Sean is an EPM Graduate Student Researcher and the UC Davis Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory analyst. In his first year with EPM, Sean has pursued funded graduate research in partnership with the Sierra Institute, working to find environmentally just, market-driven solutions to sustainable forest and wildfire management, which are massive nature-based carbon dioxide sinks — and increasingly, sources. In his second year with EPM, Sean is looking forward to building more technical skills.
Hi, I’m May Myo Myint, a Fulbright scholar and masters student in the Environmental Policy and Management program (EPM). Prior to beginning the EPM program, I had 4 years of environmental consulting experience focused on environmental impact assessment, industrial pollution control, and public consultation. Currently, I am working on textile producer responsibility program and textile circularity projects with the California Product Stewardship Council.
I am currently a Professor in Earth and Planetary Sciences, and the Associate Vice Provost for Academic Programs in Public Scholarship & Engagement at UC Davis.
There are over 400,000 farmworkers employed in the agricultural industry in California (California Employment Development Department, 2022). Despite only making up a small proportion of the total 40 million people in the state, their work is fundamental to everyone’s daily life. The significance of their work is a contrast to the difficult working conditions they face on a daily basis– strenuous tasks, poor living conditions, exposure to extreme heat, wildfire smoke, and toxic pesticides.
Consider this: the coffee you drink in the morning, and the chocolate you eat at night, were both grown by a farmer somewhere in the world. You feel good knowing that the coffee was produced sustainably through the farmer's partnership with Fair Trade USA™. However, growing concerns regarding climate change and deforestation have increased pressure on farmers to mitigate harm to the environment, which begs the question, how? And what role can a nonprofit certifying agency, like Fair Trade USA (FTUSA), play?
For the Policy Clinic, our team worked alongside NOAA Fisheries to analyze the impacts of salmon extirpation on communities in the San Joaquin River Basin.
This team of students partnered with the California Ocean Science Trust to research existing data on blue carbon ecosystems and frontline communities in California, along with conducting informational interviews to provide research and policy recommendations.
A hallmark of the Graduate Program of Environmental Policy and Management is the annual Policy Clinic, a capstone class where student teams partner with environmental organizations to address an environmental policy or natural resources management issue.
Congratulations to Julianne McCall, PhD, who was recently named as the next CEO of the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST). As CEO, McCall will serve as the liaison to state and national leaders in policy, philanthropy and science and technology related issues.
Kamryn graduated with her MS in Environmental Policy and Management in June 2023 with a specialization in City and Regional Planning. She is currently a graduate transportation planner at GHD.
The EPM Social Committee recently hosted the program’s annual Spring celebration event, EProM. EProM is hosted every year to celebrate program and student achievements.
