Making Waves
All of our scholars spend the year working on their academic studies at their home institutions, but on the side, they are engaging in activities focused on building a more sustainable future - read more about what some are upto.
Aishah Brown
(George Mason University) - started the semester in Washington D.C. at a “https://www.fridaysforfuture.org” where she joined her peers (Greta Thunberg was in attendance) to advocate for change. She also started a new position with ISE (Institute for a Sustainable Earth) as an undergraduate research assistant for GMU. This position requires Aishah the do in-depth research on the GMU student population, to better understand the intersections of sustainability and resilience. Her hope is to help George Mason University achieve goals and targets for sustainable development on campus that benefit all students in that community, as well as improving ISE’s research and connection with the GMU community, Aishah also serves as the liaison for the 2020 VA and D.C. climate conference that GMU is hosting. And because that is not enough - she is paying it forward by being a mentor at an alternative high school in the Fairfax area to help inspire youth to be the best they can.
Alena Zhang
( Columbia University) - kicked off the new semester with a deeper interest in bringing greater attention to the linkages between finance and high-tech companies and their devastating ecological impacts. With the recognition that a large proportion of Columbia University students are funneled into these finance and tech companies, Alena is working to mobilize change on campus through independent research, campus-wide publications, and policy groups focused on Columbia's career center.
One of Alena’s highlights of the semester was appearing briefly on a Today Show segment featuring Daan Roosegaarde's, Waterlicht, an interactive light exhibit which imagines what ten feet of sea-level rise would look like. In her free time, Alena is enjoying Jia Tolentino's new book of essays, Trick Mirror, as well as Claudia Rankine's lyric novel, Citizen.
Anthony Erebor
(University of Michigan) - had a semester filled with new opportunities. Travel this past summer with GSS scholars has affirmed his interest in construction, history and sustainable development. This interest has led him to pursue coursework, possibly a minor, in civil and environmental engineering at Michigan. Currently, Anthony is working in the reading room of the Special Collections Library at the University of Michigan. Here, he is researching the archives of the Joseph A. Labadie Collection. This international collection documents social protest movements and political activity from the 19th century to present. Also, Anthony is part of a team to curate an exhibit on American house catalogs and home construction, 1910-1969. The exhibit aims to explore the social, technological, aesthetic and environmental impact of this business model. The material for the exhibit is from the University of Michigan Art and Architecture and Engineering Library Special Collections department. The exhibit title is forthcoming but is scheduled to be on display from March through May 2020 in the Stephen S. Clark Map Library in Ann Arbor Michigan.