Spring Symposium 2025 Schedule and Abstracts

Please see below for the Spring Symposium Presentation Schedule. All times are in Eastern Standard Time (EST). To view project abstracts, click on the drop down for the presenter(s), and select the project title.

For more information, please visit the Nicholas School Spring Symposium Event Page.

Tuesday, April 8

DEL Virtual Presentations

7:20 PM: Opening Remarks from Senior Associate Dean Tim Johnson

7:30 PM: Sarah Izzat (DEL)

• Traditional Indigenous Knowledge for Sustainable Disaster Risk Reduction Management: A Two-Eyed Planning Toolkit
  • MP Advisor: Dalia Patino-Echeverri

7:55 PM: Ana Tabuena-Ruddy (DEL)

• Can We Create Mission-Driven Enterprises That Last? Scaling the Impact of Worker Cooperatives in Environment and Technology for Regeneration,Shared Prosperity, and Resilience
  • MP Advisor: Rebecca Vidra

8:20 PM: Tess Benjamin (DEL)

• National Wildlife Refuge Boundary Expansion: A Case Study for The Expansion of Paint Rock National Wildlife Refuge
  • MP Advisors: Steve Roady, Michelle Nowlin

8:45 PM: Rebecca Elliott (DEL)

• Christian Social Movements for Action on Climate Change
  • MP Advisor: Dave Johnston

Wednesday, April 9

DEL Virtual Presentations

7:30 PM: Nicole Benoit (DEL)

• The Power (Energy) of Water: A Model for Energy Extraction from Piped Water Flow
  • MP Advisor: Judy Ledlee

7:55 PM: Holly Bisbee (DEL)

• The Intersection of Environmental Compliance and National Security
  • MP Advisor: Steve Roady

8:20 PM: William Addis (DEL)

• Stitching Resilience: Ethical Fashion as a Scalable Solution to Wicked Problems in Disaster Recovery
  • MP Advisor: Dave Johnston

8:45 PM: Ellie Harrigan (DEL)

• Integrating GIS and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis for Conservation Modelling in the Southern Appalachians
  • MP Advisor: Dave Johnston

Thursday, April 10

DEL Virtual Presentations

7:30 PM: Shannon Bennett (DEL)

• Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Orange Bike Brewing Marathon to B Corp Certification
  • MP Advisor: Jeremy Pare

7:55 PM: Perri Kramer (DEL)

• Nourishing Communities: A Holistic Framework for Food as Medicine Interventions
  • MP Advisor: Jeremy Pare

8:20 PM: Britteny Schalk (DEL)

• Unpacking Sustainability: A Comparative Analysis of Policy and Regulations for Sustainable Packaging across North America and the European Union
  • MP Advisor: Jeremy Pare

Thursday, April 10

Field Auditorium, Grainger Hall – In Person – Thursday, April 10

9:05 AM: Michael Zorger (BE/MBA)

• Operationalizing Emissions Reduction and GHG Accounting Requirements: Tools and Technical Assistance for North Carolina Businesses
  • MP Advisor: Holly Emerson

9:30 AM: Ale Jaramillo (BE/MBA)

• Beating the Heat: Public Financing for Greener, More Resilient, and Healthier School Communities in Texas
  • MP Advisor: Jesko von Windheim

9:55 AM: Ross Fly (EE/MBA)

• Commercializing University Energy Innovation – A Case Study of OptiGen
  • MP Advisor: Tim Johnson

10:20 AM: Marla Harvey, John Rooney (EE/MBA, EEP/MBA)

• Calvert Impact’s Cut Carbon Note: Accelerating Building Decarbonization through Green Bonds
  • MP Advisor: Tim Johnson

10:45 AM: Matt Wofford (EE/MBA)

• Impact Investing in the Energy Industry
  • MP Advisor: Tim Johnson

11:10 AM: Jiwon Hyun, Eli Schulman (BE/MBA, EE/MBA)

• Scaling CCS Technology to Accelerate Industrial Decarbonization in the U.S.
  • MP Advisor: Tim Johnson

11:35 AM: Dean’s Remarks in Field Auditorium

• Dean Lori Snyder Bennear will give remarks in Field Auditorium, Grainger Hall. Immediately followed by lunch.

