David Batt Columbia Business School

David is a second year MBA candidate who previously worked at Barclays Plc in London. Most recently, David focused on Barclays global corporate social responsibility strategy as part of its overarching Citizenship program. He was also selected as a Barclays Health & Wellness Champion, one of 30 global representatives leading events and promoting healthy living across the bank. He graduated from the University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business in 2011 with a BS in International Business. As an undergraduate, David studied abroad at Fudan University in Shanghai and HKUST in Hong Kong. David grew up in New Jersey and enjoys tennis, high intensity interval training and traveling in his free time.

Zach Bogoshian Professional Studies

Zach Bogoshian works to help sustainable choices become the easiest to make. Zach is pursuing an MSc in Sustainability Management at Columbia University and holds a BA in Political Science from UCLA. A serial entrepreneur who has brought multiple sustainable products to market (some via successful crowdfunding campaigns), Zach Bogoshian is also a green building consultant with experience guiding clients toward their energy, emissions, and certification goals. He is a LEED AP (ID+C), and has worked on LEED CI, Schools, and NC projects in addition to other standards: Living Building Challenge and EnergySTAR. Zach’s main professional focus is energy efficiency and its underlying behavioral science, and he is keenly interested in alternative financing mechanisms for sustainability initiatives in the private sector.

Logan Brenner Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

I am a paleoclimatologist/paleoceanograpnher that uses the geochemistry of coral cores to reconstruct past ocean conditions. I am currently studying precipitation patterns off the Pacific coast of Panama, exploring sea surface temperature change since the Last Glacial Maximum in the Great Barrier Reef, and examining in El Niño in coral records in the Central Pacific along the Line Islands. I am also interested in science communication and unconventional methods of teaching science to the general public. Additionally, I am interested in working with companies to add and improve sustainability practices to their daily and long-term activities.

Lia Cairone School of International and Public Affairs

Lia Cairone is a 2016 Master of International Affairs candidate focusing in energy, environment, and climate change policy. She currently serves as President of the Environmental Coalition at SIPA. As an Environmental Defense Fund Climate Corps Fellow, Cairone developed a greenhouse gas inventory and climate mitigation strategy for the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. As a Global Policy Initiative Fellow, she researched the intersection of gender and environment in Indonesia. Cairone has an experienced background in business, analytics, media, and technology, and is a passionate advocate for climate action.

Heidi Cunnick Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology E3B

My master's thesis centers on the population dynamics and life history strategies of an endangered plant species in New Jersey's Pine Barrens. This work brings together my interest in local conservation and its intersection with people and the natural world that surrounds them. My earlier work includes an overly long stint in corporate finance; having previously earned a Masters in Finance. I live in Brooklyn with my (field-working-volunteering) husband and two daughters.

Krista Eichenbaum School of Continuing Education

Previous to studying at Columbia, Krista spent six years working in Transportation Demand Management, most recently as a Program Coordinator at Metrolinx coordinating a regional commuting program, and previously working as a planning and outreach consultant at UrbanTrans North America. In both roles, Krista has voluntarily joined programs or taken on the role as a change agent, to encourage behavior change among other employees through corporate programming and initiatives. Krista holds a Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning degree from Ryerson University in Toronto, and anticipates graduating from Columbia University in December 2015. In addition to transportation work, other projects include working on a small academic consulting team, evaluating synergies among transportation, energy and waste among key stakeholders at Hunts Point Produce Market, the world’s largest produce distribution center located in the South Bronx. Krista’s interest in urban sustainability includes behavior change, the sharing economy, and open data, with an interest to understand how interventions and innovations can help improve sustainable urban environments and operations.

Mounir Ennenbach School of Engineering and Applied Science

Mounir is a Senior in SEAS studying Earth and Environmental Engineering, with a minor in Chemical Engineering. He currently works as a research intern at the Columbia Water Center, where he focuses on analyzing aquifer characteristics and estimating the reliability of rainwater harvesting throughout the United States. He is active in the music community at Columbia, playing piano with chamber music ensembles and performance groups on campus. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, researching weather events, and visiting construction sites in New York.

Tony Fares Columbia Law School

Tony Fares was born in San Diego, California and has been a committed environmentalist since he attended high school where he founded a student-run recycling program on campus that continues to this day. In college at UCLA he became president of an ecology club and focused on educating local middle schoolers in sustainable practices, promoting environmentalism among college students, significantly improving UCLA's water efficiency, and preserving patches of native wildlife in Los Angeles. Last summer, he worked at the Natural Resources Defense Council in Chicago. Now as a 2L at Columbia Law School, Tony is co-president of the Environmental Law Society and a staff member on the Columbia Journal of Environmental Law.

Kayla Farrell Barnard College

Kayla Farrell is a fourth-year undergraduate at Barnard College studying Environmental Science. She has always been passionate about science and has thoroughly enjoyed the classes she has taken at Barnard and Columbia in the last 3 years to fulfill the Environmental Science Major. During her time at Barnard she has worked on various projects in Barnard’s Environmental Science Department. She spent 2 years working on a research project involving Enterococci in the Hudson River. She is currently conducting her undergraduate thesis research studying iron metabolism in marine phytoplankton. She is excited to get working with the rest of the student advisory council members and the Columbia community to promote awareness of sustainability issues on campus. She also looks forward to planning an exciting and educational Environmental Summit later this semester. Outside of her lab work and her time in class, Kayla serves as the President of the Columbia’s Delta Gamma chapter.

