C2R2 trainees come from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds. The program accepts a new cohort of trainees once a year.
Spring 2017 Cohort
Russell Archer
I was raised in Trinidad and Tobago before moving to the United States and currently reside in East Orange, NJ with my family. I completed my undergraduate degree in Structural Engineering at Princeton University in 2016 and decided to pursue a Master of Science in Structural Engineering at Rutgers University. The Coastal Climate Risk and Resilience program interests me because it aims to address the challenge climate change poses to coastal communities and encourages transdisciplinary collaboration. Developing strategies to mitigate the effects of intensified storm systems and sea level rise has always been of interest to me. I witnessed the devastating effects of Hurricane Sandy on New Jersey, as well as the threat other storms have posed around the United States and the globe. From a structural engineering standpoint, co-advised by Dr. Husam Najm and Dr. Jie Gong in the Civil Engineering department at Rutgers, I am researching methods to improve structural resilience to flooding and storm surges in coastal communities.
SJ Guterl
I am from New Jersey and worked in various industries while pursuing a BA and MS in Statistics at Rutgers University. After working as a biostatistical research assistant I returned to Rutgers to pursue a PhD in Environmental Science and spatial analysis as I wanted to further explore my interest in monitoring coastal resiliency. Broadly, I am interested in studying environmental monitoring, the impact of climate change in coastal areas, data analysis and remote sensing. Even though I work mostly in-silico, I am passionate about outdoor activities, travelling, animals and music.
Kristen Joyse
My background is in geosciences, particularly in physical earth systems and climate dynamics. I received my B.S. in Geology from the University of Arizona in 2015, and I am currently a M.S. candidate in the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department of Rutgers University. The projects I am currently working on include creating a database of paleostorm records from cores taken in backbarrier environments along the Atlantic coast of the United States. Additionally, I have been working on using a spatio-temporal empirical hierarchical model to analyze multiproxy relative sea level data from the Western Mediterranean. My interests in coastal climate risk and resilience lie within how coastal states, such as New Jersey, will mitigate and adapt to climate change and rising sea levels at the community and government levels. I am also interested in policy development by state and the federal governments that will aid these coastal communities in preparing for climate change.
Stephanie Kealy
I grew up in New Jersey before leaving to earn my BA in geology at Mount Holyoke College. I returned to New Jersey and am now a Master’s student in the Ecology and Evolution department working with Dr. Rebecca Jordan. My main research interest is in studying science learning, specifically climate change education and how decision-makers understand climate change science research.
Johnny Quispe
I am a second year Ph.D. student in Graduate Program of Ecology and Evolution at Rutgers-New Brunswick, advised by Dr. Jean Marie Hartman. I was born and raised in Union City, NJ and currently reside in Highland Park, NJ. My interest in complex problems such as the interaction of economic value, ecological function, and social/cultural values has led me to study coastal wetland functions and values.
I attended Rutgers- New Brunswick for my undergraduate and completed my Bachelors of Science in International Environmental Policy, Institutions, and Behaviors. I then focused on environmental issues in New Jersey by working on conservation, preservation, restoration, and remediation sites across the state. I worked on achieving holistic remediations for federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA/Superfund) and state Site Remediation Program (SRP) sites through advocacy, technical research, public engagement, and education. During my extensive work and volunteer experiences, I have worked with and for nonprofit, public, private, and academic sectors.
My recent research experience has included marsh and bog restorations, Environmental Resource Inventories, watershed and water quality protection, Geographic Information Systems analyses (GIS), and several other projects. This past year I has interned at New Jersey’s Department of State in the Office of the Lieutenant Governor and am currently at USEPA Region II’s office of Emergency Response and Remediation Division (ERRD) as part of my Eagleton Fellowship.
Through my C2R2 work, I hope to investigate the interconnectedness of coastal systems and use my knowledge and experience towards the creation of science and policy that will protect people, cities, towns, infrastructure, coastal habitats, and the species which utilize them.
Fall 2017 Cohort
Holly Berman
As a first year PhD student in the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy with a concentration in Human Dimensions of Environmental Change, my research interests focus on the social dimensions of resource consumption and climate change. I am a graduate research assistant in the Department of Human Ecology, involved with a National Science Foundation Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy, and Water funded interdisciplinary research project, “Reducing Household Food, Energy, and Water Consumption: A Quantitative Analysis of Interventions and Impacts of Conservation”.
I received a B.S. from Rutgers in Environmental Policy, Institutions, and Behavior, and shortly after graduating started my professional career as a program coordinator for the Rutgers Arts & Sciences Institutional Review Board. I look forward to the transdisciplinary aspects of the Coastal Climate Risk and Resilience traineeship that will support my social science research interests while facilitating collaboration with various academic disciplines and diverse groups of stakeholders.
Zoe Kitchel
Growing up in Maine, I quickly became fascinated by the ocean systems in my backyard. After graduating with a BS in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Yale College, I spent two years in coastal Alaska working for the University of Alaska. Working alongside researchers and fishermen, I became even more excited to pursue a career in marine science, specifically related to the intersections between humans and the ocean. I am now a PhD student in the Ecology and Evolution department working with Dr. Malin Pinsky. I plan to study the influence of changing climate patterns on the distribution of fishes, in addition to the impact of these changes on coastal communities.
