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Research - Group Projects

Group Projects

The Group Project is one aspect of the Bren School that sets it apart from other environmental programs. Serving as the master's thesis, the Group Project begins during the spring quarter of the first year of study and lasts three quarters, ending in Winter quarter of the second year. Students join one of 15 groups, each comprising four to six MESM students who work as a team to solve a real-world environmental problem, with the guidance of a faculty advisor. The experience culminates with every group making a final oral and poster presentation to the Bren community, Group Project stakeholders, and local environmental professionals.

The goals of the Group Project are:

  • To prepare students for professional careers by providing them with training and experience in multidisciplinary real-world environmental problem-solving
  • To provide a mechanism for students to apply their technical expertise in solving complex environmental problems
  • To provide training in the management of group dynamics

In addition, the Group Project is an exciting and valuable opportunity for agencies, firms, and individuals seeking a solution to an environmental challenge to have a group of talented master's students tackle the problem and make professional-level recommendations.

For more information on the Group Projects, please contact Amy Burgard, Academic Programs & Group Project Coordinator, at projects@bren.ucsb.edu.

For more information on submitting a Project Proposal, click here.

Past Group Projects (1998-2009)

 

  Current Group Projects - MESM 2010

Click here to join "bren-vites" and automatically receive an invitation to the 2011 Group Project Final Presentation event.

                                                                                                

TITLE STUDENTS FACULTY ADVISOR PROPOSER(S) CLIENT

Permanent River Protection Strategies in China

 

CHINARIVERS website                     contact

Freiberg, Matthew
Jacobsen, Hanna
Leclair, Lydia
Wilburton, Carly
Bob Wilkinson Michael Gheleta
Kristen McDonald

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP

China Rivers Project

Synergistic commercial and industrial energy and water conservation strategies 

 

SYNERGY website                          contact

Nichols, Sarah
Pearlman, Isaac
Sampson, Gabriel
Showers, Jasmine
Turner, Randy
Arturo Keller Arturo Keller
Randy Turner

Southern California Edison

Zero Waste Strategies for Gills Onions - Sustainable Innovation and Waste Management

ONIONS website                            contact

French,LeeAnne
Hamman, Laura
Katz, Stacy
Kozaki, Yuji
James Frew Nikki Rodoni Gills Onions

Development of a Standard Tool to Measure the Economic Footprint of Footwear    

FOOTPRINT website                        contact

Arcenas, Ariana
Holst, Julie
Ono, Takuma
Valdin, Matt
Sarah Anderson Mark Fegley Deckers Outdoor Corporation

Development of conceptual models and ecological baselines to support monitoring and adaptive management of Tejon Ranch, California

TEJON website                               contact

Appelbaum, Jonathan
Brown, Erin
Forsyth, Shaina
Kashiwase, Lisa
Murray, Dana
Frank Davis Michael White Tejon Ranch Conservancy

Optimal Design and Management of a Commercial Fishing Cooperative for the San Miguel Island Red Abalone Fishery                

ABALONE website                            contact

Bor, Kristen
Hodges, Heather
Jacobs, Ariel
Ovando, Dan
Uecker, Josh
Chris Costello Kristen Bor
Dan Ovando
California Abalone Association

Assessing Fire Regime Change in the Santa Monica Mountains under Climate Change Scenarios: Policy and Management Implications                                                        

SAMO website                                contact

Anderson, Adam
Koh, Kyung
Schaffer-Smith, Danica
Shapiro, Erin
Su, Wendy

Kendall/Tague

Marti Witter
Wendy Su

 

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area

Patagonia’s Water Footprint                                 

 

PATAGONIA website                        contact

Bass, Lindsay
Close, Ainsley
Nuding, Amelia
Tam, Loretta
Young, Daniel
Tom Dunne Amelia Nuding Patagonia

Environmental Risk and Emerging Regulation in the Nanomaterials Sector: A 2009 Inventory and Survey of Industry Perceptions and Practices

NANO website                                contact

Baumgartner, Lynn
Carr, Benjamin
Fish, Allison
Meyerhofer, John
Patricia Holden Barbara Herr Harthorn

Center for Nanotechnology in Society at UCSB (CNS-UCSB) UC Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (UC CEIN)

Tracing seafood sources: a pressing technical challenge for the seafood industry

 

SEAFOOD website                          contact

Gibbon, James
Hastings, Connor
Hirsch, Tucker
Hislop, Kristen
Stevens, Eric
Hunter Lenihan Kim Salkoe Monterey Bay Aquarium (Sustainable Seafood Initiative)

Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategies for California Communities

 

AECOM website                             contact

Conrardy, Michael
Feiger, Gavin
King, Allison
Sobel, Aaron
Whittet, Justin     
Oran Young AECOM Environment AECOM Environment

Integrating Urban Green space into Downtown Los Angeles

GREENLA website                          contact

Morgan, Theresa
Riley, Kathryn
Tannebring, Rebecca
Veldhuis, Leanne
Christina Tague

Kathryn Riley
Rebecca Tannebring

 

Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council

Enhancing Business Operations and Scientific Capacity of Loreto Baykeeper in Baja California Sur, Mexico

 

BAJA website                               contact

Holl, Gabriela
Meeker, Lara
Paez, Catrina
Soto, Grizelda
Vercruse, Robin
Catherine Ramus

Catrina Paez
Kristian Beadle

 

Waterkeeper Alliance

Eco-Entrepreneurship: Marketainer, Closed-Loop Packaging Solution                       

MARKETAINER website                   contact

Cowan, Rori
Edingfield, Hylton
Tannenbaum, Kathryn
Vytla, Priya
Roland Geyer Hylton Edingfield
Takuma Ono
Matt Valdin
Isla Vista Food Cooperative

Eco-Entrepreneurship: Creation of Pajaro Water Solutions LLC to Provide Innovative Water Resource Management Strategies to the Pajaro River Watershed

PWS website                                contact

Carlson, Zoe
Crocker, Daniel
Solis, Sara
Speers, Alexandra
Young, Matthew
Gary Libecap Zoe Carlson Stakeholders in Pajaro River Watershed

Eco-Entrepreneurship: Energy Rubix: Developing a Business Plan for a Consulting/Brokerage Firm that couples Energy Efficiency Methodologies and Photovoltaic Installation

ENERGYRUBIX website                    contact

Halabi, Linda
Lamartin, Andrea
Lin, Anna
Rohloff, Adam
Wdowin, Aaron
James Frew Adam Rohloff
Aaron Wdowin