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Note from the Chair

Dear Alumni and Friends,

Thanks for your contributions to the Department of Environmental Studies and Science (ESS) through your work as talented students, dedicated faculty, caring staff, supportive parents, dynamic collaborators, financial donors, and so much more. Despite backsliding environmental policies in many places, our team celebrates a great year. From the hands-on learning and community building that happen through the Natural History of Baja course to faculty-mentored student research, and some of the best senior capstone projects ever, it’s time to take a moment to recognize these good works, share news, and to continue caring for each other and our common home.   

As you will see in this newsletter, we have plenty to celebrate this past year, ranging from productive faculty research agendas to student success and adventurous field trips.  Highlights include:

• Another successful search for an Assistant professor, as I am delighted to announce that Anjana Parandhaman, PhD, will be joining us as a new assistant professor of Environmental Biology this fall.
• Our partnership with the Center for Sustainability and the Environmental Justice (EJ) and Common Good Initiative to organize the 2nd annual EJ and Sustainability Research Symposium, which featured many of our ESS students.
• The impressive pathways of graduating seniors include service as Peace Corps, Jesuit Volunteer Corps, and AmeriCorps volunteers, while others have secured entrance to top graduate programs and found full-time employment in public and private agencies and firms advancing environmental work.
• Our partnership with the Dean’s Office to launch ESS’s new Environmental Data Lab, which we hope will become a state-of-the-art facility supporting faculty-mentored student research applying mixed-method data science to address environmental issues.

As a final note, I would like to remind all of our alumni that we are grateful for your ongoing support, including participation on career panels, capstone partnerships, informational interviews, donations, and more. Your involvement makes a difference. We encourage you to stay connected by hosting events, mentoring students, finding us on , and sharing your own stories for our website.  We love getting those email updates from all of you about current circumstances and meaningful work; they remind us why we do what we do.

With kind regards,

Christopher Bacon
Chair and Professor, Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences

Welcome Anjana Parandhaman

Thanks, John "Jake" Dialesandro, for your service to ESS

We must say a bittersweet goodbye to Jake. We will miss your many contributions as an outstanding Lecturer teaching Intro to GIS, Intermediate GIS, Capstone, and other courses, as well as your role mentoring student researchers.  We are also grateful for your service to ESS as a colleague. We wish you the best in your new role as an Associate Professor at San Joaquin Delta College.

Nicolas Hernandez Publication

Study examines rhetoric of nuclear energy advocacy in Puerto Rico with implications for understanding how novel energy technologies are supported.

Read More about Nicolas' Publication

C.J. Gabbe Publications

One study focused on heat vulnerability and homelessness, and another on cities in flood-prone areas.

Read More Heat Vulnerability

Read More Flood-prone Cities

William Rush Publication

Published research study on climate-driven environmental changes during a major ancient global warming event.

Read More about Will's Publication

Iris Stewart-Frey Publications

Studies focusing on water justice in CA’s Central Valley, climate adaptation in Nicaragua, and a report on Data Centers and Environmental Justice.

Read More about Water Justice

Read More about Data Centers and EJ

Chris Bacon Publication

Article analyzes the prospects for a sustainable food system after the 2025 COP global climate conference.

Read More about Chris' Publication

ESS Class of 2026 Senior Awards - Honoring Outstanding Students

Each year, the Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences recognizes graduating seniors whose academic achievements, research excellence, commitment to justice, and leadership in sustainability exemplify the department’s mission. We are proud to congratulate this year’s award recipients.

• Shea Mulqueeny awarded The Environmental Studies Research Award
  
  
• Samantha Lei awarded The Environmental Science Research Award
  
  
• Andrew Schatz awarded The Environmental Science Research Award
  
  
• Samantha Lei awarded The Environmental Justice Award
  
  
• Bea Ricafort awarded The Environmental Justice Award
  
  
• Grace Falci awarded The Lucky Hinkle Sustainability Award

Read More about the Awards and Awardees

ESS Capstone Teams Partner with Community Organizations and Public Agencies for Research and Impact

ESS partnered with the Center for Sustainability (CFS) and the Environmental Justice and the Common Good to organize the 2026 Sustainability & Environmental Justice Symposium, March 10-11, 2026. By combining ESS’s rigorous interdisciplinary approach to 21st-century environmental issues with CFS’s campus-wide climate action and the Initiative's dedication to community-driven justice research, the collaboration featured academics and impact. More than 40 ESS students and faculty presented during this campuswide symposium. Tuesday evening focused on the 2026 student capstone projects, as seen in these highlights from three sections:

Professor Bacon's Capstone Student Teams Analyzed Food Security, the Role of Trust in Reducing Flood Risk, and Strategies for Food Recovery

Students conducted community-engaged research with nonprofit and government agency partners to address these issues in Silicon Valley.

Read More about Food Security and Food Recovery

Professor Stewart-Frey's Capstone Student Projects Tackled Water and Climate Challenges in Environmental Justice Communities

Teams developed a river health assessment, studied riparian declines with ag development, developed layers for a mobile app to preserve Maya resources, and examined the ethics of failing to provide safe water to communities in the Central Valley.

Read More about Water and Climate

Professor Dialesandro's Capsone Student Projects Address Environmental Justice, Extreme Heat Vulnerability, and Public Health Disparities 

Teams utilized geospatial statistics and urban cooling models to map hazard vulnerabilities, evaluate tree canopy cooling strategies, and link air quality to asthma hospitalization rates.

Read More about Heat Vulnerability

Another Amazing Natural History of Baja Class

Students learned more than 100 local species (Amigos) before traveling to Mexico for 10-day Wilderness Experience.

Read More about this Baja Class

Deep Dive Field Trips with Bryn Evans

ENVS 77 students visit Castle Rock State Park, Pinnacles National Park, and more.

Read More about Our Field Trips

Sammi Bennett ’19

Sammi finishes Masters’ at Oxford, leads environmental ed trips, and publishes a peer-reviewed article.

Read More about Sammi

Alumni, please send your update to Chris and Cory.