Jonathan Miller
I was born and raised in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania before leaving to earn a B.A. in geology at Colgate University. I am now enrolled as a Master’s student in the Oceanography Department of Rutgers University. My primary research interests involve nearshore processes and the way sediment transport influences geomorphology and stability in coastal areas. I am excited to have the opportunity to be a part of the Coastal Climate Risk and Resiliency program because it will facilitate a more interdisciplinary approach to my studies, which I believe is critical to developing practical solutions to the complex problems of the natural world we face today.
Monica Norton
Born and raised in New Jersey, I ventured to Beloit College in Wisconsin where I obtained a B.S. degree in Geology in 2015. In 2014, I spent half a year studying climate change, geologic hazards, and engineering geology abroad in Norway. Since graduating from Beloit, I have returned to New Jersey and have been working in the environmental consulting industry. I have decided to pursue a graduate degree in Geological Sciences at Rutgers University. I hope to continue exploring my interests in hydrogeology and the implications of climate change. Through the C2R2 program, I hope to widen my perspective on the various disciplines involved in examining the impacts of climate change on coastal environments and societies, especially the impacts along the coastline of my home state.
Aaron Potkay
Though born and raised in Virginia, I have spent most of my summers at the New Jersey shore where I first learned to appreciate water, sediment, and soil. My background is in civil engineering, but I am moving on to the geosciences for my doctoral research. I completed my undergraduate degree in civil engineering at Virginia Tech in 2015 where I was most interested in groundwater hydrology and soil mechanics. Earlier this year, I completed my master’s degree in geotechnical engineering at the University of Texas at Austin where I researched unsaturated soil mechanics of expansive clays. This fall, I will be a PhD student working with Ying Fan Reinfelder in the Earth and Planetary Sciences department with whom I will be improving the hydrological realness of the Community Land Model.
Alana Rader
After growing up in landlocked Boise, ID I have always been drawn to the coast. I received a B.S. and M.S. in Physical Geography from the University of Victoria, where my research focused on coastal erosion and vegetation restoration. In general, I take great interest in the feedback between coastal geomorphology, plant ecology and human land use decisions. As a PhD student in the Rutgers Department of Geography, Land Change Research Group, my work aims to create a spatial model to quantitatively assess the resilience of coastal landscapes to high intensity storm events and ecosystem disturbance. Through transdisciplinary collaboration and lessons in science communication, the Coastal Climate Risk and Resilience program will help me adapt my research to real world landscape planning scenarios.
Prarthana Raja
I am a first year Ph.D. student in The Graduate School of Engineering. I was born and raised in India. After completing my undergraduate degree in Architecture I moved to the United States to pursue my master in Engineering here at Rutgers. At Rutgers I worked on various GIS (Geographical Information System) mapping and LiDAR to BIM (Building Information Modeling) projects. My masters research involved the integration of a sample Building Information Model to the surrounding Geographic Information System in order to simulate real life scenarios involving indoor air quality, indoor noise level, and fastest fire exit routes. After working in the private sector, I understand the diverse application potentials of this technology. Since this technology is still at an early stage, I would like to continue my research in this field to explore its full potential. I hope to combine my knowledge in architecture and engineering to develop cohesive solutions for coastal climatic changes.
Caio Reis Costa Mattos
I am from Brazil and I received a B.S. in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering from the Universidade Federal Fluminense in 2017. I’m currently a PhD student in the Geological Sciences program working with Dr Ying Fan Reinfelder on a project relating hydrology and biodiversity in the Amazon. Coming from a very multidisciplinary background in engineering, I have broad interests that range from large and small-scale hydrology to environmental sanitation and engineered solutions to environmental impacts of climate change.
Sara Wengrowski
I received a B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Rutgers University, and am continuing my studies at Rutgers University in the Civil Engineering Department with Dr. Jie Gong. I was inspired to pursue a Master¹s degree relating to Coastal Climate Change Risk and Resiliency after my hometown, Toms River, New Jersey, was devastated by Superstorm Sandy in October of 2012. The C2R2 Program provides trainees with an opportunity to create a more resilient built-environment and skills to communicate important research with political figures and the public.
Tracy Youngster
I grew up in New Jersey and I received a B.A. in Biological Sciences at Rutgers University in 2011. After graduation, I worked at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA for three years as a research assistant for a sustainable aquaculture project where my main focus was to develop a sustainable tilapia feed using plant-based ingredients available in Haiti. After witnessing devastating effects of soil erosion during my frequent trips to Haiti, I developed a strong interest in learning more about soil systems. I returned to graduate school in 2014 and completed my M.S. degree in Soil Science at Cornell University in 2017 where I focused on soil microbiology. I am now back at Rutgers and starting a PhD program in the department of Ecology and Evolution to gain a deeper knowledge of soil microbial ecology and plan to investigate plant-microbe interactions of various NJ coastal plant species.