Noon – 12:55 PM: Lunch outside of Field Auditorium

• Please join us for lunch on the first floor of Grainger Hall

1:00 PM: Nick Sorokin (EE/MBA)

• Capacity Markets in Flux: Renewables and PJM Market Design
  • MP Advisor: Dalia Patino-Echeverri

1:25 PM: Rosalind Hu, Ayoung Kim, Cara Kuuskvere (EE-EAM, EE-EAM, EE-EAM)

• Evaluating the Benefits: Environmental Impacts of Repurposing Oil and Gas Infrastructure for Enhanced Geothermal Electricity Generation Systems
  • MP Advisor: Dalia Patino-Echeverri

1:50 PM: Adam Cowie-Haskell (EE-EEP)

• Modeling large computational load growth in CAISO: assessing the costs to serve new loads, the impacts to emissions, and their implications for decarbonization
  • MP Advisor: Dalia Patino-Echeverri

2:15 PM: Emma Kaufman, Zach Roberts (EAM-TFE, EE-EEP)

• Floating Solar Photovoltaics: Potential and Opportunities in the Southeastern U.S.
  • MP Advisor: Dalia Patino-Echeverri

2:40 PM: Carley Tucker (EE/MBA)

• Accelerating Solar for All Financing for Multifamily Affordable Housing in North Carolina
  • MP Advisor: Dalia Patino-Echeverri

3:30 PM: Caroline Kristof, Hiranmayi Nataraj (EEP-EE, EE-BE)

• The Global Expansion of LevelTen Energy’s Clean Energy Transaction Infrastructure Platform
  • MP Advisor: Tim Johnson

3:55 PM: Chelsea Nielsen, Ummamah Shah, Prithveeraj Wavre (EEP/JD, EE-BE, EE-BE)

• Navigating the Future of Nuclear Energy: Strategic Analysis and Market Opportunities
  • MP Advisor: Tim Johnson

4:20 PM: Wynona Curaming, Rochelle Martin, Samantha Pasciullo Boychuck, Anisah Zarif (EAM-EE, BE-EE, TFE-EEP, EE-BE)

• A Carbon Footprint Analysis of Travel
  • MP Advisor: Holly Emerson

4:45 PM: Adrienne Roan (BE)

• Carbon Analysis at The Inn at Biltmore Estate
  • MP Advisor: Holly Emerson

2102, Grainger Hall – In Person – Thursday, April 10

9:05 AM: Kai Tran (CEEJ-TFE)

• Indigenous People’s Engagement with Forest-Based Carbon Offsetting: Challenges, Benefits, Strategies and Mitigating Circumstances
  • MP Advisor: Liz Shapiro-Garza

9:30 AM: Melissa Arcila, Brooke Rose (CEEJ-TFE)

• The Role of Forest-Based Carbon Offsetting in Climate and Community Resilience: Multidisciplinary, Participatory Research with Indigenous Communities in Oaxaca, Mexico
  • MP Advisor: Liz Shapiro-Garza

9:55 AM: Claire Pajka (TFE-EAM)

• Data Decisions & Disproportionality: Implications of Analyst Choice on Quantitative Environmental Justice Analyses
  • MP Advisor: Ryan Emanuel

10:20 AM: Chris Hachtman (CaMS-EEP)

• Master’s Project Abstract
  • MP Advisor: Marty Smith

10:45 AM: Sophie Moyer (EAM-CaMS)

• Mapping Small-Scale Fisheries: Using Remote Sensing Technology to Develop a Fisheries Footprint in the US Caribbean
  • MP Advisor: Pat Halpin

11:10 AM: Kendall Barton (EAM-CaMS)

• Vessel Traffic Analysis for Offshore Wind Energy Marine Spatial Planning in the Central Atlantic
  • MP Advisor: Pat Halpin

11:35 AM: Dean’s Remarks in Field Auditorium

• Dean Lori Snyder Bennear will give remarks in Field Auditorium, Grainger Hall. Immediately followed by lunch.

