Majors in Environmental Science Major with a Minor in Biology, Public Health, & Sustainability
During this opportunity, I will support Professor Iris Stewart-Frey, from the Department of Environmental Sciences/Studies, along with collaborators from the California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA) to analyze how disadvantaged communities are affected by groundwater contamination in the Central Valley, California, and whether recent programs designed to address this pollution are actually effective in addressing the needs of disadvantaged communities. Thus there will be two strands to my research, one will be in the area of environmental science, the other in environmental policy. Interdisciplinary work that is connecting science with policy is a key aspect of the environmental field.
The questions I will investigate are: Using the most recent data collected under the CV-SALTS (Central Valley for Salinity Alternatives Long Term Sustainability) and SAFER (Safe and Affordable Funding for Equity and Resilience) programs, where are unsafe levels of contaminants co-occurring in the Central Valley, and which communities are most affected? How effective have the CV-SALTS and SAFER well-testing programs been in supporting the access of disadvantaged communities to clean water?