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 student research projects.
Undergraduate Research
Elijah Cook
Undergraduate Research Intern Summer 2023
Research Project: Elijah is interested in ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) and corporate sustainability. His project focuses on the communication and messaging surrounding ESG on social media. Elijah finished this project in Fall 2023 and PCSSM will be publishing his report in Spring 2024.
Bio: Elijah Cook is a rising junior at the University of Pennsylvania in the College of Arts and Sciences. Elijah is majoring in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Sustainability and Management. He throws the javelin on the varsity Track and Field team at Penn. Currently he is interning with the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media as well as the Sunrise Project. He is researching Environmental, Social and Governance and the public’s perception of it. Elijah has a love for the outdoors and is interested in our relationship with the natural world, the ways in which humans can drastically alter it as well as preserve it.
Lotus Kaufman
Undergraduate Research Intern Summer 2023
Research Project: Lotus is interested in the polarization and politicization of climate change science and communication. Her project focuses on climate change communication on social media before and after major platform policy changes. Lotus has rolled her Summer 2023 project into her MES Capstone project and will be working with PCSSM to conduct the research.
Bio: Lotus Kaufman is an undergraduate summer research assistant for the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media. She is a rising senior pursuing a B.A. in Communication with a Politics and Policy concentration and submatriculating into the Masters of Environmental Studies program at Penn. Her interests lie in the ways climate communication has contributed to the political polarization of climate change and strategies to bridge the partisan divide.
Julia Pampush
Undergraduate Researcher AY 2023-2024
Research Project: Julia is interested in communicating climate and sustainability issues to the public and policy makers. Her project focuses on communicating the benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to the general public. Learn more about this project here.
Bio: Julia Pampush is an undergraduate research intern for the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media and a rising junior in the College. She is pursuing an Environmental Studies Major with a Concentration in Sustainability and Environmental Management and Design Minor. She has a keen interest in the theory and practicality of designing sustainable, environmentally friendly urban, living and working spaces. Additionally, she is passionate about addressing the challenges and opportunities involved in communicating climate and sustainability issues to the public and policymakers.
Graduate Research
Hannah Schwalberg
MES Student
Research Project: Hannah is interested in weather identity and weather event messaging and communication surrounding hurricanes and extreme weather events in the eastern U.S. Hannah is exploring these topics in her master’s capstone and is projected to graduate from Penn in May 2024.
Bio: Hannah is a Master of Environmental Studies candidate at the University of Pennsylvania, where she developed a concentration in Sustainability and Communications to study how scientific issues are understood by different communities, and how strategic messaging can be used to support sustainability initiatives. With a professional background in digital media strategy, much of Hannah’s research also focuses on the intersection of social media and public perception of climate change. Her current research examines the relationship of regional cultural identity, extreme weather events, and emergency messaging efficacy. Hannah received a B.A in Advertising from The Pennsylvania State University’s Bellisario College of Communications.