainable solutions that work in today’s market economy. Matt is passionate about the problem of food waste and is currently pursuing a startup idea focused around mitigating food waste. In his free time he loves to cook, play tennis, basketball and rock climb with his friends. He is excited to go to Chile and learn how other countries and leaders are planning to address environmental issues like food waste and carbon neutrality. He’s also extremely excited to learn more about the local culture and cuisine!

Harry Zehner

Harry Zehner is a Junior political science major with a minor in environmental policy and economics. At UConn, he works at the Office of Sustainability and as the Opinion Editor at the Daily Campus, where he writes weekly on social, environmental and economic issues. He helped organize the climate strike and the following actions as a member of UConn Friday’s for Future. Off campus, Harry has interned for the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters, Sustainable CT and served as the lead policy advisor for Seth Poole’s New Haven mayoral campaign. In the future, Harry hopes to work on radical local campaigns promoting environmental justice through affordable housing, food security, transit equity and energy democracy. In his free time, Harry enjoys reading, coping with eco-anxiety and traveling with friends.

Frank Griggs

Frank Griggs is a doctoral student in the Political Science department at the University of Connecticut. Broadly, his research focuses on how politics influence, and are influenced by, climate change. His dissertation examines the relationship between persons displaced by climate extremes (e.g. natural disasters such as floods and storms) and the incidence of armed conflict and protests. In addition, Frank has had the opportunity to teach a Global Environmental Politics course on three occasions. He respectively earned BA and MA degrees of Political Science at University of California, Berkeley, and California State University, Northridge. His professional experience before coming to UConn includes employment as a social worker within California’s Regional Center system for developmentally disabled persons, as well as service and activism as an elected officer of a labor union chapter.

Emily Kaufman

Emily Kaufman is a sophomore double majoring in Environmental Studies and Sociology with a minor in Geographic Information Systems. This summer she traveled to Ecuador where she interned with the Social Entrepreneurship Corps. At UConn, she is currently the co-chair of the Sustainability Subcommittee under Undergraduate Student Government, a student representative for the University's Environmental Policy Advisory Council, and a member of the General Education Environmental Literacy Task Force. Emily has a passion for environmental justice education and advocacy. She is particularly interested in the intersections between social issues and climate change and redefining the unproductive and unequal system through collaborative education. Emily is a member of UConn’s club running team and an on-campus a capella group. She loves to travel, especially when it means trying new and exotic food and spending time outdoors. She is excited for the opportunity to go to Poland and attend such an important conference!

Katarina Konon

Kat Konon is a junior studying Chemical Engineering. Over the summer she worked on developing a way to release antibiotics from coatings on medical devices in order to help prevent infection. On campus, she is a member of EcoHusky and an engineering tutor. Kat hopes to learn more about the political and social aspects of climate change at the conference, and she’s excited to be around so many people from around the world that care about the environment. She loves Horsebarn Hill, intramural sports, crispy m&m’s, and watching The Office.

Risa Lewis

Risa Lewis is a junior from Avon, CT majoring in Applied and Resource Economics with a concentration in Environmental Policy and Economics and minoring in English. She spent the summer working at the Cornell Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, learning more about the intersection of research in environmental economics and behavioral economics. Her study abroad experience last fall focusing on Sustainable Food and Environmental Systems in Florence, Italy solidified her interest in tackling environmental issues, particularly climate change. She hopes to pursue a graduate degree in Resource Economics and is interested in the cutting edge economic and environmental policy research being done at organizations such as Resources For the Future. At UConn, Risa loves to exercise any way she can—as President of the Women’s Ultimate Frisbee Team, Social Media Coordinator of the Swing and Blues Club, and a bouldering enthusiast. Her favorite place at UConn is Horsebarn Hill at sunrise.

Sahil Lual

Sahil Laul is a senior studying Molecular & Cell Biology and Global Health with minors in Spanish and Anthropology. As a Connecticut native with a strong passion for public health and health equity, he has been conducting research at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center on a variety of different topics including sickle cell disease, prescription errors, health care access, and nutrition and food insecurity. Upon graduation, Sahil hopes to study the practices and policies of key global health actors with the ultimate goal of becoming a practitioner of globalized medicine and an advocate of healthcare as a fundamental human right through a master’s in global health and medical degree program. After starting UConn’s Annual Global Health Symposium with a group of students last year, he will be moderating several panels at this year’s symposium and hopes to integrate what he learns at COP24 with discussions of the impact of climate change on health. Sahil also enjoys studying languages and cultures and will be traveling to Spain during the winter of 2018 to film a documentary on the various implications of language in the context of the Catalan independence movement through UConn’s IDEA Grant. In his spare time he enjoys DJ-ing at WHUS Radio, hiking, traveling, and dancing.

Sophie MacDonald

Sophie MacDonald is a junior from Bantam, CT majoring in mechanical engineering and minoring in philosophy and math. She plans to pursue an M.S. in Sustainable Engineering, and she aspires to be a practicing engineer in the renewable energy sector. Freshman year, she conducted research under Dr. Leslie Shor in her engineered microhabitats laboratory, and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. This semester, she is conducting research more directly associated with her career goals under Dr. Alexander Agrios, whose research focuses on perovskites, the latest technology in solar power. At the end of her freshman year, Sophie was hired as an intern at the UConn Office of Environmental Policy, where she runs the website and works on various initiatives to promote sustainability on campus. She is also a co-lead for the Uganda Project for the University’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB), as well as the founder of a collaboration project between EWB-UConn and the Hartford Professional Chapter of EWB. Within this organization, Sophie works to help the environment as well as the community of people who depend on its protection. When the dust settles every so often, Sophie loves to do anything and everything outdoors, from hiking to ice climbing to birding.

