Meet the Grad Students
Melynda Atwood (EnvS/Anthro)
I have recently received my B.A. in Physical Anthropology here at SJSU. For the last few years, I have been fortunate enough to accrue both archaeological experience in the field, as well as human osteological experience in the lab. For the next two years, I will be working to receive my Masters of Science degree in the Environmental Sciences Dept. This degree will be inter-disciplinary and I will be continuing my work with human osteology, as I study prehistoric osteoporosis. Environmental Studies is a wonderful fit with my thesis topic; the exposure of the myriad environmental effects on human biology, especially concerning its effects on health status, are pivotal to my study. My outside interests include history, prehistory, museums, and research on & preservation of the world's Great White shark populations.
Nita Barve:
I hold a bachelor's degree in applied mathematics. After which, while volunteering for social events and working with the Audubon society, I got interested in environment. I then joined the department at De Anza College to study the environment in detail. I also registered at San Jose State University for the graduate program in environmental studies. I always felt that the environment is fragile and we all need to work together to make it sustainable. I believe in all sustainable activities, which also made me turn completely vegetarian. My hobbies are hiking, spending time doing jigsaw puzzles, and photography. I like nature photography and want to convey a ‘save the environment’ message through photo art. I work as a teaching assistance at De Anza College in the department of Environment Studies and I am happy to volunteer towards any environmental action plan. Currently, my interests include non-conventional energy, applying mathematical modeling to study species ecosystems, specifically peafowl's, and watershed management.
Galli Basson
Marion Blair
Background: I graduated from UCSC in 1987 with a BA in Biology, follwed in 1988 with a Graduate Certificate in Education.
Experience: I taught High School biology and other science classes for about seven years before the demands between having a family and working at such a high performance job got the better of me, and I quit. I have a love of rivers and deep concern for their ecological preservation.I spent the summers of my youth in Alabama (my father was in the Foreign Service, so we travelled extensively), frolicking in our pastoral woodland, run through by the Little Cahaba River. The decline of it's turtle polulation has been appalling, and I hope to do my doctoral work there, when my children are in college.
Goals/Interests: I joined the ENVS program in 2001, after hearing someone talking about it at a community event. I had always wanted to go back to school, and coupled with my love of nature, I instantly knew this was right for me. The good news is that this program is exactly what I want to do, and such dynamic and committed professors and advisors keep me motivated. I hope to get work in the areas of restoration or watershed management..or anything outdoors! I am currently a single mother with two sons. My advisors are very supportive in honoring me as a mother while I work my way, slowly, through this program.
Research Topic: I will be done with my coursework next fall, and starting my research onthe Lower San Lorenzo River and Scott Creek, both in Santa Cruz County. I intend to sample herpetofauna and associated vegetation, and develop a monitoring protocol for herps on the Lower San Lorenzo River, which is under restoration. Lynne Trulio has been my primary advisor. Rachel O'Malley helped me develop my thesis topic and will be my thesis committee chair. They are both fantastic role models for me. I admire them both, tremendously.
Julie Callahan:
Background/Experience: I have 2 children. I worked for 20+ years in the Treasury area of various companies in the Bay Area I worked part time for 20+ years as an environmental and peace activist.
Goals: Finish my Master's. Find a job in an environmental area - possibly water management. Visit the whales in San Ignacio Bay. Learn Spanish fluently. Hike through a rain forest in South America. Travel to Nepal. Learn to play the djembe drum. Learn to be a writer.
Environmental Studies: Experience with Environmental Studies in particular mainly as an activist. In the process of converting my backyard into a CA native garden for birds, butterflies and people.
Interests: Reading, traveling, hiking, learning Spanish, playing djembe drums, playing
piano, native CA plants, birding
Adelina Canez
Background/Experience: I received my Bachelor of Science in Environmental
Stewardship at McPherson College in McPherson Kansas.
Goals/Interests: I am interested in Environmental Planning and implementing
the concept of smart growth.
Research Topic: Analyzing and improving the General Plan of Nogales,
Arizona and creating an environmental impact analysis for the city.
Jena Casey
Background/Experience: I am interested in wildlife conservation and developemnt of non intrusive wildlife surveys to gather accurate population data. I believe GIS is a fantastic way of storing this data enabling long term monitoring ecosystem dynamics.
Goals/Interests: I would like to work in wildlife conservation and management because I believe maintainance of wildplaces and the species that need them is our responsibility. Our relationship with the earth is often utilitarian, but less recognized is the psychological benefit we recieve from our time in nature.
