Sarah Roney is a Ph.D. candidate in the Ocean Science and Engineering program in the School of Biological Sciences. She studies the chemical communication pathways of marine organisms. Her current project is to investigate reducing the predation of oysters in engineered “living shoreline” systems where they are being established to mitigate waterway erosion due to maritime activities, such as those near the port of Savannah, Georgia.
Sarah makes outreach a priority in her work by developing strong connections with researchers and institutions outside of her program, by incorporating “citizen science” approaches to her research, by mentoring younger students, as well as by engaging with media about her work.
Sarah earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Georgia Southern University, where she graduated, Summa Cum Laude.
Advisor: Marc Weissburg
Olianike Olaomo is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of History and Sociology in the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. Her research interest is in international agriculture and development, emphasizing fair treatment in agriculture, community development, climate change, and farmers' interactions with living environments. Her focus on the developing world, with particular interest in her home country of Nigeria, has always involved the integration of disciplines such as science, engineering, social science, policy, planning, design, and business.
Olianike’s previous research includes assessing the role of rural women in local government relative to the information technology that they are able to access, the impact of the adoption of an E-wallet system on smallholder farmers in Nigeria, as well as building an open access value chain in the marketing and processing of cassava in Nigeria.
Olianike earned her Master’s degree from Auburn University in Rural Sociology, and her Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Extension & Management from the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology in Ibadan, Nigeria.
Advisor: Kate Pride Brown
Megan Conville is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of City and Regional Planning in the College of Design. Her research focuses on the sustainable social development of affordable housing through the lens of the tenant selection process. Megan recently completed an internship in the Department of Community Affairs in the City of Atlanta where she was able to see firsthand how policy and regulation impact low-income households. In her time at Georgia Tech, she has served as both a Graduate Research Assistant and a Graduate Teaching Assistant. She received the Georgia Institute of Technology President’s Fellowship for the 2020 – 21 academic year.
Megan received a Master’s degree in Global Economic Governance and Policy from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and a Bachelor’s in Business Administration and International Business from Seattle University, where she graduated cum laude.
Advisor: Elora Raymond
Oliver Chapman is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Public Policy in the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. Oliver’s research focuses on how local socio-economic conditions influence sustainable lifestyles and how policies and programs can encourage sustainable decision making with special attention to their impact on ethics. Currently, he is utilizing survey data to better understand why energy efficient heat pump technology is underutilized in the marketplace. For the past two years, he has been working with Drawdown Georgia in an interdisciplinary team across multiple universities researching and performing analyses on a range of carbon drawdown solutions for Georgia's energy sector with emphases on their potential for economic growth, social well-being, and impact on ethical issues. Oliver received the School of Public Policy Outstanding Masters student award in 2021. He also served two terms as a Graduate Senator in the Georgia Tech Graduate Student Government.
Oliver holds a Master of Science in Public Policy Analysis from the Georgia Institute of Technology in, and Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Kent in the United Kingdom.
Advisor: Marilyn Brown
Spenser Wipperfurth is a Ph.D. student in the Ocean Science and Engineering program, an interdisciplinary program organized by the Schools of Biology, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. Simultaneously, she is pursuing her MBA from the Scheller College of Business. Spenser's research focuses on increasing coastal resiliency by quantifying and understanding the response of natural resources, namely coastal salt marshes, to compound-extreme events by developing large-scale models of target coastlines and ocean systems. Projects based on this research target the development of models and the presentation of results in formats that are most useful and helpful to the stakeholders who live and work in coastal areas. Spenser is very active in the Georgia Tech community, holding executive and leadership positions in the Graduate Student Government (VP of Academic and Research Affairs, 2022-2024), College of Science (2022-2023), Net Impact (VP of Outreach), Peer Leadership (GT6000 Leader, Committee 2023-Present), and sits on various committees and task forces for the campus-wide Climate Action Plan and Climate Conference.
Spenser holds a BS in Civil Engineering and Spanish Literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She returned to academia after her service in the Peace Corps in Peru, and work in water resources engineering in Minnesota, her home state. When not studying, Spenser can be found outside on a run, on her bike, in a lake, and with her friends. She loves Peruvian food and root beer.
Advisor: Kevin Haas
Eric Greenlee is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Computer Science in the College of Computing. Eric’s research focuses on designing Internet-connected environmental sensing systems in areas with limited infrastructure. By simultaneously addressing the cost, power, and usability concerns of project stakeholders, he aspires to make sensor deployments more accessible for partners who promote environmental justice. Currently, Eric is working closely with indigenous Ojibwe knowledge-holders to co-design a sensing platform to improve outcomes for Manoomin (wild rice), which is central to the Ojibwe way of life and is especially sensitive to environmental change. He recently received the Dartmouth College Postgraduate Project Fellowship to strengthen partnerships in Madagascar, as well as the Georgia Institute of Technology President’s Fellowship. Eric loves spending time outside and hopes to make field science an integral part of his research.
Eric earned a Master of Engineering degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park, and Bachelors of Arts and Engineering degrees in Electrical Engineering from Dartmouth College.
Advisor: Ellen Zegura
Allannah is a Ph.D. candidate in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. Allannah’s research focuses on waste heat recovery and water conservation. She is currently developing a system for seasonal thermal energy storage using absorption with upgraded heat delivery for residential and industrial end uses. The system aims to offset the imbalance that exists between energy supply and demand. She is also developing techniques to reuse and reduce energy and water consumption in the highly energy-intensive Aluminum casting industry. Allannah has worked as a summer research intern for the Electricity Supply Board in Ireland to design a district heating system for citizens in fuel poverty.
Allannah earned a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from University College Dublin, Ireland in 2022 where she graduated first in her class.
Advisor: Srinivas Garimella
Min is a Ph.D. student in the School of Public Policy of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. With her interdisciplinary background, she aims to understand what drives the electrification and clean energy transition. Her research focuses on how different environmental policies affect household adoption, and possible ethical concerns in those policies. She is also interested in how environmental policies spur innovation of clean technologies.
Min has worked on finding socioeconomic, attitudinal, and drivers and barriers to household adoption of clean technologies such as solar panels, electric vehicles, and efficient HVAC systems, and on analyzing the potential of rooftop solar in Georgia. Besides research, she loves playing piano, reading novels, learning new languages, and traveling to new places.
Min received her Master’s degree in Technology Policy from Seoul National University, and her Bachelor’s degree from Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) in Chemical Engineering, earning Summa Cum Laude. She was also a Fulbright scholar for the 2020-2022 academic years.
Advisor: Daniel Matisoff