Student, Faculty and Staff Features

Samantha Araya is a junior in the University of Arizona Eller College of Management. Inspired by her upbringing in Costa Rica, Araya strives to integrate sustainability throughout her personal life while also advocating for environmentally conscious behavior among her peers.

In this Q&A, Araya explores her interests in technology and how she believes everyone has a role to play in protecting our environment and natural resources.

Assistant Professor of Geography Beth Tellman is one of eight Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy Fellows this year. In this Q&A, Tellman talks about strengthening flood resilience and community rebuilding, using data to address injustices in flood mitigation infrastructure, and promoting a justice-centered approach to environmental challenges.

Shannon Taylor, White Mountain Apache and Navajo, is a junior studying Geographic Information Systems Technology. In this Q&A, she discusses how she hopes to apply Traditional Ecological Knowledge along with GIS and cartography to help with Native American communities' conservation efforts, historic preservation, land management and other tribal environmental issues.

Zack Guido is the Director of AIR’s International Programs, who unravels the intricate interplay between resilience and adaptability in the face of environmental stressors. In this Q&A, Guido delves into his collaboration with communities to bolster their climate resilience, advocating for the integration of weather and climate information into decision-making processes. He explores the pivotal connection between resilience work and pressing matters of social justice and equity, shedding light on the importance of actively involving marginalized communities in research.

Grace Adams is a senior studying Environmental Science with an emphasis on Leadership, Sustainability, and Communication. As the outreach and communications team lead for Compost Cats and through her other various activities, Adams has worked to shift the UArizona campus culture toward sustainability and environmental stewardship.

Associate professor of anthropology Stacey Tecot has conducted field work in Madagascar for decades - work that would not be possible without the local researchers and guides who share their wealth of ecological knowledge. Now, Tecot is in the final stages of a storytelling project to preserve and center that knowledge and inspire the next generation of ecologists and biologists in Madagascar.

After completing a bachelor's degree in justice and law from American University, Brian Dempsey began a BS in pharmaceutical science at the University of Arizona in 2023. One day, he hopes to incorporate a knowledge of science and a passion for justice to make medicines that alleviate suffering and advocate for constructive policy changes.

The Arizona Replay clothing line features student designs that combine athletic gear with vintage clothes. It's the result of a collaboration between UArizona Marketing and Brand Management and the Norton School of Human Ecology.

Dr. Corrie Hannah, a research scientist at the University of Arizona’s Arizona Institute for Resilience, is committed to finding solutions to social and environmental challenges prevalent in marginalized communities with limited resources.

Her research has taken her around the world, but its her work here in Tucson that could have an even broader reach. In addition to exploring disaster risk reduction and humanitarian aid, she is also expanding the resources available to historically underfunded scholars tackling climate adaptation research throughout Africa.

Maria is a trilingual international student interested in studying the intersection between language and psychology. Her interests in environmental sustainability sparked as she saw the differences between countries’ perspectives towards going green. Working for AIR was her first step into the environmental field and learning more about the climate crisis through her role has made her realize that there’s still hope for people to restore the planet’s health. She’s learned that there are many things we can do to protect our planet both collectively and individually.