Noon – 12:55 PM: Lunch outside of Field Auditorium

• Please join us for lunch on the first floor of Grainger Hall

1:00 PM: Meg Manning (CaMS-EAM)

• From Risk to Resilience: Planning for Sea Level Rise Using High-Resolution Inundation Forecasts
  • MP Advisor: Pat Halpin

1:25 PM: Grace Randall (CaMS-EAM)

• Examination of the Relinquishment Process in Deep-Sea Mining: Impacts on Conservation and Potential Improvements
  • MP Advisor: Pat Halpin

1:50 PM: Elizabeth Zajaczkowski (CaMS-CEEJ)

• Spatial Analysis of Alaska Subsistence Harvest Areas to Inform Aquaculture Development
  • MP Advisor: Pat Halpin

2:15 PM: David Liddle (CaMS-EAM)

• Coral Restoration Initiative – Advancing Conservation Through Data-Driven Strategies
  • MP Advisor: Pat Halpin

2:40 PM: Nusrat Noor (CaMS-EAM)

• Exploratory Cross-Scale Characterization of Oceanographic Data Surrounding Offshore Wind Areas
  • MP Advisor: Pat Halpin

3:30 PM: Maia Griffith (CaMS-EAM)

• Quantifying Shark Behavior using Unoccupied Aerial Systems (UAS) and a Modified Application of a Deep Learning Pose Estimation Framework
  • MP Advisor: Dave Johnston

3:55 PM: Brooke Elzweig (CaMS-BE)

• Unlocking Innovative Financial Pathways for Large-Scale Coastal Restoration
  • MP Advisor: John Virdin

4:20 PM: Hope Liu (CaMS-EEP)

• Science Communication of Coastal Park Conservation Value Index (CVI) – Geospatial Datasets into Narrative Toolkits for Supporting Coastal Resilience Advocacy
  • MP Advisors: Grant Murray, Tyler Sammis

4:45 PM: Lily Zhang (CaMS-CEEJ)

• Shark in a Changing Sea: Documenting local ecological knowledge on sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus) population and ecology in North Carolina
  • MP Advisor: Grany Murray

Art Gallery, Grainger Hall – In Person – Thursday, April 10

9:05 AM: Morgan Alexander (EE-BE/MPP)

• Scoping Ethanol vs. Electrification for Decarbonizing Brazil’s Urban Mobility: Pathways to Cleaner Air and Reduced Emissions
  • MP Advisor: Luana Lima

9:30 AM: Anran Li, Chenjia Liu, Vanshika Mittal (BE-EE, EE-EAM, EE-EAM)

• Decarbonization of Industrial Sectors: Aluminum and Steel
  • MP Advisor: Luana Lima

9:55 AM: Morgan Foster, Brian Mutua, Pablo Salazar Armella, Lucy Wang (BE-EE, EE-EAM, EE-BE, EE-EAM)

• The Market Use Case for Storage + Solar Serving as a Mid-Merit Asset
  • MP Advisor: Luana Lima

10:20 AM: Yuechen Huang (TFE-EAM)

• Balancing Renewable Energy and Biodiversity: An Interdisciplinary Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach for Wind Power and Solar Panel Siting in Coastal China
  • MP Advisor: Pat Halpin

10:45 AM: Samantha Pace (EAM-TFE/MCRP)

• Keep Durham Cool: Development and Evaluation of Potential Action Plan for Extreme Heat in Durham County
  • MP Advisor: Luana Lima

11:10 AM: Cynthia Zhou (EAM-EE)

• Climate Change Effects on the Significant Tornadoes in the United States
  • MP Advisor: Shineng Hu

11:35 AM: Dean’s Remarks in Field Auditorium

• Dean Lori Snyder Bennear will give remarks in Field Auditorium, Grainger Hall. Immediately followed by lunch.

Noon – 12:55 PM: Lunch outside of Field Auditorium

• Please join us for lunch on the first floor of Grainger Hall

1:00 PM: Andreana Chou, Xizhi Deng, Barret Dollar, Eric Newton (EE-EAM, EAM-EE, TFE-EEP, TFE-EAM)

• A Climate Change Adaptation Index for Financial Risk Assessment
  • MP Advisor: Richard Mei

1:25 PM: Shiqi Zheng (TFE-EAM)

• Geographic Distribution of Plant Dispersal Modes: Associations with Resource Availability and Disperser Availability in Continental U.S. Plant Communities
  • MP Advisor: James Clark

1:50 PM: Jenn McNeill (TFE-EAM)

• Leveraging Data Analytics to Identify Patterns and Predict Leaks in Jackson, Mississippi’s Recovering Water Distribution System
  • MP Advisor: Martin Doyle

2:15 PM: Emily Siegel (TFE-EEP)

• Best Practices for Ethical Drone Flights: An Analysis of Orphaned African Elephant Behavioral Responses to Drone Techniques
  • MP Advisor: Nicki Cagle

2:40 PM: Sarah Sussman, Samantha White (TFE-EEP, CEEJ-TFE)

