The Penn Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media works with an exceptional group of student researchers in various capacities. We aim to foster interest in the science of communicating climate change science and adjacent research areas. We have a rich variety in research topics and projects amongst our student researchers. Please see below for more on our current undergraduate and graduate student research projects.
Undergraduate Research
You Could Be Here
We currently don’t have any undergraduate students working with us.
Are you interested in working with PCSSM? Reach out to us at upenncssm@sas.upenn.edu and let’s talk possibilities. We’ve worked with students on their undergraduate capstone projects, through the PURM program, and for students who wanted to get research experience. We are currently considering projects for Spring and Summer 2026. We will likely have a PURM project posted for Summer 2026 – sign up for our newsletter for regular updates!
Graduate Research
Yutong Du
Current MES Student
Yutong has a background in environmental studies and is passionate about environmental communication and interdisciplinary sustainability. Her academic and personal experiences have given her a strong understanding of the complexity of environmental challenges, such as from social, economic, and ethical perspectives. Influenced by her cultural background, Yutong hopes to engage those who may not traditionally have a background in environmental topics and invite them into the broader dialogue on sustainability and climate action.
Her capstone project investigates how misinformation and misconceptions contribute to negative public perceptions of single-use plastic (SUP) bags, despite scientific evidence showing that SUPs often have lower environmental impacts and higher energy efficiency than alternatives like paper or biodegradable materials. Using existing life cycle assessment (LCA) studies and a case study of the Philadelphia Plastic Bag Ban, her research explores how well-intentioned policies can unintentionally shift, rather than solve, environmental burdens. By clarifying the true sustainability trade-offs of single-use plastics, the project aims to demystify misconceptions and support more informed, net-positive decisions by both individuals and policymakers.
Natalie Glasgow
Current MES Student
Project description: My project is a case study examining Spanish-language risk communications as a way to address water inequity in Hispanic communities in the Kern & Tulare Counties of California’s southern Central Valley. I am investigating their failing water systems alongside accessibility of Spanish-language risk communications about drinking water contamination in order to comprehend the degree to which Hispanic residents are able to understand the issues facing their drinking water and participate in attempts to revise these systems.
My bio: Hi there! I’m from California’s Central Valley, and I received my B.A. in English and B.S. in Sustainability Studies from the University of California, Riverside. Last fall, I started the MES program at Penn and I am concentrating in Environmental Policy. My future plans are to work in policy advocacy and environmental education, with the ultimate goal of making policy work more accessible for everybody.
Maya Halma
Current MES Student
Research project: Maya is interested in how psychological and social factors play into how people think about and act on climate change. For her MES capstone, Maya is working with PCSSM on a research study to determine whether socioeconomic status moderates social norms–what we think is normal or expected behavior in our community–about behaviors that worsen or mitigate or climate change. She hopes the results will lend to a greater understanding of the relationship between socioeconomic status and climate-related behaviors in order to create better-informed messaging around adopting such behaviors.
Bio: Maya is a second-year MES student. Her environmental interests include climate change communication, water management, and climate change mitigation and resilience in urban environments. During her time at Penn, she has interned with Penn’s Office of Sustainability and currently works as a research fellow at The Water Center. Maya has a B.A. in Communication and Social Influence and a B.A. in Spanish from Temple University’s Honors Program.
Krishna Karthikeyan
Current MES Student
Bio: Krishna Karthikeyan (he/they) is a Masters of Environmental Studies candidate at the University of Pennsylvania. He is undertaking an individualized concentration titled Environmental Justice and Social Equity, and is a published academic co-author in research centering intersecting inequalities, counter-hegemonic heat mapping, thermal injustice and disability. His areas of interest include disability environmental justice, ethnic wisdoms for climate adaptation, and platforming queertrans stories for climate justice.
Research Project: “Disabled Realities of Environmental Injustice and Climate Change” is an original qualitative study meant to engage in meaningful listening to disabled community members about their lived and embodied experiences of environmental injustices and climate change. This study aims to bridge the gap between nuanced disabled realities of climate injustices, and existing EJ data related praxis as the latter only factor in disabled communities in quantitative and monolithic capacities. The goal of this study is to derive specific indicators from disabled storytelling and wisdoms that can contribute to the conceptual development of a counter-hegemonic environmental disability justice mapping methodology.