Entered Program: Fall 2001
Reserach Topic: I'm studying the distribution patterns of carnivores identified on trails in Big Basin State Park related to resource associations. I will use remote cameras to document activity and store data in a Geographic Information System (GIS) for spatial and temporal
analysis of variation.
Luke Clardy
Luke is a biology graduate from Gordon College, MA and has lived in Haiti and southern california, two very different worlds from San Jose, which he is enjoying immensely. He spent last summer helping to monitor several rare and endangered plants in Oregon. Luke's interest in stewardship began at the age of eight when he started his family's recycling plan at home. He enjoys good poetry, food and music, as well as most anything to do with being outside. He hopes to become involved in environmental consultation.
James D’Albora
I hold an BS in Business from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. I've been working as an independent landscape contractor for the last 3 years as well as some part time work with a commercial solar company. I've also been involved in theatre my whole life and have been producing live theatre in Los Angeles for the last 3 years. I've been a nature lover since I was a kid, doing lots of camping, hiking, etc with my dad and eventually my friends. After college I volunteered for the Fiji Environmental Action Group and lived on a small island in Fiji for 3 months where I worked on a reforestation project. After that I volunteered on an organic farm in Abruzzo, Italy for 6 months. I'm very interested in solar and other alternative energies, as well as sustainable business.
Barry DeArmond
I spent my undergraduate years in Colorado in the middle to late 1960's. I attended Denver University and Colorado State University from 1964 to 1968 and graduated with a degree in History and secondary teaching credentials. I began teaching in Colorado Springs but was quickly "persuaded" to join the army during the Vietnam war.I became very interested in environmental issues and the environmental movement during the early 1970's. I attended the first Earth Day events in Washington D.C.. I vowed from then on that one day I would become involved in the movement to save and restore our planet.
For the past three decades I have been involved in business and had to put my environmental goals on hold, but not completely. I enrolled as an "undeclared" graduate student at San Jose State in 1991 and have spent my spare time during the last 14 years taking classes taught by the Environmental Studies Department and related physical science departments.Recently I sold my business and now can devote all my time to the environmental movement. My short-term goal is to obtain a Master's degree from your department. My long term goals are to teach environmental-related classes at the Junior College level and to become seriously involved in environmental restoration projects.
Jon Detka
Background/Experience: B.S. Earth Systems Science & Policy from California State University Monterey Bay. Currently, I am a research assistant working with the Central Coast Watershed Studies (CCoWS) team at the Watershed Institute. I am also currently part of the Systems Integration and Visualization of Yellowstone research team. Please see my website at http://home.csumb.edu/d/detkajon/world/jdetka/ for more information
Goals/Interests: Watershed Restoration and Assessment, Ecology, GIS/GPS Remote Sensing, Web Design, Online Learning, Science Education
Diane Digiuseppe (EnvS/Anthro)
Background/Experience: : Personally, I am a mother of three (21, 18, 10) that spent 20 years working in the energy field as a Engineering Assistant for a small consulting firm. Six years ago I returned to school for a BA degree in Anthropology with emphasis in Archaeology, which I received in June 2004. While working towards my BA degree, I have volunteered on several archaeological projects, putting to use the knowledge I obtained from courses taken at San Jose State and Cabrillo College. During the Summer of 2004, I was able to focus my knowlegde as an osteologist for the Ohlone Family Consulting Services on a site near Stanford. I have presented two papers on Archaeology, one at the Santa Clara Undergraduate Conference in 2004 and the second at a professional conference, the Southwestern Anthropological Association meeting in 2005.
Goals: My short term goals are to continue with my education and obtain my Masters Degree in Enviornmental Studies, focusing on Anthropological issues. My long term goals are to continue with research projects that interest me using the information that I become acquainted with from courses taken at SJSU. Eventually I hope to work in the Bioarchaeological field using my knowledge of Archaeology, Physical Anthropology and Environmental Studies to support my goals.
Environmental Studies: My short term goals are to continue with my education and obtain my Masters Degree in Enviornmental Studies, focusing on Anthropological issues. My long term goals are to continue with research projects that interest me using the information that I become acquainted with from courses taken at SJSU. Eventually I hope to work in the Bioarchaeological field using my knowledge of Archaeology, Physical Anthropology and Environmental Studies to support my goals.
Interests: My outside interest revolve around my children and the activities that they are involved in. I am passionate about my work with the different Archaeological groups that I have met and hope to continue along those lines.