• Identification of Priority Conservation Lands Within Watersheds That Feed Drinking Water Supply Reservoirs in North Texas
  • MP Advisor: Jim Heffernan

3:30 PM: Candela Cerpa (TFE-EAM/MCRP)

• Case Study of Land Conservation and Outdoor Recreation as Flood Mitigation Initiatives in Spruce Pine, North Carolina
  • MP Advisor: Peter Cada

3:55 PM: Rachel Weaver (TFE-EEP)

• Tracing the Evolution of Terms and Concepts in Environmental Peacebuilding: A Critical Analysis
  • MP Advisor: Erika Weinthal

4:20 PM: Gabriella Czarniak (EAM-TFE)

• Informing Brazilian Public Healthcare Preparedness for Potential Risks Posed by Mine Tailings Dam Failures
  • MP Advisor: Brian McAdoo

4:45 PM: Esme Cai, Caroline Cameron, Ally Finkbeiner (BE-TFE, TFE-CEEj, EEP-TFE)

• Continued Monitoring of an Urban Museum Campus to Inform Long-Term Watershed Management
  • MP Advisor: Neal Flanagan

1111, Grainger Hall – In Person – Thursday, April 10

9:05 AM: Kaylee McKinzie (MSC-GWD)

• GWD Abstract
  • GWD Advisor: Jason Somarelli

9:30 AM: Dahlia Stebbins-Sharpless (ENV-GWD)

• Project Ground Truth
  • GWD Advisor: Lisa Satterwhite

9:55 AM: Ellie Coleman (ENV-GWD)

• Heat, Humidity, and Infections: Exploring the Impact of Climate on Skin & Soft Tissue Infections in College Students
  • GWD Advisor: Jessica Seidelman

10:20 AM: Kendra Rentz (ENV-GWD)

• Beyond Survival: Urban Heat Liveability Assessment in Durham County, North Carolina
  • GWD Advisor: Drew Shindell

10:45 AM: Henry Sun (MSC-GWD)

• Generative Diffusion Models for Dataset Augmentation and Cetacean Detection
  • GWD Advisor: Dave Johnston

11:10 AM: Maya Khodabakchian (ECS-GWD)

• Refining Paleo-CO₂ Reconstructions: Carbon Isotope Fractionation (Δ¹³C) in Modern Cycad Foliage Under Elevating Atmospheric CO₂ 
  • GWD Advisor: Michael Kipp

11:35 AM: Dean’s Remarks in Field Auditorium

• Dean Lori Snyder Bennear will give remarks in Field Auditorium, Grainger Hall. Immediately followed by lunch.

Noon – 12:55 PM: Lunch outside of Field Auditorium

• Please join us for lunch on the first floor of Grainger Hall

1:00 PM: Aaron Siegle (ENV-GWD)

• Combatting the Coastal Squeeze: A New Planning Paradigm to Conserve Disappear Marshes
  • GWD Advisor: Tibor Vegh

1:25 PM: Luca Tjossem (GWD Outside the Major)

• Transitioning from Fishing to Tourism: The Socio-Economic and Environmental Impacts on Fishing Communities  in the Global South
  • GWD Advisor: John Virdin

1:50 PM: Summer Walker (ENV-GWD)

• Assessing the Impacts of Saline Exposure on Pinus taeda and Myrica cerifera Microbial Communities
  • GWD Advisor: Justin Wright

2:15 PM: Aidan Young (GWD Outside the Major)

• Designing a Fault-Tolerant, Multi-Agent USV System to Survey Alligators
  • GWD Advisor: Dave Johnston

3:30 PM: Julia Happel (ENV-GWD)

• Effects of PFBS on Mitochondrial Function in Human Placental Trophoblast Stem Cells
  • GWD Advisor: Liping Feng, Bill Pan

3:55 PM: Hillary Hsu (ENV-GWD)

• Investigating the Role of Adaptive Stress Response and Macroenvironmental Factors in Breast Cancer
  • GWD Advisor: Gayathri Devi, Bill Pan

4:20 PM: Eesha Yaqub (ENV-GWD)

• No Abstract Available
  • GWD Advisor: Judy Ledlee

A158, LSRC – In Person – Thursday, April 10

9:05 AM: Felix Mergenhagen (iMEP)

• Modeling and Analysis of Least-Cost Electrification Using a Custom Python Tool
  • MP Advisor: Jonathan Phillips

9:30 AM: Briana Sumpter (EEP-CaMS)

