I am a statistician whose research involves methodological development, and is based largely on motivation from questions in the social sciences, social epidemiology and environmetrics.
My recent work is on statistical models for social networks, network inference, the development of statistical methodology for the collection and analysis of social network data, surveying of hard-to-reach populations, spatial processes and demography.
Jamie Liu is a writer, climate resilience planner, climate activism volunteer and alumna of the UCLA Environmental Science undergraduate program (’18).
Liu recently received the first-place prize in the 2024 Grist climate fiction initiative, Imagine 2200. This initiative invites writers worldwide to envision the next 180 years of climate progress, featuring stories of innovative climate solutions and community-centered adaptations. In 2024, the contest received 1,050 submissions.
Liu’s winning story, To Labor for the Hive is about how a beekeeper finds a new sense of purpose, community, and love after helping to develop a warning system for floods.
Liu was born and raised in the San Gabriel Valley, California and currently lives in New York City.
Experienced Anglo-American writer reporter and Editor In Chief with a demonstrated history of working in the media production industry at a global level. Skilled in Breaking News, Digital Editing, Journalism, and Mentoring. Strong media and communication professional who studied at Oxford and UCLA.
Kelly Noonan Gores has been working in entertainment since she was seven years old. In 2012, she transitioned from acting and started Elevative Entertainment with the intention to create conscious media that informs, empowers, and inspires. She is the writer, director, and producer of the 2017 award-winning feature-length documentary Heal, and, due to the film’s popularity, wrote a companion book. To continue the conversation around healing, consciousness, and personal transformation, she founded and hosts The HEAL Podcast. She is a mother, a seeker, a meditator, and loves to read, write, play sports, travel, and spend time in nature.
Adam Millard-Ball is Professor of Urban Planning at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. His research and teaching are about transportation, the environment, and urban data science. Trained as an economist, a geographer, and an urban planner, he analyzes the environmental consequences of transportation and land-use decisions, and the effectiveness of policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. His research uses large-scale geospatial data analysis as well as econometric and qualitative methods.
Mara Elana Burstein has nearly 20 years of experience working on climate change, energy, and air quality issues. She is the founder and CEO of Natural Resource Strategies (NRS), an environmental consulting firm providing clients with strategy, management, policy, and communications support. NRS assists the Luskin Center for Innovation by helping finalize reports, strategically sharing research results, and anything else needed.
Previously, Mara was the deputy director of the environmental health department for the City of Albuquerque – responsible for meeting federal clean air standards locally. Mara has also served as an environmental policy advisor for the Southern California Gas Company and as a program manager for Environment Now, a private family foundation.
Mara has a master of public administration in environmental science & policy from Columbia University’s School of International & Public Affairs. She received her undergraduate degree in environmental studies from Willamette University.
Mara is also a working artist based in New Mexico.
Isabella Arzeno-Soltero’s research spans a wide array of topics, all rooted in the concept of coastal resilience. For example, she investigates the impact of seaweed on coastal hydrodynamics (dispersion, transport, and mixing) and explores innovative strategies for utilizing seaweed to improve the well-being of communities. This includes initiatives like employing seaweed for bioremediation, ultimately mitigating the formation of coastal hypoxic zones that affect both community and ecological health.
Arzeno-Soltero’s research methodology primarily centers around observational approaches, making use of techniques such as scientific diving for instrument deployment. However, she also incorporates numerical modeling in her investigations. Arzeno-Soltero cultivates close collaborations with scholars from diverse disciplines to gain a comprehensive understanding of integrated socio-environmental systems, and she places a strong emphasis on active engagement with local communities.
I am a PhD student who uses Geophysical Fluid Dynamics and model simulations to understand physical oceanography. My current focus is on the weather in the ocean — mesoscale energy, which is an essential component of the large-scale ocean circulation. I hold a bachelor’s degree in Earth Science and a master’s degree in Oceanic Sciences with honors from Taiwan.
My previous scientific work centered on physical coastal dynamics and unmanned drone measurement in the coastal shoreline. Particular projects include wave-energy dissipation during the shoaling process; LIDAR-based drone development and measurement; and coastline management based on morphology monitoring. In addition, I was involved in community outreach, contributing to the preservation of Stone Tidal Weirs cultural heritage; and participating in the University Social Responsibility (USR) Program.
We study the function and organization of sensory systems in a diverse range of vertebrates using molecular, electrophysiological, and behavioral techniques. This research has included examining somatosensory representation in a wide range of non-traditional mammals (e.g., naked mole rats, shrews, moles) and reptiles (e.g., crocodilians and snakes). Other projects involve the identification of molecular contributors to sensory cells, including those used by aquatic organisms (elasmobranchs, teleost fishes, and amphibians) to detect the faint electric fields from predators and prey (electroreception). This research is united by a desire to understand the basic principles of brain organization and function by adopting a comparative and evolutionary perspective.
Education
Chris Sayers is a Ph.D. student at the University of California, Los Angeles, specializing in bird conservation biology and ecotoxicology. In the Tingley Lab at the university, Chris is often referred to as an ‘ecotoxic-ornithologist.’
With a broad interest in understanding how human activities affect biodiversity, Sayers focuses on environmental pollution, which is often overlooked as a significant stressor with fatal implications for wildlife. He is dedicated to unraveling the ways in which pollution influences various aspects of species’ lives, such as their behavior, migratory success, reproduction, and overall survival. His primary goal is to provide valuable insights to inform conservation agendas and actions.
Sayers’ research primarily delves into the impacts of gold mining on tropical bird communities. He investigates the multifaceted consequences of this activity, including land-use change, mercury pollution, malaria transmission, and overexploitation, to better comprehend the challenges faced by these avian populations in the ever-changing world.
Sayers received his BSc from Cornell University in 2020.