David Grant (EnvS/Anthro)
Background/Experience: BA from University of Michigan, numerous courses in Archaeology and Anthropology at SJSU and elsewhere. I hold three professional licenses in Securities and have been a professional insurance broker for 20+ years.
Goals: Short term goals are to pursue an M.S. in Environmental Sciences with a project in Archaeology.
Environmental Studies: no experience with Environmental Studies.
Interests: Numerous collecting interests, including Safety Razors, Golden Age Comics and Vienna Art Plate.
Beate Gruenewald
Background/Experience: Background: degree in landscape architecture with emphasis in environmental planning/landscape planning in Germany; working at a private environmental
planning office in Mannheim, Germany for over two years.
Goals: achieving internationalexperience and working as an environmental professional in a global world.
Environmental Studies: working ondifferent projects, mainly on environmental impact assessments and landscape management support plans,e.g. for the new magnetic levitation train (Superconductor) connecting Munich Central Station to the Munich Airport.
Interests: California landscapes, flora and fauna, outdoor activities and sports, running, hiking, swimming; traveling.
Cyrus Hyatt:
After finishing my A.A. degree at Cabrillo Collage near Santa Cruz, I moved to Germany for about five years. I admired the attitude of the Germans regarding the environment, and when I returned home I considered pursuing a degree in the environmental field. I have always been interested in the natural sciences as well as the social sciences and found that Environmental Studies was an ideal combination of the two. Just last year, I completed my bachelors in environmental studies with a minor in GIS here at San Jose State. Since 2005 I have also been an intern with the DEVELOP program at NASA Ames working on applying GIS and remote sensing to address natural resource issues such as invasive species distribution and forest canopy health. I am most interested in the impacts of climate change and potential mitigation
on strategies.
Kristin Hageseth
I graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2001 with a BA in English with an emphasis on non-fiction writing and cultural studies. Following graduation, I worked for a local snowboard and windsurf shop in St. Paul, MN to gain experience in the real world. After some time off from school, I felt an overwhelming urge to do more with my life. I moved to San Jose in April of 2004 to pursue a Masters degree in Environmental Studies, an area that has always been of interest for me. Since then, I have been inspired by the faculty at San Jose State and the wondrous beauty of the California coastal redwoods. For my thesis, I am studying the vegetation change of redwood forest communities in Mendocino County following timber harvest in a chronosequence. In addition to hiking, I love traveling, riding my longboard, reading, crafting, watching movies, cuddling with my kitty, and enjoying the beautiful California coastline. After graduation I hope to continue my education, enroll in a PhD program, and eventually teach college-level courses in Environmental Studies
Ben Huston
Background/Experience: I got my bachelor's in English at UT-Austin. Switching to Environmental Studies has been a big move that has required a lot of catching up in undergrad sciences, but it seems it can be done.
Goals/Interests: working in sustainable forestry, if there is such a thing
Research Topic: I'd like to do my thesis on the economics of selective logging of redwood forest, using a local forest in the Santa Cruz Mountains as a case study.
Andrea Marciano
I am a third year high school math teacher at El Camino High School in South San Francisco.I grew up in Connecticut and went to college at NYU, where I majored in math and education. Two years ago I decided to switch coasts having visited California for only a few days while I was interviewing for a teaching position. Now that I am settled in The Bay Area my plan is to get some environmental education into the classroom. This year I will be teaching my algebra classes using only environmental lessons, mostly focusing on renewable energy. My hope is that educators will become more willing to branch out and collaborate so as to modify their teaching towards a more environmentally aware curriculum. I have two kittens at home in Half Moon Bay named "Mugi" and "Balls"...named after Mugatu and Ballstein of the movie Zoolander ...they are brothers...I love them. But I am also a dog lover...I just don't have the time for one currently. I just spent my summer working at a children's sports camp and am now going back inside to continue teaching math. This year will be more exciting, however, as I will be working on my masters and incorporating new things into the classroom.I look forward to meeting and collaborating with you all!!
Ada Marquez
"It's amazing how people can get so excited about a rocket to the moon and not give a damn about smog, oil leaks, the devastation of the environment with pesticides, hunger, disease. When the poor share some of the power that the affluent now monopolize, we will give a damn." César E. Chávez
I received my BS degree in Environmental Studies from SJSU with an emphasis in environmental impact assessment (EIA). As an undergraduate student, I worked as a student assistant for the CA Department of Transportation. In addition, I was accepted in the Ronald McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program and awarded a research grant. My preliminary research results were presented at the National Student Research Conference in 1997.