Stav Gilutz International and Public Affairs

Stav is an Israeli environmental lawyer that specializes in environmental legislation and the regulation of natural resources. In Israel Stav worked at the Ministry of Justice under the Deputy Attorney General for Economic and Fiscal Matters. After moving to the USA, she volunteered with American environmental non-profits providing legal counsel and assisting them in expanding their capacity as policymakers. In 2013 she joined Harvard University Office for Sustainability as a community organizer initiating and implementing green initiatives at the university's graduate housing. Stav moved to New York City to pursue her Master's degree in environmental policy at Columbia University. She has an LLB from the Hebrew University and an LLM in international and European law from the University of Lyon in France.

Grete Grubelich Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation

Grete Grubelich, 24, Master of Architecture. I'm interested in scales of sustainability and exploring all factors affecting the occupant experience – including their variation in time, space, and seasons. I believe working with the climate is urgent for architecture.

Sophia Hill Columbia College

Sophia Hill is a junior majoring in Sustainable Development with a concentration in Environmental Science at Columbia College. Sophia is currently interning for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), focusing on renewable energy initiatives for New York State. At the Earth Institute, she currently interns for the Funding Initiatives Office and writes articles for GlacierHub, a website that focuses on glaciers and climate change, which is funded and managed by the Center for Research on Environmental Decisions. She is excited to serve on the Earth Institute Student Advisory Council this year and hopes to promote campus-wide sustainability collaboration. After completing her undergraduate degree, Sophia hopes to pursue environmental policy or law, specifically focusing on energy and climate issues. In her free time, she enjoys cycling and whitewater kayaking.

Isa Julson Columbia Law School

Isa Julson is a third year law student. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the Columbia Journal of Environmental Law and a member of the Environmental Law Society. She also participated in the Environmental Law Clinic, where she worked on matters related to sustainable development and the Clean Water Act.

Shana Leshko Barnard

Shana is a Junior at Barnard College studying Environmental Science with a minor in Art History. She is the president of Barnard ROOTS, a group engaging in sustainability education and promoting student activism both on and off campus. She has interned at Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory as a research assistant working to track the way hydrofracking contaminants move through aquifers. She has also interned at the Audubon Society of Western PA, and worked as an environmental educator at Powdermill Nature Reserve. She currently works in Barnard's Arthur Ross Greenhouse. In her free time she enjoys cooking delicious vegetarian food, listening to a myriad of podcasts, and watching TED talks. She is excited to be a member of the Earth Institute Student Advisory Council for the 2015-2016 academic year!

Gabriella LoConte School of Engineering and Applied Science

I am a senior in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, majoring in Earth and Environmental Engineering, with a concentration in Alternative Energy and Materials. I am very interested in all realms of sustainability. I have learned about economic and social sustainability through my class in Engineering for Developing Communities and my involvement in Engineers without Borders for the past 4 years. Furthermore, I have learned about environmental sustainability concepts in the majority of my classes at Columbia and applied them through a projects assessing green roofs and storm water runoff in NYC. This year, I am hoping to apply my knowledge further through my senior design project which focuses on increasing access to solar panels throughout NYC. Finally, in the future, I hope to work in sustainability and energy consulting.

Nishant Mehta Graduate School Of Architecture Planning and Preservation

Nishant Mehta is a graduate student in GSAPP studying Architecture and Urban Design. He has in the past, worked at a studio architecture firm on a project for sustainable urban design which was shortlisted for the HOLCIM awards for Sustainable Design. Upon graduation he plans to purse sustainability in urban environments and disaster resiliency. His hobbies include travel, photography and swimming. This is his first year on the Earth Institute’s Student Advisory Council!

Sonali Prasad Columbia Journalism School

I am an environmental journalist enrolled as a Masters Candidate in Columbia's Graduate School Of Journalism.I'm naturally inclined towards topics such as glaciology, climate change and wildlife conservation. Currently studying groundwater depletion and the drying of aquifiers around the world due to natural and man-made factors, specifically India's Ganges-Brahmaputra basin which defines the far end of the depletion scale. Additionally, I hold an undergraduate degree in computer science so I'm hoping to combine some of my technology skills to reinvent ways in which investigative reporting is practiced in the realms of environmental journalism.

Scottie Sheaffer General Studies

As a Junior in the School of General Studies (GS) I major in Environmental Biology, specifically Botany, that prepares me for a Phd program. Coming from a Nursery Technician background I learn and apply biological knowledge, research experience, group collaboration and teaching techniques to pursue a career in Biomimicry. I intend to share the biological routes that organisms use for efficiency with engineerings, designers and other professionals to inspire human infrastructure growth which compensates for and minimizes the loss of the ecological function of what is displaced.

Michael Spiotta General Studies I am a 27-year old student from Long Island who is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in the field of Sustainable Development. I have always been interested in, and have recently become quite passionate about conservation, as well as the endeavors of sustainable development. I work with a varying degree of wildlife, and my goal is to aide in the implementation and success of Sustainable Development Goals 13, 14, and 15 which focus on combatting climate change, preserving our waterways, and halting the degradation of biodiversity on the planet.

Samuel Steinberger Journalism

Sam Steinberger, a M.S. candidate at the Graduate School of Journalism, is excited to be working with the Earth Institute this year. In addition to writing about local environmental issues affecting the millions of inhabitants living in New York City, he is a business reporter and a video journalist. When he's not reporting, Sam can be found backpacking wherever there's green space and fresh air.

Elana Sulakshana Columbia College

Elana Sulakshana is a third-year student in Columbia College studying Sustainable Development and History. She is interested in policy at the intersection of climate change and human rights issues, such as migration and conflict. She currently works for the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) education initiative. Last summer, she was a climate change policy intern at The Century Foundation. On campus, she organizes with Columbia Divest for Climate Justice, the fossil fuel divestment campaign.