Graduate Scholar Recipients

Jean-Michel Beaudoin Charles Milling
Lu-Ming Chen Julie MacArthur
Chingwen Cheng Alejandra Villalobos Meléndez
Marcus Ogwu Edino Alex Opoku
David Goldsmith Lori Sparrow
Rachel Hanisch Wil V. Srubar III
Reny Herlindah Lacey Willmott
Mariaelena Huambachano

Graduate Scholar Winners

Jean-Michel Beaudoin
BeaudoinJean-Michel Beaudoin is a PhD student at the Department of Forest Resources Management at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver. He is holder of the Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Doctoral Scholarships from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. He received his Bachelor of Applied Science in forest resources management from Laval University in Quebec City in 2007. He received his Master of Science in Forestry from Laval University in 2009. He is also a forest engineer in the province of Quebec.

Mr Beaudoin was part of a research program on Quebec’s forest entrepreneurs. The program gained a better understanding of who forest entrepreneurs are, how to help them become more efficient, and how to improve their businesses. His Master was part of the program and he studied the development of Aboriginal business in the Ilnu community of Mashteuiatsh.

His doctoral research at UBC focuses on the process of economic development of forest resources by Aboriginal communities. More specifically, the goal of the research is to understand how they engage in 1) the development of the vision and strategic plan and 2) the assessment of the conditions required for successful business development. His research will give an opportunity chance to Aboriginal communities to think strategically about what they want to accomplish in the forestry sector and how to best get there. The study is part of a research partnership developed among Canadian and US academic, governments, the forest industry and several Aboriginal communities and organizations from British Columbia and Quebec.

Mr Beaudoin made several academic contributions. He published articles in The Forestry Chronicle, the International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, and the Entrepreneurial Practice Review and a chapter in The Handbook of Research on Entrepreneurship in Agriculture and Rural Development. He also made conferences at the Canadian Council of Small Business and Enterprise (CCSBE) Annual Conference and the International Entrepreneurship Research Exchange in Australia. Noteworthy, Mr Beaudoin was awarded the “3rd Best Paper” at 25th Canadian Council of Small Business and Enterprise Annual Conference in 2009.

Mr Beaudoin sincerely hopes that, through his work, he will contribute to building the capacity and longer-term vision of Aboriginal research.


Lu-Ming Chen
DSCN3010Lu-Ming is a PhD candidate in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). He has also been working with the Division of Illinois State Geological Survey of Prairie Research Institute of UIUC on projects and his PhD research. Advised by Dr. Melissa Chou, his research focuses on utilizing materials from energy generation processes as green building materials. It is a topic with energy process, sustainability and utilization. The objects include material characterizations, formulae designation, final product engineering property evaluations, and its environmental assessment. He is also interested in digging the energy saving potential with the innovate construction products. He is looking for a position where he can extend his research on turning waste to Earth wealth. Lu-Ming earned his Master degree in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology, and a Bachelor degree from the National Taiwan University.

Chingwen Cheng
Chingwen_ChengChingwen Cheng is dedicated to sustainable development and practices in her career as well as her life philosophy. During her consulting experiences as a registered landscape architect and LEED Accredited Professional for seven years in the United States, she was involved in several watershed planning and stormwater best management practices in addition to land use and community planning. In search for the resolution of wicked problems in the complex human-nature dynamic, she decided to pursue her PhD in regional planning. Her research interests include water resources management, scenario planning, green infrastructure, sustainability, resilience, and climate change. She believes that each one of us can make a difference in one’s own way for enhancing humanity and improving our environment toward sustainability and world peace. She is also convinced that education and research serve as the foundation toward sustainability. Ms. Cheng obtained her Master in Landscape Architecture at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor and a Bachelor of Science in Horticulture with a concentration in landscape architecture from the National Taiwan University.