• Incentive Structures for Community Participation in Managed Retreat Policies
  • MP Advisor: Betsy Albright

9:55 AM: Joel Beaudry, Matt Morris, Leslie Vegas (EEP-CaMS, ESC/MBA, DEL)

• Economic Impact of Environmental Non-Profits: Analysis of the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s Restoration Programming Since 2009
  • MP Advisor: Betsy Albright

10:20 AM: Yenching Wang, Mingzhang Pan, Bolin Zhang (iMEP)

• Low Carbon Transformation of Kunshan Industries and Policy Promotion: 1985-2020
  • MP Advisor: Jingbo Cui

10:45 AM: Jianna Torre (MF)

• The Impact of Elevated Atmospheric CO₂ on Self-thinning and Management of Loblolly Pine
  • MP Advisor: Ram Oren

11:10 AM: Kaidi Liu (iMEP)

• Coupling Socioeconomic, Energy, and Climate Systems to Accelerate Renewable Energy Transitions
  • MP Advisor: Ding Ma

11:35 AM: Dean’s Remarks in Field Auditorium

• Dean Lori Snyder Bennear will give remarks in Field Auditorium, Grainger Hall. Immediately followed by lunch.

Noon – 12:55 PM: Lunch outside of Field Auditorium

• Please join us for lunch on the first floor of Grainger Hall

1:00 PM: Em Ordonez, Sophia Valkenberg (EEP-EEH, CEEJ-EEH)

• Regenerative Peer-to-Peer Learning Platform
  • MP Advisor: Rebecca Vidra

1:25 PM: Samantha Berlan (ECS-GWD)

• Mapping Risk: Defining Localized Extreme Heat to Enhance Climate Governance in NC
  • GWD Advisor: Ashley Ward, Brian McAdoo

1:50 PM: Grace Hall (ECS-GWD)

• The Potential Water Quality Impacts of Mining Critical Raw Materials: Comparative Analysis of Simulated Leachates of Sulphide and Laterite Ores
  • GWD Advisor: Avner Vengosh

2:15 PM: Sydney Bell (ECS-GWD)

• Measuring Ablation Rates in Supraglacial Lakes on the Greenland Ice Sheet Using ICESat-2 
  • GWD Advisor: Jonathan Ryan

3:30 PM: Xiaoci Yan, Jeffery Mu, Yuhan Peng (iMEP)

• Promoting the Establishment and Development of Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) in China 
  • MP Advisor: Coraline Goron

3:55 PM: Weijia Ran, Qijia Tang (iMEP)

• Exploring the Factors of Transition after Coal Mine Closure on S Village, X Village, and H Village in L city, Hunan: A Multi-Case Comparative Study
  • MP Advisor: Coraline Goron

4:20 PM: LeYi Qian, JiaQi Liu (iMEP)

• Framing Environmental Discourse in Chinese Government Weibo Accounts
  • MP Advisor: Coraline Goron

Friday, April 11

Field Auditorium, Grainger Hall – In Person – Friday, April 11

9:05 AM: Yufan Du, Keqin Su (BE-EE, EE-BE)

• A Deep Dive into Industrial Gas Project in the Voluntary Carbon Market
  • MP Advisor: Lincoln Pratson

9:30 AM: Fiona Bolte-Bradhurst, Li Li, Lauren Ng, Noah Price, Sydney Williams (CEEJ-EE, EE-EAM, BE-EE, BE/MBA, EE-EAM)

•  Critical Facilities Feasibility Study for Microgrid and Battery Storage Systems
  • MP Advisor: Lincoln Pratson

9:55 AM: Shubhangi Gupta, Justin Maynard, Aishwarya Patankar, Prisha Tiwari, Iddrisu Sharu Deen (EE-EAM, EAM-EE, EE-BE,EE-BE,EE-BE)

• Capacity Accreditation Reforms in US Wholesale Electricity Markets and their Implications for Battery Storage Assets
  • MP Advisor: Lincoln Pratson

10:20 AM: Keanu Valibia (EE-EAM/MPP)

• Master’s Project Abstract
  • MP Advisor: Shannon Parker

10:45 AM: Ellie Shang, Zhenling Zhang (EE-EEP, BE-EE)

• Regenerative Agriculture Solutions Analysis for TechnoServe
  • MP Advisor: Rebecca Vidra

11:10 AM: Jie Gao (EE-BE)

• Life Cycle Carbon Footprint Assessment of Solar Photovoltaic Systems in US and China
  • MP Advisor: Holly Emerson

