Sydney Lewis
I’m a third year student at Arizona State University. I study biology with a focus in ecology and conservation biology. As a SURE research fellow, I’m studying the trade-offs and management of a mining case near Grand Canyon National Park. I chose this topic because I’m really interested in mining and I believe it’s crucial to address trade-offs in the energy sector to ensure a sustainable energy transformation. After I graduate, I plan to attend law school and pursue a career in environmental law.
Emmalyn Meyer
I am a second-year student studying Business and Public Policy with a minor in Sustainability at ASU. I joined the SURE program to become a more effective researcher and I joined this project in particular because of my interest in environmental policy. I have learned so much about uranium mining and the legal process through this project and I feel that my work has the potential to make an impact, which means a lot to me. Being able to examine a current issue and its trade-offs in this depth has been a fascinating experience!
Katie Spreitzer
I am a junior studying Sustainability at Arizona State University. I am currently at Barrett, the Honors College, and I am very passionate about energy systems like renewable energy and agrivoltaics, social relationships around equity and justice, and how policy impacts sustainability initiatives. Upon learning about the trade-offs occurring at Chaco Canyon National Park, I became intrigued by the conflict between the two tribes and their reasoning in supporting their own agendas. I believe that policies have the ultimate say when addressing challenging social conflicts. Therefore, speaking with stakeholders, understanding their points of view, and making informed decisions from that is my foremost goal.
Tai Kondo Koester
I am a MA student in the School of Geography, Development and Environment at the University of Arizona. My research draws from political ecology and Indigenous geographies to study environmental politics in the US West. Specifically, I am interested in understanding the myriad of ways the energy transition is affecting tribal communities in the United States, particularly those endowed with significant natural resource reserves. My past work has examined how public lands are characterized by a constant tension between extraction and conservation, a duality made possible by Indigenous dispossession.
Jessica Simon
Dr. Kellner’s research immediately grabbed my attention when searching for a lab to join. My interest in US national parks was the first factor that excited me. Since moving to Arizona from the Midwest I have been lucky enough to visit several of the parks and experience their otherworldly views and sights. The exposure to the parks as a tourist was so incredibly impactful for me. I knew if there was ever an opportunity to help better that experience in even a minute way for others, I had to take it. Dr. Kellner’s lab has given me that chance. With each day spent in the lab and hour spent researching I gain a greater appreciation for the complexities of trade-off situations involved within decision making. There is no doubt in my mind the lessons I learned from Dr. Kellner during my brief time spent at the lab will stick with me throughout my future career and beyond.
Kyleigh Brown
While I grew up in rural Ohio I now find myself studying Sustainability and Political Science here at Arizona State University. I strive to improve sustainability education within our communities to bring the mindfulness and competency needed to build resiliency. Challenging and rebuilding current economic, political and social infrastructure is where I focus my research. I take on many roles in the undergraduate community involved in ChangeMaker Central, Volunteers in Community Outreach (VICO), the Sustainability Alliance and undergraduate research. In my free time, I enjoy practicing my Spanish, connecting with others, exploring new places and taking advantage of the wealth of knowledge within my surroundings.
Brian F. O’Neill, PhD (he/him)
Brian F. O’Neill is a sociologist and postdoctoral research scholar in the College of Global Futures and the School of Ocean Futures at Arizona State University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2022. He is the founder of the Sustainability, Equity, Action Lab. His research often draws from engagements with the intellectual traditions of environmental sociology, political ecology, and political economy. The underlying question motivating much of his empirical work is: what is the nature of the recent, intense interest in “green” practices invoked by climate adaptation strategies? In problematizing existing adaptation efforts, he has explored issues of environmental injustices, public opinion, and social inequalities in policymaking at the nexus of the water and energy sectors(e.g., rivers and dams, desalination, fisheries, wind, and natural gas), using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Most recently, his work has focused on the intersections of climate and ocean policies as they illuminate significant trends in the future of labor, political economy, and competing conceptions of sustainability. Brian’s activities are indicative of his commitment to scholarship that requires engagement across diverse publics, that is, with the academic community, but also those in power to make decisions about our future, and those who may not (yet) have a seat at the table. His research has been published in various venues, including Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space, Capitalism,Nature, Socialism, The Sociological Quarterly, Human Geography, Visual Studies, the Journal of World-systems Research and more. Personal website: https://www.brianfoneill.net