As a graduate student, I had the honor to work for Dr. O’Malley as a teaching assistant for the EIA course. Through her interest of integrating community service into her academic goals, we had the opportunity to present, “Environmental Impact Assessment: Service-Learning and Environmental Justice” at the Ecological Society of America (ESA) Meeting in 2001. A second project was funded by the Santa Clara Valley Water District which consisted of several participants: another graduate student, government staff, a non-profit, and high schools students from East Side San Jose. In 2004, Dr. O’Malley* and I collaborated to present the significance of this project at the ESA Meeting: ecological education empowers underrepresented students, therefore, enhancing environmental justice.
The above projects have allowed me to simultaneously work in my area of interest and fulfill my short term goal of completing the Masters of Science degree. “Environmental Impact Analysis: A Method for Environmental Justice” is my tentative thesis title. My two ultimate goals are to conduct further research on environmental equity and teach in the environmental studies field. Other passions in my life are reading to my son, spending time with my family, running, hiking, and helping other underrepresented studentsMonica Nanez
Background/Experience: I received B.A. degrees in Social Work and Environmental Studies from SJSU. I've worked with kids for the past five years in different settings, including summer camps, science camps, after school programs, substitute teaching, and currently group facilitating. I also interned with the Santa Clara County Department of Environmental Health.
Goals/Interests: My educational interests are social and environmental issues. My goal, upon graduating, is to do full time work dedicated to Environmental Outreach and promoting social change.
Research Topic: For my Masters thesis I combined my interests in social and environmental issues. My research question is: Is there a relationship between the ethic of caring for nature and social altruism? (My focus is high school students in Santa Clara County.)
Robin Putney
I graduated from UC Santa Barbara in 1999 with a BS in Aquatic Biology and a BA in Environmental Studies. As an undergraduate, I focused on intertidal and subtidal ecology in Santa Barbara County and the Channel Islands. For six weeks, I participated in a Wildlands Studies program in New Zealand. The focus of this program was management of invasive and native flora and fauna by the Department of Conservation.
After graduation, I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Republic of Palau, focused on marine resources. I was an Education Coordinator at the Palau International Coral Reef Center, but also participated in many stakeholder meetings to discuss MPA’s and fisheries management. I have decided to return to research traditional fisheries management in Palau and try to apply these methods to the creation of modern laws for my Master’s thesis. I hope to work in California after graduation in fisheries management.
Before beginning the MS program at SJSU, I worked for two years at a residential Environmental Science camp for 5th - 7th graders in Cambria, CA. I also spent a summer interpreting Crystal Cave in Sequoia National Park and nine months at the Monterey Bay Aquarium introducing kids to scuba diving and interpreting invertebrates and fishes for the public. I am currently working at Monterey Bay Kayaks as a naturalist tour guide. Besides trying to re-connect people to nature, I enjoy snowboarding, surfing and competing in triathlons.
Chandana Rao
The spirit of wanderlust in me provided the impetus for me to pursue a Bachelors degree in Tourism and Travel Management. I was able to appreciate the different facets of tourism during my travels in India during my Bachelors degree. At age 18, I journeyed with two friends on a backpacking trip to Nepal. Traveling in the most frugal way possible and staying at houses of friends and trying to mingle with the locals, this trip was an eye-opener; right from 3-day journeys on reluctant trains to being awed by the unique cultures of the places I visited. This trip acted as a trigger for me to consider a holistic view of tourism in my future studies. I have also traveled extensively in India, from the naturally pristine wilderness regions of northeast India to the remote Andaman Islands. Subsequent to my Bachelors degree, I pursued a Masters degree in Tourism Administration. Here, I began to observe the interplay of tourism development and the environment. I surveyed two massive tourism projects to be launched in ecologically fragile regions of the southern Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. I analyzed the history of the controversy, the current situations and the locations involved, the financial scale of the eco- projects and the repercussions along with the benefits. Trying to avoid a typical job, I worked as a lecturer at two colleges in Bangalore, India. I taught students at the graduate and undergraduate level. In my spare time, I worked with school children, where I handled general knowledge sessions and coached them for school quizzes. Though I did work that I enjoyed, I felt it was time to do more of something else. Thus, I decided to try a Masters in Environmental Studies. I have, for some time now, wanted to procure a strong foundation in Environmental Studies to aid me in my studies to find a balance between tourism development and environment protection. I believe that this is an opportunity for me to link the two fields and connect with primordial nature. Research in this field needs to be beneficial to the industry at the micro level and to the society at the macro level. A final Masters’ thesis can be made far more effective with hands on experience in the field. My goal is to positively influence travelers to practice the “Leave No Trace” principles, which explains as “, Take only photographs, leave only footprints”.
