Summer 2023

Manasa Acharya

Environmental Justice Researcher

Manasa is working as an Environmental Justice Researcher at MIT's Office of Sustainability this summer. She recently graduated with a Master's in Urban Planning from Harvard University, with a concentration in Sustainable Transportation and Infrastructure. She has previously worked with governments, donors, non-profit organizations, social enterprises, and grassroots actors on issues across sustainable development, digital service delivery, education, and urban planning. Manasa is passionate about leveraging her multidisciplinary background in systems thinking, human-centred design, and governance transformation to address issues of sustainable infrastructure development and social equity.

Katerina Boukin

Climate Action Researcher

Katya is a PhD student at the “Concrete Sustainability Hub” at the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Her passion lies in structural resiliency of the city scape to flood related natural disasters. Joining MIT office of sustainability in September of 2020 as a climate resiliency modeler and simulator, she is working on developing an improved method to assess, predict and mitigate storm and flood induced hazards. Her research project matches her work at MITOS, combining the projects she is using MIT campus as a test bed in her research work, trying to assess and mitigate natural disaster hazards as well as impacts of climate change on the severity of damages.

In her background she has earned a BSc in structural engineering, from the Technion in Israel, and an SM from MIT focusing on geotechnical engineering, both degrees were helpful to shape up the research path she is taking as well as shaping the holistic view to the challenges of a city in the wake of a changing climate.

Cheng-Hsin Chan

Climate Resiliency and Adaptation Planning

Climate Resiliency and Adaptation Planning Researcher Cheng is currently a candidate at MIT pursuing a Master of Science in Architecture and Urbanism (SMArchS Urbanism). With four years of experience as an architectural project manager, Cheng has a strong design background and has collaborated with various professional groups on several design projects. At MIT, Cheng focuses on design research in urbanism and sustainability through data science and visualization. Currently, Cheng is developing tools and methods to support department-level planning and action on resiliency and adaptation at MITOS.

Nathan Kim

Design out Waste Researcher

Nathan Kim is a current MIT undergraduate sophomore interested in studying mechanical engineering, business/entrepreneurship, and design. He is working at the Design out Waste Researcher this summer. At MIT, he is involved in the UA Sustainability Committee, Waste Watchers Dorm Lead, and Ring Committee. Outside of school, he enjoys finding new restaurants with friends, taking pictures, and going on nature adventures (hiking, boat rides, beach trips, etc).

Njeri

Carbon Offset Researcher

Njeri is a senior majoring in Management Science at the MIT Sloan School. She is interested in topics around climate change and sanitation. Currently, she is looking into the dynamics of carbon offset markets and how they can mitigate climate change in the short term.

Academic Year 2022-2023

Yihong Amy Chen, MIT 2026 - Climate Communications, Design
Thea Feldgoise, Tufts 2024 - Sustainable Building Materials
Ana Fiallo, MS MIT 2024 - Scope 3 GHG Analyst
Janka Hamori, MIT 2025 - Climate Action - Waste
Mahwish Khalil, SMArchS 2024 - Climate Action
Katelyn McVay, MSP 2024 MIT - Campus Heat Risk
Dhwani Mehta, MSP 2024 MIT - Climate Action
Shanan Kumar Powell, MBA MIT 2023 - Climate Action
Pimpakarn Rattanathumawat (Prim), MS 2023 - Climate Communications, Design
Maaya Prasad, MS 2024 MIT - Climate Communications, Writing
Melissa Stok, MIT 2024 - Design out Waste

Academic Year 2021-2022

Anushree Chaudhuri, MIT 2024 - Climate Change Scope 3
Vivian Chinoda, MIT 2025 - Electric Vehicle
Ippolyti Dellatolas, MIT 2024, MA - Climate Action
Doris Qingyi Duanmu, SMarchS MIT 2023 - Electric Vehicle
David Gottdiener, MS MIT 2023 - Climate Impact Goals
Anna Lander, SB 22, MIT - Sustainability Data Analytics
Sheng-Hung Lee, MS MIT 2022 - Safe and Sustainable Labs
Danielle Moore, MSP 2023 MIT - Campus Environmental Justice
Pimpakarn Rattanathumawat - MS 2023, MIT - Climate Resiliency
Shu-Yang Zhang, MIT 2024 - Electric Vehicle
Ziyuan Zhu - MS 2022 - Circular Design

