Meet the New Environmental Justice Student Researchers

Together, the UC Davis Institute of the Environment and the Graduate Program of Environmental Policy and Management have supported four student researchers each year over the last three years to pursue environmental justice practicum projects. Students work closely with a community-based or nonprofit organization for the duration of their project. The goal of this funding is to provide EPM students with leadership opportunities working with environmental justice organizations, to build community capacity and help advance an organization's mission. 

Previous environmental justice student researchers Liam Huber, JieQi Yan and Tara Khan worked with organizations such as ECOS, Rise South City and Heal the Bay on projects ranging from distribution of climate projects in the Sacramento Area to air quality in South San Francisco to water quality in the LA Area. 

This year's cohort of scholars include Carlin Coleman, Abel Kebasso, Dewansh Matharoo and Subah Tarannum. The cohort will be supervised by Dr. Sarah McCullough, Associate Director of the Feminist Research Institute and four of the Environmental Justice Leaders from the Institute of Transportation Studies' Environmental Justice Leaders Program. The leaders represent four community based organizations, including the Niles Foundation, America Walks, Mobility Unbound and Biking While Black. The students will provide key research and analysis while identifying applications to policy and will create a number of deliverables, including reports, policy briefs and assist in audio/vision productions. 

Dewansh Matharoo, who will be working with Mobility Unbound, stated "Environmental justice work ought to be deeply intersectional and expansive, bring community knowledge and expertise to the fore, and work towards systemic change. Mobility Unbound aims to do just that and I want to learn from and help their vision." 

The Graduate Program of Environmental Policy and Management is grateful for the cross-campus partnerships with the Institute of the Environment and Feminist Research Institute for facilitating the projects and providing this critical opportunity for students to gain experience in participatory research and have a real impact for communities. 

Projects will commence in early July and wrap up late September. Check back later in the fall for more information about the projects and deliverables!