11:35 AM: Justin DePue, Jordan Mullens (EEP/MBA, BE/MBA)

• Commercialization Study on Novel Soil Amendments for Agricultural Use as a Nature Based Solution
  • MP Advisor: Holly Emerson

Noon – 12:55 PM: Lunch outside of Field Auditorium

• Please join us for lunch on the first floor of Grainger Hall

1:00 PM: Rachel Pike (BE/MCRP)

• Navigating Rising Waters: Chronic Flooding and Migration Intentions in Eastern North Carolina
  • MP Advisor: Betsy Albright

1:25 PM: Isabela Delgado, Ruimeng Wang (BE-TFE, EEP-CaMS)

• Waste Management System Analysis at Heavenly Resort, CA
  • MP Advisor: Holly Emerson

1:50 PM: Irene Chang (BE/MBA)

• From Pledges to Progress: Implementing Company-Wide Sustainability Initiatives in the CPG Sector
  • MP Advisor: Holly Emerson

2:15 PM: Lizzie Olson, Vinny Whatley (BE-EE, EE-EAM)

• Safeguarding Summer Memories: Evaluating Energy Efficiency Retrofits for Slumber Falls Camp
  • MP Advisor: Holly Emerson

2:40 PM: Jared Yu (BE-EE/MBA)

• Achieving Net Zero in the Cement Industry
  • MP Advisor: Holly Emerson

3:30 PM: Avery Martin (BE)

• Regenerative Agriculture Solutions Analysis for TechnoServe
  • MP Advisor: Rebecca Vidra

2102, Grainger Hall – In Person – Friday, April 11

9:05 AM: Emma Beyer (CaMS-EAM)

• Characterizing the Extent of Harassment and Illegal Feeding of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Icacos and Palominos Cays, Fajardo, Puerto Rico
  • MP Advisor: Andy Read, Brianna Elliott

9:30 AM: Katelyn Tack (CaMS-EAM)

• Toward a Global Estimate of Cetacean Bycatch: Data Gaps and Future Needs
  • MP Advisor: Andy Read

9:55 AM: Alejandra Rios (CaMS-EAM)

• Master’s Project Abstract
  • MP Advisor: Andy Read, Dave Johnston

10:20 AM: Mike Landis (CaMS-CEEJ)

• Can Co-occurring Secondary Foundation Species Increase Restoration Success?
  • MP Advisor: Brian Silliman

10:45 AM: Jack Whisler (CaMS-EAM)

• River Otter Use of Coastal and Marine Ecosystems in Carteret County, North Carolina
  • MP Advisor: Brian Silliman

11:10 AM: Erin Ansbro (CaMS-EAM)

• Experimental Evaluation of Direct Air Capture CO₂for Marine Microalgae Cultivation
  • MP Advisor: Zackary Johnson

11:35 AM: Fiona Kelley (CaMS-EAM)

• Carbon Dioxide Capture & Conversion of Brewery Waste Stream for Microalgae (Nannochloropsis oceanica) Cultivation
  • MP Advisor: Zackary Johnson

Noon – 12:55 PM: Lunch outside of Field Auditorium

• Please join us for lunch on the first floor of Grainger Hall

1:00 PM: Tani Valdez Rivas (CaMS-EAM)

• Analyzing the Temporal Patterns of Pile-Driving at Vineyard Wind 1, Massachusetts
  • MP Advisor: Doug Nowacek

1:25 PM: Hayley Kaplan, Louisa Pitney (CaMS-CEEJ, CaMS-EEP)

• Assessing equity in the emerging U.S. Shellfish Aquaculture Industry
  • MP Advisor: Grant Murray

1:50 PM: Marissa Naclerio (CaMS-CEEJ)

• Rain Garden Co-Stewardship in Mérida, México: A case for community engagement in rain garden maintenance
  • MP Advisor: Grant Murray

2:15 PM: Christopher Watt (CaMS-EEP)

• My Bank is the Sea: Vanuatu Small-Scale Fisheries and Human Wellbeing
  • MP Advisor: Grant Murray

2:40 PM: Madison Wurst (CaMS-EEP)

• Whole genome scan of regional genetic variation in the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops spp.)
  • MP Advisor: Tom Schultz

3:30 PM: Allison Aplin (CaMS-EEP)

• Using Qualitative Comparative Analysis to Examine Linkages Between Stakeholder Involvement and Ecological Outcomes in Caribbean MPAs 
  • MP Advisor: David Gill