Summer 2021

Darya Guettler, SB, MIT - Climate Change Scope 3
Asia Hypsher, SB, MIT - Campus Environmental Justice
Eva Then, SB, MIT - Climate Resiliency

Academic Year 2020-2021

Grace Cassidy, MEng, MIT - Sustainability Reporting
Darya Guettler, SB, MIT - Climate Change Scope 3
Asia Hypsher, SB, MIT - Campus Environmental Justice
Piero Orderique, MIT 2024 - Climate Resiliency
Isy Osubor, SB, MIT - Writing and Digital Engagement
Diane Zhang, MIT 2023 - Data-Driven Sustainability Reporting

Academic Year 2019-2020

Diego Castillo Peredo, MCP, MIT - Climate Resiliency
Effie Jia, SB, MIT - Design and Digital Outreach
Joseph Elsherbini, PhD, MIT - Data Analytics
Julia Field, MCP, MIT - Carbon Neutrality - South America
Shail Joshi, MCP, MIT - Water Stewardship
Katherine Liew, SM, MIT - Writing, Design, and Digital Engagement
Yael Nidam, MCP, MIT - Climate Resiliency
Taylor Safrit, SM, MIT - Data Analytics
Mary Hannah Smith, MCP, MIT - Climate Change Resiliency
Tianyu Su, MCP, MIT - Data Analytics Transportation

Summer 2019

Joseph Elsherbini, PhD, MIT - Data Analytics
Emma Homstad, Tufts - Sustainable Procurement
Effie Jia, SB, MIT - Design and Digital Outreach
Kashaf Nawal Momin, Georgetown - Food Systems
Yael Nidam, MCP, MIT - Climate Resiliency
Tianyu Su, MCP, MIT - Data Analytics Transportation

Academic Year 2018-2019

Audrey Bazerghi, SM and MBA, MIT - Sustainability Leadership Fellow
Sabira Lakhani, SM, MIT - Materials Management
Theresa Machemer, SB, MIT - Writing and Digital Outreach Fellow
Soma Mitra-Behura, SB, MIT - Urban Farm and Garden
Jasmine Qin, SM, MIT - Climate Resiliency
Yue Wu, SM, MIT - Analytics and Visualization – Material Matters

Summer 2018

Julian Victor Barber SMME, MIT - Energy Analytics
Karine Ip Kiun Chong, PhD, MIT - Analytics and Visualization
Harry Kelso, Whitman College - Urban Living Lab
Skylar Lewis, Dartmouth - Sustainable Materials Management
Soma Mitra-Behura, SB, MIT - Urban Farm and Garden
Rachel Moskowitz, Smith - Climate Change Resiliency
Sunil Yernagula, UConn - Analytics and Visualization

Academic Year 2017-2018

Effie Jia, SB, MIT - Communications, Design, and Digital Strategy
Yimou (Andrew) Li, MSF, MIT - Analytics and Visualization
Cristina Logg, MCP, MIT - Sustainable Procurement
Rachel Perlman, PhD, MIT - Sustainable Materials Management
Faina Rozental, MBA, MIT - Climate change Resiliency

Summer 2017

Nehal Davda, UConn - Analytics and Visualization
Brent Ginsberg, NYU - Climate Change Resiliency
Cristina Logg, MCP, MIT - Sustainable Procurement
Rachel Perlman, PhD, MIT - Sustainable Materials Management
Frankie Schembri, SM, MIT - Communications, Design, and Outreach
Sebastian Torrente, Tufts - Urban Living Lab

Academic Year 2016-2017

Dora Aldama, MBA and SM, MIT - Sustainable Procurement
Zachary Lamb, PhD, MIT - Climate Change Resiliency
Louis Liss, MCP, MIT - Cambridge Community Innovation
Elizabeth Rider, SB, MIT - Analytics and Visualization

Summer 2016

Hannah Jun, Smith - Technical Research
Erin Kenney, MCP, MIT - Technical Research
Xiao (Frank) Li, Bentley - Data and Metrics
Catherine Nabukalu, UPenn - Food Systems
Kimberly Meersma, Mt. Holyoke - Writing and Engagement

Scales of Impact

The challenges of sustainability are both local and global. Creating transformative solutions requires deep collaboration among community leaders and members on campus, city and global scales.

It starts with you on campus.

We start with you to find solutions at the campus level to serve both the institution's needs as well as to incubate new and big ideas.

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