Vani Rao
Background/Experience: Vani Rao is a career diplomat, and has been working for the Government of India since 1994. Her previous assignments include a posting to the Embassy of India in Mexico City, a stint as a Desk Officer in the West Europe Division in the Foreign Office in Delhi, and most recently a posting to the Embassy of India in Stockholm.Vani earned a Masters degree in Political Science from the University of Hyderabad. She speaks Telugu (her south Indian native language), Hindi, English and Spanish.
Goals: Vani is taking an extended sabbatical to be able to pursue the garduate program in Environmental studies. She hopes to become a subject specialist on environmental diplomacy and policy matters for the Foreign Office.
Environmental Studies: No prior experience in this field.
Interests: Vani loves to travel, especially to places that are off the beaten track. She enjoys reading in her spare time.
Ariel Rivers
My interest in the environment stems from a very young age. Growing up on a ranch on which my paternal grandparents also lived, I spent my early years following my grandfather around as he tried to turn our 7 acres into a forest, planting numerous trees around our land. My immediate family later acquired another hundred acres adjacent to my grandfather’s ranch, which resulted in my respect for open land, as my parents maintained the acreage as a natural habitat. My concern for the environment is mainly related to the fact that I value non-urban landscapes more than any other type of land use, and thus want resources to be used responsibly in order to maintain as much open space as possible. Thus, after spending a few years working at a nursery during high school, I spent four years at UC Davis incorporating my interests in plants and the environment into a Bachelor of Science degree in Soil and Water Science, with an emphasis on agricultural management. Having taken a tropical ecology field course in Panama, I also became interested in responsible resource use in developing countries, and therefore minored in International Agricultural Development. After I graduated and I spent some time working for an agricultural research firm in France, I came back to my home town of Livermore and took a position with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory as an environmental scientist on a project relating to the remediation of the Marshall Islands, a former U.S. nuclear test site. This position reiterated my interest in developing countries and their resource use, as well as my overall interest in environmental management, and now I hope to integrate these interests into a Masters degree. In the mean time, I’ll further explore the East Bay Regional Park District with my miniature pinscher mutt, plan future adventures to far corners of the world, hang out with my family at the ranch, and spend time in all the used bookstores of Alameda County.
Diana Roberts
The environmental field is a second career for me. I currently work as a project coordinator and technical editor for Jones & Stokes, a consulting firm that prepares environmental compliance documents, restoration plans, general plans, and similar documents. One of the most exciting assignments has been working with Science Advisory boards to the CALFED program. My interests are (1) how to inject science into policy-making, (2) cross-cultural exchange to further environmental decision-making, (3) native v. invasive plants, and (4) freshwater resources. The first phase of my career was in linguistics. I did research in computational linguistics (a branch of artificial intelligence) and taught English as a Second Language in Europe and in California. I spent five summers teaching at an intensive non-profit language institute in eastern Germany shortly after the wall came down. Seeing the enormous social evolution that resulted from the political and governmental changes made me believe that significant positive change is also possible in our natural environment. I dance and have been on two performance tours with a local dance troupe, do photography, with a current emphasis on wildflowers, and speak German and French -- both rusty but I hope for an opportunity to refresh my skills!
Caitlin Robinson
I graduated from Skidmore College in 2000. I was a double major in Environmental Studies and American Studies. I was a member of the equestrian team all four years. After graduating I moved to Australia where I worked as a research assistant in the tropical rainforest. I ran the shade house, raising seedlings to use in our reforestation plantings. I led students on bird and plant walks there and I developed a passion for birding. When I returned to the states I worked monitoring endangered and threatened shorebirds on Long Island, NY. I then moved to the Hudson River Valley and did environmental education programs up and down the estuary. The past two years I have been working in an inclusive preschool program in MA. I’m really excited about getting back into the environmental field and would eventually like to be involved with bird conservation projects. My outside interests are all pretty much outside: birding, riding, hiking, running, biking and gardening.
Ana Rodriguez
Background/Experience: I came from Ecuador three years ago looking for the American Dream! My family is all there except my husband who I had to meet here. I studied Agriculture for 6 years, including the year of thesis. In 1999 I had the opportunity to do an internship in Sustainable Agriculture in Winters, California. That was the beginning of a path I have followed ever since. I have been working at Hidden Villa, located in Los Altos Hills, in the Environmental Education Program for 2 years as a Teacher/Naturalist and lately as Volunteer Coordinator.
