Research Symposium
Analyzing the Intersection of Transportation Justice and Sustainability in the Bay Area
This project aims to investigate the relationship between transportation justice and the climate change issues in the Bay Area. Through this project, we hope to identify current injustices and discuss a transportation justice framework that can be used in conjunction with climate change solutions. We hope to:
- Work with Bay Area to create a report about the intersection of transportation, health, and equity/accessibility
- Examine the technological, financial, and industrial sides to transportation issues and understand how they play major roles in transportation injustice + corporate power
Committee Leads: Brianna Ong, Annie Miller
Academic Mentor: Dr. Daniel G Chatman
Microplastics in the Bay Area and Their Effect on Sea Life and Human Health
This project aims to explore the effect of microplastics on the local economy, human health and sea life wellbeing within the Bay Area. This project aims to compile research on:
- (1) The extent to which local sea life is affected by the presence of microplastics
- (2) How the consumption of microplastics in seafood directly affects human health.
Researchers will examine existing microplastic studies and data sets with an emphasis on the Bay Area and the Berkeley community, with a possibility of collecting open source data on Berkeley seafood restaurants and UC Berkeley dining facilities.
Committee Leads: Britney Wu, Sarah Harte
Pictured (Left to Right):
Top Row: Sarah Harte, Britney Wu, Sindre Carlson; Middle Row: Sabi Can Ruso, Romi Takara, Mary Wang; Bottom Row: Audrey Williams, Megan Hur, Ranjini Nair
Academic Mentor: Dr. Scott Coffin
Centering Environmental Justice in UCB Sustainability Report
The SURG Environmental Justice group is identifying opportunities for the University of California, Berkeley to center environmental justice in their annual sustainability report. The project is outlined in 3 main phases:
- (1) Analysis of current sustainability reports to identify strengths and weaknesses in how environmental justice is framed
- (2) Research other sustainability reports to serve as sources of inspiration
- (3) Create specific, actionable recommendations adopting an environmental justice framework
We hope to instill a value of environmentalism based on equity and justice in our campus community as well as generate a broader institutional commitment to environmental justice in administrative sustainability decision-making. We are one of the two research teams involved in the Global University Climate Forum with the results of our research being published in the report to the 2021 United Nations Climate Conference (COP26).
Committee Lead: Varsha Madapoosi
Pictured (Left to Right):
Top Row: Jade Pannetier, Chloe Olsen; Middle: Daisy Chu, Jakob Evans; Bottom Row: Varsha Madapoosi, Hayley Lai
Academic Mentor: Kira Stoll
Connecting California’s 2020 Wildfires to Climate Change
Our project is a year-long research group focusing on studying the link between the recent 2020 California Wildfires and climate change. We are one of the two groups in SURG who are lucky to be a part of the Global University Climate Forum, and the results of our research will be published in the report to the 2021 United Nations Climate Conference (COP26). In our studies, we aim to learn about the capacity that the University of California, Berkeley, and its parent city have in responding to wildfires. We are aiming to publish both an Academic Research Paper and a Berkeley Wildfire Vulnerability Assessment
Committee Lead: Rohith Moolakatt
Pictured (Left to Right):
Top Row: Joyce Wang, Ava Currie, Grace Huang Bottom Row: Emma Centeno, Rohith Moolakatt, Amit Sant, Scott Hashimoto
Academic Mentor: Professor Amm Quamruzzaman