Marcus Ogwu Edino
Marcus-O-EdinoMarcus Ogwu Edino is a PhD Research student at the Glasgow Caledonian University with the School of Engineering and Built Environment. He obtained an MSc in Energy and Environmental Management at the same institution in 2008 and won the VALPAK prize for the best graduating student before commencing his research. He is also a recipient of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund overseas scholarship of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Prior to this, Edino obtained his MTech in Geography with Environmental Pollution and Waste Management from the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria in 2007 as well as a BSc in Geography (second class upper division) from the University of Jos, Nigeria. He was a runner-up in the British Council’s International Students’ Shine Awards in 2011. He was also named one of the 30 most outstanding Black students in Britain in 2010. His current research centres on the creation of an environment that promotes sustainable communities. This concerns understanding the linkages between and among stakeholders in communities and how these would foster sustainable living through effective partnerships in decision making for the good of host communities and oil companies. Edino is also interested in environmental and social justice, environmental management and sustainable development, health and safety, and renewable energy. He has published in reputable academic journals and also delivered papers at international conferences at Harvard University – USA, the American University of Rome – Italy and others. Edino currently teaches Environmental Policy and Legislation at the Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, United Kingdom.

David Goldsmith
David-GoldsmithDavid Goldsmith is a Ph.D. candidate in the M.E. Rinker Sr. School of Building Construction in the College of Design, Construction, and Planning, at the University of Florida. His research focuses on planning for sustainable development and the decision-making models used in the design and construction process. David’s professional background is in commercial and institutional construction management, entrepreneurship, and geotechnical field surveying. David’s graduation date is May 2012 and he is planning on pursuing a career in academia.

Rachel Hanisch
RachelHanischRachel Hanisch is currently a PhD Candidate in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Washington School of Public Health. Her current dissertation research focuses on the epidemiology of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and development of cervical cancer among women from Senegal, West Africa. Rachel received a Master of Public Health degree from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

As part of her doctoral studies, Rachel conducted research in Dakar, Senegal where she was able to observe the contributions of a hospital micro-garden to improved and sustainable nutritional access for patients hospitalized with infectious disease-related conditions.

Her general research interests include global health disparities, cancer screening and prevention, women’s health, and infectious disease epidemiology. Rachel’s ultimate career objective is to contribute to sustainable international community health improvement, and wishes to pursue this objective as a public health advocate, teacher, and researcher.


Reny Herlindah
Reny-HerlindahReny Herlindah is a PhD candidate for the Faculty of Art and Science, School of Environmental Science and Management, Southern Cross University, Australia. Her research focuses on coastal fisheries resource management for sustainability goals in the Mahakam Delta, Indonesia. She is being based in the National Marine Science Centre, Coffs Harbour Campus and sponsored by AusAID through the Australian Development Scholarship (ADS) program. She is also a lecture and a researcher for the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science in Mulawarman University, a state university of East Kalimantan province, Indonesia. Her majority is in Fisheries Resource Management. She got a Fisheries Degree in Fisheries Resources Utilisation from Bogor Agricultural University, West Java-Indonesia; and a Master of Applied Science in Living Marine Resources from Australian Maritime College, Tasmania-Australia (sponsored by AusAID)

Mariaelena Huambachano
Mariaelena_Huambachano

Mariaelena is a Phd candidate at Massey University, New Zealand. Mariaelena’s PhD research would explore the importance of the New Zealand Emission Trading System (NZ ETS) with a special focus on the New Zealand agricultural value chain. Having developed a strong interest in sustainability she successfully completed her Masters of Management at Massey University. Mariaelena was awarded two distinguished awards which she received on graduation day. The Postgraduate Diploma of Strategic Business and a Masters of International Business majoring in Management and International Business.

Currently, Mariaelena works in the New Zealand State Sector which has provided her with the opportunity to implement a workplace Sustainability Policy. It is envisaged this policy will be completed earlier next year.

