The Office of Sustainability is pleased to welcome seven new part-time Associates this semester. Seth Blum has joined the Alternative Transportation team; Deko Ricketts, Taylor Blevin, and Sade Odumuye comprise the Renewable Energy team; and Elisandra Garcia, Amber Krisp, and Hannah Lacava make up the newly formed Environmental Justice team.
Seth is a freshman from Boulder, CO, majoring in Statistics and Environmental Policy. He is a passionate rock climber and a long-time bike commuter, which led him to the Climbing Team and Green Action group at WashU. He is excited to promote alternative transportation campaigns in the university community. In the long term, he is interested in using quantitative methods to find economically feasible solutions to environmental problems.
Elisandra was born and raised in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. She holds a B.S. in Architecture from Texas Tech University. Elisandra worked for Wright & Dalbin Architects and Carl Daniel Architects as a young designer before she began her graduate studies at WashU in 2013. She is working towards her Masters in Architecture and Urban Design. Elisandra has been working for Catalina Freixas and Pablo Moyano as their Research and Teaching Assistant for 318 Architectural Design Studios, plus leading design projects within the city of St. Louis. She has been involved with the research and design of “Shrinking Cities” in the United States. Elisandra has also started projects with gardening and agricultural workshops for impoverished neighborhoods in her hometown.
Hannah is a junior majoring in Urban Studies and minoring in Environmental Studies. She is passionate about environmentalism and social justice, and sees the two movements as highly intertwined. In the past, she has worked on grassroots campaigns with Environmental Illinois and Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) in the Chicago area. On campus, she is involved in Mosaic Whispers a cappella, Beat Therapy music volunteering, and Teaching Racial Understanding Through Honesty (TRUTH). She is passionate about sustainability in all senses of the word and is excited to join the Office of Sustainability team.
Amber is a second year Law student aiming at a career in environmental law. She is particularly interested in environmental justice issues and decreasing the nation’s reliance on coal. During her studies at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, Amber received a certificate in environmental studies, concentrating on conservation and mapping the effects of climate change. She hopes to use this knowledge to further the Office of Sustainability’s mission both on campus, and throughout the St. Louis community. Having grown up in central Wisconsin, Amber greatly enjoys surrounding herself with nature through hiking, kayaking, and other outdoor activities. She hopes to maintain the integrity of nature through sustainability efforts personally, and advocating for community-wide changes to keep the Earth clean.
Deko’s passion lies in solar energy. As a junior in Electrical Engineering, he aims to bring solar energy to the forefront of global power generation. He is focused on answering the question of what the future of solar energy will be. He has done various forms of research on solar technologies, including material selection, cell architecture and concentrated photovoltaics, working with professors from the Mechanical to the Energy, Environmental, and Chemical Engineering departments. Deko also runs on the track and field team and is leading a small undergraduate team in developing a 3D hologram display.
Taylor is a junior double majoring in Chemical Engineering and Economics and minoring in Energy Engineering. She is interested in the intersection of finance and technology in the renewable energy sector, and is furthering her passion for sustainability by working on the Renewable Energy team. Taylor is also a program leader for VERDE, an environmental education and outreach group, and has worked with a group of students traveling to the United Nations climate conference to research environmental policy initiatives on an international scale. In her free time, Taylor enjoys boxing, playing tennis, and working at a local animal shelter.
Sade is a senior majoring in Mechanical Engineering and pursuing an Energy minor. She is passionate about sustainability, particularly as it applies to green building design and operations. Interested in renewable energy resources, she is excited to learn and take part in a multitude of projects as an Office Associate throughout her final academic semester.