UC Berkeley was crowned champion of the 2016 Thomson Reuters Metrics Mania tournament , which uses the NCAA March Madness bracket to determine the most influential research producer. ESPM professor George Roderick noted that Berkeley research "benefits not only the researchers but also undergraduates and society as a whole."
ESPM undergrad Elisha Flores is one of 5 UC students selected for the Research Assistantship Program, which benefits Native American students interested in becoming wildlife biologists. Flores will be mentored by Serra Hoagland of the Forest Service's Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Cetner, assessing wildfire risk in Mexican spotted owl territores on Tribal lands.
ERG doctoral student Nathaniel Aden (M.S. '11) is featured in the New York Times for his research on the decoupling of economic growth and carbon emissions. Aden notes that his research suggests that "countries can sever the historic link between economic growth and greenhouse gas emissions."
ERG professor emeritus John Holdren comments on regional water supply usage at the White House Water Summit. Holdren pointed out that many parts of the wolrd are drawing heavily on groundwater, leading to declining aquifers.
ARE doctoral student Andrew Stevens (M.S. '16) was featured on The Salt (NPR) on his recent research on the impact of quinoa price increases on people of Peru's Puno region. Stevens' findings indicate that, although important to the people of Puno both culturally and nutritionally, consumption of quinoa did not fluctuate despite a fourfold price increase.
ESPM/UCCE Specialist Jennifer Sowerwine is leading an effort to restore native foods in California's Klamath Basin. Through the Karuk-UC Berkeley Collaborative, Sowerwine and IB's Tom Carlson are working with leaders in tribal communities to ensure that native foods are restored for younger generations.
Alum Anna Hope Jahren (Ph.D. '96) recently penned a book titled Lab Girl, which encompasses her journey from rural Minnesota to Oahu, where she's an internationally renowned geobiologist with three Fulbrights and a world-class laboratory at the University of Hawaii.
ESPM professor Miguel Altieri wrote an article for The Conversation US on the impact of the normalization of U.S.-Cuban relations on Cuba's sustainable agricutlure model. Altieri warns that if relations with U.S> agribusiness companies are not managed carefully, Cuba could revert from its revolutioanary agroecological model.
ERG alum Michael Kiparsky penned an editorial letter to the LA times about the need for more data on California's hydrology and water supply. Kiparsky is co-director of the UC Water Security and Sustainability Research Initiative.
ESPM alum Bernadette Del Chiaro (B.S. '95) comments on this Mother Jones article on California's decarbonization efforts. Del Chiaro, executive director of California Solar Energy Industries, notes that in the early 2000s government policies didn't make solar panel installation appealing for either utilties or consumers.