Mariaelena attributes her passion for sustainability to her cultural identity and her love for nature and the environment. Her passion, and it would seem her energy, knows no bounds as Mariaelena is involved in many sustainability and development related initiatives both in New Zealand and in Peru. One initiative is a project called Manu-Sunqu and aims to improve the living standards of Peruvians’ in particular indigenous people of the Peruvian Andes. Mariaelena was recently part of the judging panel in the latest Business Sustainability 60 Awards in Auckland 2011.

Independent researches in the social and environmental areas have always fascinated her, and this has leaded her to be an advocate of Sustainable Development. Mariaelena’s current key research interests are in the areas of sustainable development governance corporate sustainability, countries’ heritage and environmental sustainability.  Mariaelena’s journal titled Sustainable Development: A case study of the agricultural sector of Peru was published in the International Journal of Environment, Cultural, Economic and Social Sustainability.

Next year the Spanish version of this article will be published in the Spanish Management Journal. Another journal article, titled Sustainable Development Governance: Analysis of the Impact of the New Zealand Emission Trading Scheme on the Agribusiness Value chain is currently at peer-review stage.

Mariaelena’s ultimate goal is to be able to provide a solid piece of research which will be beneficial for New Zealand as well as for the sustainable development community.


Julie MacArthur
Julie-MacArthurJulie MacArthur is a PhD Candidate in political science at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, B.C. Her dissertation research focuses on the emergence and potential of co-operative enterprises in Canadian electricity generation. Julie has also worked as a research associate on SSHRC funded projects on the social economy with the BC Alberta Social Economy Research Alliance, and nuclear waste management in Canada.

Alejandra Villalobos Meléndez
AleVM_BioPic

Alejandra Villalobos is currently finishing an M.S. program in Natural Resource and Applied Economics at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She is also a Research Associate at the Institute of Social and Economic Research, University of Alaska Anchorage where she collaborates primarily on regional energy research as well social science research.

Alejandra’s current research focus is a policy analysis of Alaska subsidies of electricity prices from fossil fuels and renewable energy development. Her collaborations on energy topics includes, Wind-Diesel Applications in Rural Alaska, a U.S. Department of Energy EPSCoR project, the Alaska Energy Statistics reports, economic analysis of Renewable Energy Fund projects and community level fuel oil price projections for the Alaska Energy Authority, as well as Components of Rural Alaska Fuel Costs. Social science research topics include a propensity score matching analysis of student outcomes of the Alaska Innovations Education Network and the Characteristics of Homeless Youth Served by Covenant House Alaska.

Her background includes a B.B.A. in International Business from University of Texas at El Paso, a National Science Foundation summer program in 2008, Master the Doctorate Program at UCLA, participation as Alternate Head Delegate at the Organization of American States Washington Model in spring 2008 and participation in a community service learning project in Nicaragua with Green Empowerment, and California State Polytechnic University in 2007.

Upon completion of her masters, she plans on pursuing a doctoral degree. Her research interests are in the areas of resource economics, particularly renewable energy technologies, rural economic development and sustainability.


Charles Milling
PIC_00181My life has had many twist and turns along the way to my true calling. Born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, I left for the east coast in the summer of 2006. I enrolled in the PhD program in Higher Education at the College of William and Mary. I had received my bachelor’s in English Lit and my master’s in Higher Education Administration. Though I loved Williamsburg (my sense of place overlaid very well with that area), something didn’t feel quite right. I could tell I didn’t walk down the right path anymore. After several soul searching conversations with my girlfriend at the time, who later became my wife, I realized my heart, body, and soul yearned to be closer to nature. Furthermore, I wanted to help others find a closer connection to nature. I remember the turning point very well. It occurred when my faculty advisor told me about an association of higher education institutions striving toward sustainability. When I looked into that association something inside me lit fire and I knew that my passion is nature and helping society find a more right relationship with nature. I knew I wanted to teach, but I wanted to be a professor of environmental studies, not higher education administration. So, my then fiancé and I relocated to the Washington D.C. area and I enrolled in the PhD program in Environmental Science and Policy at George Mason University. I am ABD this year and hope to wrap up my dissertation next summer.

