When I began my Environmental Policy & Management (EPM) practicum, I expected to focus on forest management policies and economic modeling. What I didn’t expect was how much this project would reshape my understanding of research, policy, and the interconnected challenges of wildfire resilience, economic justice, and rural development.
Joel Chima is a second-year masters student in the Environmental Policy and Management program, specializing in sustainable agriculture and environmental data science.
Helen completed her Practicum with the California Department of Conservation working closely with the Regional Forest and Fire Capacity team over the summer.
My name is Madison Pelland, and I am currently a student in the Graduate Program of Environmental Policy and Management at UC Davis and plan to graduate June 2025. After completing my undergraduate degree in Environmental Science, Technology, and Policy at CSU Monterey Bay, I felt like I gained a general overview of environmental issues and wanted to dive into a more specialized academic setting. I began to uncover my love for planning and conservation through internships and volunteer opportunities.
Over the summer, Morgan worked as a Graduate Student Researcher with Green Schoolyards America focused on identifying barriers and opportunities for establishing schoolyard forests in Nevada.
For Annika's Practicum, she worked with WSP USA's Climate, Resilience and Sustainability team and the Federal Highway Administration to research vulnerability of Tribal Nation transportation networks to climate change impacts.
Peter Rossi, a second-year EPM student at UC Davis, shares his experience working with the California Transportation Commission's Active Transportation Program (ATP). He utilized a new Benefit-Cost Tool to quantify the benefits of ATP-funded projects, presenting key findings at the May 2024 Commission meeting to stakeholders including policymakers, local/regional agencies and advocates for increased program funding and promote sustainable, multimodal transportation solutions for Californians.
Alex is a second year EPM student with an undergraduate degree in civil engineering, where they focused on remote sensing and stormwater. This past summer, they worked at Contra Costa County Public Works as a student intern in the Watershed Program.
My name is Saurabh Harohalli, and I am part of the EPM Class of 2024. Before coming to EPM, I studied chemical engineering and worked in the manufacturing sector. Through EPM, I am currently shifting my career to focus on the intersection of decarbonization and urban planning.
With increasing pressure to meet renewable energy targets in California, ongoing concerns for
the future of California’s water supply, and a thriving technology sector within the state, interest
in mixing commercial agriculture with renewable energy installations has never been higher.
However, until recently, there has been little understanding of how individual counties in
California have defined solar installations on commercial, agricultural land under Williamson Act
contracts.
In the forest of the Telegrafenberg in Potsdam, Germany I completed my practicum this summer with the German Arctic Office, which is a part of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research.
I worked with UC Davis Sustainability for my practicum as a Bonnie Reiss Climate Action Fellow. During my fellowship, I developed a Climate Resiliency Framework, which will be used to inform best practices for the...
My name is Ruchika Jaiswal (she/her) and I am a second-year student in EPM. Prior to this program, I studied Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning at UC Davis and worked with Hydrologic Sciences Ph.D. candidate Nusrat Molla on her work in water access to farmworkers in the San Joaquin Valley.
I’m interested in how energy powers civilization and how we can transition from fossil fuels to a new paradigm of clean energy, equitability, and abundance.
Diana explores foreign and state policy with the California Foundation on the Environment and Economy, and shapes international study trips and discussion forums with California policymakers.