3:55 PM: Desa Bolger (CaMS-EAM)

• Peptide Pheromones, Exogenous Endoproteinases, and Egg Hatching: Barnacles and Pea Crabs
  • MP Advisor: Daniel Rittschoff

4:20 PM: Wentao Xue (CaMS-CEEJ)

• No Abstract Available
  • MP Advisor: Grant Murray

Art Gallery, Grainger Hall – In Person – Friday, April 11

9:05 AM: Spencer Hao (ENV-GWD)

• Comparing Different Scenario Reduction Techniques to Solve a Risk-Adjusted Two-Stage Stochastic Unit Commitment Problem for Power Systems with Long-Duration Storage Assets
  • GWD Advisor: Dalia Patino-Echeverri

9:30 AM: Sarah Porter (ENV-GWD)

• In the Wake of Disaster:  The Federal Emergency Management Agency and Environmental Justice in Natural Disaster Recovery
  • GWD Advisor: Lisa Campbell

9:55 AM: Chloe Brenner (ENV-GWD)

• Load Growth and Interconnection Policy Reform for Renewables in Virginia and Texas
  • GWD Advisor: Luana Lima

10:20 AM: Yujin Kim (ENV-GWD)

• GWD Abstract
  • GWD Advisor: Nicki Cagle

10:45 AM: Ava Leaphart (ENV-GWD)

• Mitochondrial sequence data reveal genetic distinctions among T. truncatus, T. erebennus, and a novel dolphin population
  • GWD Advisor: Tom Schultz

11:10 AM: Logan Evans (ENV-GWD)

• A Secondary Foundation Species, the Ribbed Mussel (Geukensia demissa), Impacts Facilitation and Predation in a Southeastern Salt Marsh Community
  • GWD Advisor: Brian SIlliman

11:35 AM: Tigerlily Kaynor (GWD Outside the Major)

• Optimizing Marsh Restoration: How Salinity, Fertilization, and Planting Patterns Influence Grass Survival
  • GWD Advisor: Brian Silliman

Noon – 12:55 PM: Lunch outside of Field Auditorium

• Please join us for lunch on the first floor of Grainger Hall

1:00 PM: Molly Honecker (MSC-GWD)

• Exploring Genome-Wide SNP Diversity and Differentiation of Eastern Oysters Across Geographic Scales in North Carolina
  • GWD Advisor: Tom Schultz

1:25 PM: Emma Sardy (GWD Outside the Major)

• Using Environmental DNA to Detect Cetaceans
  • GWD Advisor: Tom Schultz

1:50 PM: Sara Norton (MSC-GWD)

• Investigating the Effectiveness and Water Quality Impacts of Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) Restoration in Pamlico Sound
  • GWD Advisor: Jutliet Wong

2:15 PM: Arielle Solomon (MSC-GWD)

• Chatty Cheetahs? Analysis of Foraging and Acoustic Behavior of Short-Finned Pilot Whales
  • GWD Advisor: Andy Read

3:00 – 4:00 PM: GWD Poster Session in Hug Commons, LSRC

1111, Grainger Hall – In Person – Friday, April 11

9:30 AM: Zhuowen Yu (EEH-BE)

• Life Cycle Assessment of Moutai Classic: Carbon Footprint of a Chinese Sorghum-Based Liquor
  • MP Advisor: Dalia Patino-Echeverri

9:55 AM: Shuhan Wang (iMEP)

• Bridging the Gap: Exploring the Landscape Effects of Plantation Forestry on Biodiversity Conservation
  • MP Advisor: Binbin Li

10:20 AM: Roshan Khan (iMEP)

• The effect of China’s expanded ecological red lines on global soy and maize production, trade, and shifting land use
  • MP Advisor: Binbin Li

10:45 AM: Anna Cullen (EEH-EEP)

• PFAS Multimedia Human Exposure Assessment Near a Fluorochemical Facility in Fayetteville, NC
  • MP Advisor: Heather Stapleton

11:10 AM: Jazmine Pritchett (EAM-EEH/MCRP)

• Toxic Legacies: How Housing, Climate, and Redlining Influence Lead Exposure in Durham
  • MP Advisor: Kate Hoffman

11:35 AM: Steven Robert Rhein (iMEP)

• The Relationship Between Political Ideology and Mixed Waste Production of Households in the United States
  • MP Advisor: Jingbo Cui, Claudia Nisa