Goals: My short term goals are mainly related to School and Work. I want to do my best at this big new challenge that Graduate School represents. I also want to give my best in my work. If I can manage to stay balanced through these two faces of my daily life, I will be happy. Among my long term goals are: Finish Graduate School; Explore the possibility of moving to Ecuador and creating an ecotourism business; find my place in an NGO dealing with Environmental Issues in Latin America; maybe have children
Environmental Studies: I do not have formal training in Environmental Studies. However, I have been teaching children how to love and care for our environment.
Interests: I enjoy being at home with my husband and dogs. I like to travel abroad, camping, biking, water color painting, yoga, and quilting.
Shradha Upadhayay
Shradha Upadhayay was born in a small town called Biratnagar, Nepal. She brings a strong environmental background, having worked for Environmental Nepal and Nepal Water Conservation Foundation/Institute of Social and Environmental Transition. Additionally, she holds three bachelor's degrees, including two in Environmental Science and Statistics from Tribhuwan University, Nepal, and one in Environmental Conservation with emphasis on water resources and agriculture from Northern Michigan University. Before coming to San Jose State, Shradha worked for an Environmental non-profit organization called "The Watershed Project" in Richmond, CA which focuses on educating and inspiring communities to protect their watersheds. Shradha is interested in water resources and hopes to pursue a career in the same field.
Evangelos Vossos
Growing up in Athens, one of Europe’s most polluted capitals, I witnessed first-hand the problems that rise out of poor planning in a growing population environment. However, living in one of the world’s most beautiful countries gave me the opportunity to appreciate many of nature’s gifts. It was this diversity of my life experiences that led me to become even more sensitive in environmental matters. After high-school, I had to choose an educational direction that agreed with my inclination and character.Being of a practical nature and since there was not an environmental-oriented discipline available at the undergraduate level in Greece, I decided that physics was my next best choice. During my studies at the physics department, I attended lectures related to environment matters that helped me obtain a more spherical understanding of the energy issues in our ecosystem. After my graduation, I worked at several posts, keeping always in mind my dream to help make a better place of this world. The path that was marked by the decisions I made has led me here, and has eventually given me the chance to keep that dream alive following this masters program at SJSU. The field that stimulates my intellect is energy and resources. My conviction is that the need to protect and conserve the planet’s resources is becoming more and more urgent, not just on a scientific but also on a practical level.
Pete Wang
Background/Experience: I graduated from UC Davis in 1997 with a B.S. in Evolution and Ecology. Before I decided to become a full- time environmentalist, I had worked in different science departments- plant pathology, marine ecology and Env. Toxicology.
Research Topic: Market development, product marketing and promotion of green products and sustainable economy.
Heather White
Originally from a small town in the Ozarks of southern Missouri, I moved to California in
1997 to attend school. I graduated from Sonoma State University with a B.A. in Environmental Studies in 2001. As an undergraduate, I explored my interests in wildlife conservation and environmental restoration with various research projects. After graduation, I worked at a wild bird rehabilitation center for a couple of years and then in an office setting. As a graduate student at San Jose State, I plan to study wetland restoration and how it affects the shorebird and waterfowl species that depend on the wetland environment. I am hoping to use the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project as a platform for studying these topics. I find it very disturbing that wetlands are currently disappearing at a very rapid rate, threatening the existence of the shorebird and waterfowl species that depend on them. My outside interests include hiking, camping, birding, reading, yoga, movies, and visiting with friends.
Simret Yigzaw
I was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and lived in Asmara, Eritrea since 1991. I moved to San Jose in 2005 after completing my two year study in Brussels, Belgium. I Graduated from University of Asmara, Eritrea with a Bachelor’s degree in Plant Science, during my study I was working on environmental related term papers and theses. I have been working as a Research Assistant and agronomist in the Ministry of Agriculture. In 2003, I won a scholarship from VLIR and studied Master of Human Ecology in Vrije Universteit Brussel (VUB). Human Ecology is a holistic approach to the environmental problem which addresses sustainable development. I graduated with great distinction in September 2005 with a master thesis on “Evaluation of ecological water quality in river ecosystem using Diatoms”. I am interested in a more thorough understanding of the field of environmental studies and I wish to pursue the necessary tools and techniques for a successful career.