Alex Opoku
Alex-OpokuAlex Opoku is a PhD Research Student and a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the School of Built Environment, University of Salford, UK. My key research interest is in sustainability and cost management in construction. I have passion for sustainability and currently researching into leadership and sustainability in construction organizations. Prior to starting PhD study in 2009, I worked in the UK construction industry for over 7 years in a quantity surveying role. I have a BSc honours degree in Building Management and an MSc degree in Quantity surveying commercial management.

Lori Sparrow
Lori-SparrowAs a member of the Sliammon First Nation, I grew up on my Coast Salish traditional territory and had the wonderful opportunity to imbibe the values of my Elders, family and First Nation. I am now a fulltime student at the University of British Columbia enrolled in the Master of Science program focusing on a major in forest resource management. I was fortunate to have learned and studied Indigenous Peoples’ & forest management and Traditional Ecological Knowledge under the supervision of Professor Dr. Ron Trosper for four years before his move to the University of Arizona, USA. For my current research project my objectives come under the 4 focus areas: 1) To identify the critical features of a forest carbon project; 2) To assess the First Nation understanding of perceived benefits of carbon offsets; 3) To identify the cultural, environmental, social and economic criteria used by selected First Nations to evaluate potential forest carbon offset projects and 4) To evaluate how different agreements will support First Nation participation in carbon offset projects so they can address their community socio-economic needs.

Wil V. Srubar III
Srubar

Wil V. Srubar III is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering’s Structural Engineering and Geomechanics program at Stanford University and a LEED® Accredited Professional. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from Texas A&M University with a concentration in structural engineering and architectural history in 2006. He received his Master of Science degree in 2008 from The University of Texas at Austin where he studied structural engineering, sustainable architecture, and the durability of cement-based materials.

Prior to matriculating at Stanford, Wil worked for Walter P Moore, Engineers and Consultants in Austin, Texas as a graduate structural engineer, and for Alpha Facilities Solutions, a building asset management firm based in San Antonio, Texas. While in industry, he was active in implementing internal and external sustainability initiatives and programs, developing metrics and methods to meet the sustainability goals of both company and client.

Currently at Stanford, his research focuses on the development and durability of sustainable construction materials. He works closely with an interdisciplinary team of colleagues in chemical and environmental engineering to harness the power of bioprocesses for the production of zero-energy materials and products. More specifically, he is investigating moisture and heat transport in natural fiber-reinforced biopolymeric composites and modeling the potentially detrimental hygrothermal effects on the material’s structural integrity. To mitigate this material durability issue, he is evaluating the effectiveness of various chemical modifications on the inhibition of moisture uptake and assessing the corresponding extension of material service life.

Eventually, Wil plans to pursue an academic career in teaching and scholarship, establishing a materials research program that will be governed by the tenets of sustainable development and rooted in pragmatism and practicality. He intends for his contributions of novel, sustainable material technologies to be applicable to both the developing and developed worlds, concomitantly benefiting the human built environment on a global scale.


Lacey Willmott
Willmott_Grad_ScholarLacey Willmott, a native of Niagara Falls, Ontario, is a graduate student from Ryerson University currently completing the final stages of a MASc degree in Environmental Applied Science and Management. Her thesis work uses an integrated holistic framework to examine the challenges and opportunities impacting solid waste management in developing small islands. Lacey also holds a BSc degree in environmental geography.

In addition to her studies, Lacey has held a number of positions in public, private, not-for-profit and academic sectors, working in the fields of waste diversion, sustainable tourism and land conservation.

Her research interests broadly include social aspects of waste management, sustainable tourism, peripheral geographies and systems approaches to sustainability. Lacey enjoys international fieldwork, especially the two-way experiential learning that occurs while working with stakeholders.

She plans to further pursue these passions in a doctorate program, desiring a life dedicated to advancing sustainability through teaching, research and advocacy.