HUCE offered research grants to 27 undergraduate students this past summer, all of whom reported fulfilling experiences and conducted impressive research
by HUCE Communications
The Harvard University Center for the Environment (HUCE) offered 27 awards for independent research and research assistantships with Harvard faculty to undergraduate concentrators in chemistry, environmental and mechanical engineering, computer science, human evolutionary biology, Earth and planetary sciences, government, integrative biology, statistics, mathematics, economics, and environmental science and public policy. The students researched a wide array of topics, all of which focused on finding solutions to the many facets and issues surrounding climate change. While this past summer’s work happened remotely in most cases due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the students were nevertheless able to make meaningful connections and pursue projects that directly contributed to their thesis projects and progress toward their degrees. Several students have even continued working with their faculty mentors during this academic year. Highlighted below are six students whose summer experiences showcase the wide variety of research opportunities that the program offers to our undergraduates.
Natural Premier, ‘24, worked with Professors Elsie Sunderland and Steve Wofsy on a project focused on air quality in the most popular Washington, DC metro stations. Natural made extensive use of air quality measurement tools and R statistical software to investigate whether underground stations had a higher concentration of harmful air particles than above ground stations. His findings suggest that metro riders may be at risk after long term exposure to too many fine particles in the underground metro system. Natural found his summer research experience to be both enjoyable and rewarding, noting that his coding and general data analysis skills have improved, and he looks forward to constructing new environmental health projects in the future.
Alessio Pignatelli, ‘23, partnered with Professor Caitlin O’Connell to study why it is typical for female—but not male—elephants to coordinate departure from waterholes via “let’s go” bouts, a series of vocalizations usually initiated by a rumble from the dominant individual and followed by rumbles from other individuals. Prior to this study, the males were not known to have a similar mechanism, but through this research, Alessio learned that male elephants do, in fact, have a system of “let’s go” calls. The extent of such a phenomenon is a good indicator of the degree of association of the group and a good indicator that elephants should be able to tell each other’s voices apart. This research will prove to be valuable at a time when elephant conservationists are looking to animal behavior studies to inform policy decisions to protect elephant populations. Alessio had such a positive experience working with Professor O’Connell that the two have continued working together at Mass. Eye and Ear this academic year.
Layla Seaver, ‘24, worked on a team project led by Professor Diane Davis which aims to look at water scarcity in the Apan region of Mexico. Layla was part of the governance team, and her work was split into four categories: industrial water saving practices; industry accountability and pro-transparency practices; community-industry relations practices; and economic instruments for change in industry. Layla’s participation in the project taught her how environmental engineering could be combined with project management to create meaningful contributions to tackling global environmental challenges.
Kate Downey, ‘24, worked with Professor Tina Duhaime at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) to lay the groundwork for the hospital’s new environmental center. Kate researched the structure of environmental initiatives in comparable hospitals to determine which goals they should set for MGH. The rest of her summer was spent helping Professor Duhaime and her team achieve these goals. Kate reported that she learned a variety of new skills through this project and that she is grateful for the opportunity.
John Ferguson, ‘22, hosted by Professor William Alford, spent the summer researching the potential of a technology called UHVDC—ultra-high voltage direct current—largely developed and commercialized by China’s dominant state-owned utility company, State Grid Corporation of China. The research culminated in a final report in which he outlined the three most noteworthy findings that inform his larger senior capstone project on the United States, China, and climate change. This summer research also helped solidify John’s goals to eventually work on climate foreign policy with a focus on China. John is appreciative of the opportunity this grant provided and for the wonderful experience he had working with Professor Alford.
Maggie Vallejo, ‘23, worked with Loretta Mickley to quantify which indigenous territories may be impacted by high levels of PM2.5 concentration in South America. According to the World Health Organization, the 24-hour daily mean is 25 μgm-3. Maggie’s findings concluded that exposure to high amounts of PM2.5 makes the Guarayos territory vulnerable to cardiovascular diseases at a disproportionate rate during the dry season. According to Human Rights Watch, many indigenous communities live far away from hospitals, which increases their risk for health issues. Thus, more research needs to be done on indigenous territories since they may be exposed to large amounts of PM2.5 which is detrimental to their health. Maggie plans to draw on this experience starts experience starts thinking about her capstone project.
We highly encourage those interested to visit the program page on our website to learn more about the HUCE Summer Undergraduate Research Fund and to explore the projects that the other 21 remarkable students worked on this past summer. HUCE gratefully acknowledges the late Bertram Cohn and his family for their generous support of the Summer Undergraduate Research Fund, which allows the Center to provide these extraordinary opportunities for our undergraduate students.