Noon – 12:55 PM: Lunch outside of Field Auditorium

• Please join us for lunch on the first floor of Grainger Hall

1:00 PM: Margaret Shoop (iMEP)

• Economic Optimization Framework for CCUS at Power Plants in the United States
  • MP Advisor: Wumeng He

1:25 PM: Huaicheng Mo (iMEP)

• The Nonlinear Effects of Urbanization on PM2.5 Pollution: An Empirical Study Based on Panel Data from Cities in China
  • MP Advisor: Wumeng He

1:50 PM: Jiangzhou Wang (iMEP)

• Migration Response to Rising Temperature in China
  • MP Advisor: Wumeng He

2:15 PM: Jiaer Pan (iMEP)

• Measuring the Effectiveness of China’s Mangrove Nature Reserves (MNRs)
  •  MP Advisor: Wumeng He

2:40 PM: Zuocheng Zhang (iMEP)

• Firm carbon emission, market premium, and transition risks in China: A Revisit of the Value and Values-based Investment
  • MP Advisor: Junjie Zhang

A158, LSRC – In Person – Friday, April 11

9:05 AM: Tullis Davis, Kat Taylor (EEP-TFE, EEP/MCRP)

• Strengthening Sovereignty and Resilience: Generating Land Management Tools for the Lumbee Tribe Cultural Center in North Carolina
  • MP Advisor: Ryan Emanuel

9:30 AM: Andrew Dominguez, Brynn Rotbart, Queenie Wei (EEP-CaMS, CEEJ-TFE, TFE-EAM)

• Understanding the Gender Dimension of Climate Change Vulnerability in Small-Scale Fisheries
  • MP Advisor: John Virdin

9:55 AM: Katie Maxwell, Jackson Ronald (EEP-EE, EEP-EE)

• WOTUS Over Time: An Examination of Potential Impacts on Wetlands/Streams over Different Definitions of Waters of the United States (WOTUS)
  • MP Advisor: Betsy Albright

10:20 AM: Malcom Gregory (EE/MPP)

• Advancing Transparency in Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data for Institutional Investors
  • MP Advisor: Betsy Albright

10:45 AM: Mary Peyton Brown (EEP/JD)

• Evaluation of Environmental Education for Coastal Faith Communities
  • MP Advisor: Noelle Wyman Roth

11:10 AM: Jinquan Ye, Zixuan Kang (iMEP)

• Evaluating the Quality of Climate Information Disclosure in Chinese Listed Companies
  • MP Advisor: Junjie Zhang

11:35 AM: Yixuan Zhou, Dilin Wang, Nan Gao, Jifan Cui (iMEP)

• The Quality Assessment of Carbon Disclosure in China Bank Industry Master’s
  • MP Advisor: Junjie Zhang

Noon – 12:55 PM: Lunch outside of Field Auditorium

• Please join us for lunch on the first floor of Grainger Hall

1:00 PM: Yinan Lu, Jinjin Yang, Xujia Zhong (iMEP)

• Global Circular Economy Status of Retired Traction Lithium-ion Batteries: Market, Policy, and Technological Gaps and Causes
  • MP Advisor: Kwang Leong Choy

1:25 PM: Zhenglong Xiao (iMEP)

• Global EV Transition Strategies:  Diverging Institutional Pathways in the U.S., EU, and China
  • MP Advisor: Jingbo Cui

1:50 PM: Jordan Haber (ESC/MCRP)

• Unlocking the Conservation Potential of Managed Timberlands Through Understanding Avian Community Dynamics
  • MP Advisor: Nicki Cagle

2:15 PM: Grace Chen, Sami Lam (CEEJ-TFE, CEEJ-EE)

• Assessing Resource Needs and Network Dynamics: A Comprehensive Analysis of DEEP Collaborative’s Community Partners in Durham and the Triangle
  • MP Advisor: Nicki Cagle

2:40 PM: Dima Zlenko (EEP/MBA)

• Leveraging Market-driven Environmental Protection
  • MP Advisor: Nicki Cagle

3:30 PM: Ellen Nirenblatt (TFE-EAM)

• Assessing Environmental Drivers of Mammal and Bird Visitations in the Northeastern Peruvian Amazon
  • MP Advisor: Nicki Cagle

3:55 PM: Kristine Lister (TFE-EEP)

• A Global Review of Marine Protected Area Financial Sustainability
  • MP Advisor: David Gill