Leann McLaren

Leann is a senior majoring in political science and history and is enrolled in the honors program. She was born and raised in Manchester, CT. She is a member of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Leadership Board, and a past executive member of the UConn chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) . She has served as a research assistant under faculty projects facilitated by Dr. Evelyn Simien, Dr. Jeremy Pressman, and Dr. Fiona Vernal. She has also participated in internships in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Children’s Law Center, and Right2Know, a political rights organization as apart of her study abroad trip to Capetown, South Africa. This past summer she conducted research under the American Political Science Association’s (APSA) Ralph Bunche Summer Institute at Duke University and is currently writing here thesis project regarding West Indian Immigrant incorporation in Hartford, CT funded through the UConn IDEA Grant Program. Leann is interested in the intersectionality of poverty, racial issues, human rights, and the environment. She hopes to learn how environmental policy is both debated and enforced at the international level and wants to incorporate lessons into her career goals of attaining a PhD in political science.

Delaney Meyer

Delaney Meyer is a junior from Bedford, Massachusetts. She is majoring in Civil Engineering with a minor in Construction Engineering and Management. Around campus, she is an employee for the Engineering Tutoring Center, the Vice President of the Tap Team and a member of the UConn Dance Company. Since being on campus, Delaney's interest in environmental causes has grown exponentially. She was a member of EcoHouse for two years and worked on several small scale projects around campus, including improving the Hillside Environmental Education Park. She also took part in an alternative break focused on environmental conservation in Utah. Delaney is excited to absorb as much information from COP as possible and wants to gain a greater understanding of the political actions being taken to mitigate climate change in other countries.

Adrienne Nguyen

Adrienne Nguyen is a junior from Avon, CT majoring Pathobiology and Molecular and Cell Biology (with a minor in Human Rights). She supports the One Health approach to health care and believes the environment plays a crucial but often under-looked role in human health. Over the summer she was one of the El Instituto Fellows working as a vitals lead for UConn Health’s Migrant Farmworker Clinics providing health care access to an under-served population. Her career goal is to bring more awareness and work on the intersection of medicine and human rights. On campus, she is a member of the Honors GPS team, on Student Health Services’ support staff, and one of the Chief RAs for CCMC’s Undergraduate Research Assistant Program (URAP). In her free time, she enjoys taking pictures of sunsets, recreational swimming, and playing with her cat, Cupcake.

Nikki Pirtel

Nikki Pirtel is a senior Environmental Science major with a concentration in Global Change. She is President of Service for EcoHusky and treasurer of the Forestry and Wildlife Club. After graduation, She plans on attending graduate school for a masters degree in some kind of forest ecology. The inspiration for going to grad school came from doing field work in Dr. Bagchi's lab in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department for the past three summers, studying how forest fragmentation/human disturbance impacts biodiversity of natural ecosystems, which is the primary focus of her Honor's thesis. As an Environmental Science major, Nikki learns about climate change in almost all of her classes, but never much about the policy aspect of the science. With this trip, she hopes to gain more knowledge of environmental law and international collaboration on such a vital issue by members of countries having vastly different socioeconomic statuses. In the future, she will use the knowledge she gains to help bridge the communication gap between scientists and the general population, as she believes that public outreach and education is an important tool to advocate for more effective environmental protection policies.

Charlotte Rhodes

Charlotte Rhodes is a junior from Manchester, CT. She is majoring in Environmental Studies with a double minor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). On campus, she is an intern at the Office of Environmental Policy, a member of EcoHusky, and Vice President of Operations of Alpha Epsilon Phi. She spent this past summer working with the U.S. Forest Service in Vallejo, California where her work focused on Sustainable Operations, Climate Change, and Wildlife Ecology. Charlotte is particularly interested in how climate change will affect the relationship between the environment and human health, and after graduation hopes to pursue a graduate degree in entomology and vector borne diseases.

Jon Ursillo

Jonathan Ursillo is a junior double major in Environmental Sciences and Economics from Rehoboth, MA. He is interested in the intersection of business and the environment, particularly in the assessment of the total cost of economic behavior. At UConn, Jonathan is a Sustainability Intern at the OEP, focusing primarily on recycling, and is a member of Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. In his free time, he enjoys the outdoors, skiing, and staying active. Jonathan enjoys travelling and experiencing new cultures, so he is looking forward to visiting Poland and learning more about climate change from a global perspective.

Jessica Weaver

Jessica Weaver is a senior majoring in Political Science and minoring in Human Rights and Entrepreneurship. She is also on a fast-track to get her Master's in Public Policy. At UConn, Jessica serves as President of the Political Science Honor Society, Pi Sigma Alpha, and Partners in Health Engage. She is an active member of the CLAS Student Leadership Board and an avid dancer. Jessica looks forward to attending COP to learn more about not only what state actors can do about climate change, but non-state actors as well. She is particularly interested in the intersection of Human Rights and Business, and wants to find innovative ways for the private sector to contribute to climate change solutions. She ultimately hopes to work for the UN Women as an advocate for gender equality in the areas of economic justice, climate justice, and political representation.