Susan Allen-Gil
Professor
I have been teaching environmental science at Ithaca College for the last 10 years. I have been involved in taking students to study environmental issues in the Arctic, Costa Rica, Mexico, Belize and Ukraine, but this is the first time I have had the opportunity to teach the international environmental policy course and take students to this convention. Much of my scientific research has been in the Arctic where the consequences of climate change are both immediate and severe. In addition to studying the science and policy of climate change, our class has been very involved in raising awareness and education about climate change. We are hoping to continue this trajectory in our COP15 public opinion poll together with Dickinson College.
Nate Bates
Nate is a senior Environmental Studies student from Galway, NY with a concentration in Environmental Policy and Advocacy. On campus, Nate serves as co-president for the Ithaca College Environmental Society as well as the student coordinator for the Resource and Environmental Management Program. For the past two summers, Nate has worked on designing a program for REMP to promote local environmental awareness in incoming first year students of Ithaca College. Some of his interests outside of class involve food and food politics, as well as human equality issues.
Chris Bodkin
Chris is a Junior Politics major from Bradford New Hampshire. Last year Chris represented Ithaca College at the annual Model United Nations Conference at Harvard, representing Italy, he discussed sustainable development in rural and urban sectors throughout the world. In his spare time Chris likes to snowboard, play soccer, baseball, lacrosse, and write his personal thesis called the Apotheosis of the Individual
Siobhan Cavanagh
Siobhan is a sophomore Cinema and photography major at Ithaca College. She has a concentration in cinema production and a minor in theater. Siobhan s currently on the executive board of the Ithaca College Environmental Society as publicity coordinator. She has attended Powershift 09 and helped to organize the Ithaca College 350 Day of Action event. Siobhan has held internship positions with Industry Film School, the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival, and currently interns at Photosynthesis Productions. She will be attending the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Convention in Copenhagen Denmark.
Paige Davis
Paige Davis is a senior Environmental Studies major with a concentration in Public Policy. She also has minors in Legal Studies and Honors. Paige is from Dryden, New York, right outside of Ithaca. She had the opportunity to study abroad in London in the spring of 2009, where she had an internship at the CarbonNeutral Company. She has also collected data to calculate Ithaca College's Greenhouse Gas Inventory, which was utilized to help determine how the College can attain carbon neutrality. Paige works as a Teaching Assistant to a professor in the Legal Studies department, and she plans to attend law school next fall. She also attended the UNFCCC in Poznan, Poland last year and is thrilled to have the opportunity to attend again this year in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Patrick DiCiaccio
Patrick DiCiaccio, originally from Rochester, NY, is an alumnus of Ithaca College, class of 2008. At Ithaca, he studied biology with an emphasis in ecology, and took advantage of much of his program’s offerings. Along with a Natural Resources and Sustainability course, he traveled to Ecuador where he studied Spanish, social policy, and sustainable micro-enterprises. Upon his return, Patrick began his seven months of genetics research on the Solanaceae plant family in regard to pests. He then attended the United Nations Conference of the Parties 14 in Poznan as an Ithaca College Student Delegate along with the International Environmental Policy course. Today, Patrick is working with this year’s Policy course students in preparation for attending COP 15 in Copenhagen. He is also implementing a recycling project in his community, preparing for a Native Plant Restoration Project in the Santa Monica Mountains, and working on his Masters applications for Environmental Management and Social Policy.
Keegan Ebbets
Keegan is a junior Environmental Studies major, from Hatfield, Massachusetts. Keegan is concentrating is Sustainability and Environmental Policy. This fall Keegan has been working an internship with the Tompkins County Energy Conservation Corps, doing home energy audits and subsequent follow-up visits with some of the most influential people in the Ithaca community. Next semester Keegan will be studying sustainable development and European environmental policy at the University of Amsterdam. In his spare time, Keegan enjoys hiking, skiing, playing soccer, and reading fine literature.
Ryan Ginja
Ryan is a junior business administration major with a concentration in marketing and a minor in writing. Originally from New Hampshire, his main focus is evaluating how a business affects the environment locally, nationally, and internationally. This past summer he held a Marketing and Events internship at the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, where he planned and coordinated events and marketed the downtown atmosphere to the community. Throughout the years, Ryan has had the ability to travel through various countries such as France, Spain, Portugal, and Holland, where he has experienced many different cultures. In addition to European culture, he has volunteered twice with Habitat for Humanity in the Mississippi Delta, one of the most impoverished regions of the country. He looks forward to gaining a wealth of knowledge about foreign perspectives on climate change in Copenhagen and being able to use his past experiences to better understand where many countries are coming from.
Michelle Honan
Michelle Honan is a junior Culture and Communication major and Anthropology minor from Ridgewood, New Jersey. She is concentrating on International and Intercultural communication. In the past two years, she has worked as an intern for the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival (FLEFF) and traveled to Tanzania to teach English. Next semester she plans to study language and culture in Ferrara, Italy. At Ithaca College, she is a member of the Women's Rugby team, the Free the Slaves club, and the IC Ride Ski and Snowboard club. Michelle also enjoys playing soccer, reading, and traveling.
Alexis Izor
Alexis Izor is a junior sociology major with minors in politics and environmental studies. Alexis is originally a Cincinnati, Ohio native. She became extremely interested in climate change only in the last few years, but has quickly become involved in many climate-related activities. Alexis interned at an NGO working on their energy program, where she attended congressional hearings and briefings and lobbied representatives to remove nuclear loan guarantees from the stimulus bill. She is currently a student intern on the Tompkins County Conservation Corps, a pilot program that seeks to increase residential energy efficiency and put pressure on local, state, and federal legislations to adopt 'greener' policies. As a result of these activities and this International Environmental Policy class, Alexis plan to pursue a career in environmental policy.
Sofia Johnson
Sofia Johnson is a sophomore Environmental Studies major from Holland Patent, NY. Sofia is concentrating in Outdoor and Environmental Education. For the past two years, she has worked with Ithaca Dining Services as their Sustanaibility Intern where she has aided in energy audits, student education, and event planning. This fall Sofia has been working an internship with the Tompkins County Energy Conservation Corps, doing home energy audits and subsequent follow-up visits with some of the most influential people in the Ithaca community. Sofia's focus this fall is to develop a language to help renters and landlords in the greater Ithaca area begin converstaions about home retrofits. In her spare time, Sofia enjoys being outdoors, playing field hockey, riding her dirtbike, and spending time with family.
Kimberly La Reau
Kimberly La Reau is a Senior Sociology major, with a concentration in Gender Studies, and minors in French and Honors. She has experience with coalition building, community organizing, and event planning. This past summer, she interned with Greenpeace in Burlington, Vermont where she worked at the grassroots level on a nuclear campaign specific to the community. In the spring, she attended PowerShift09, where she was able to be an activist and received environmental leadership training. Last January, she also traveled to Costa Rica to learn about sustainability and social justice. Kim is excited to attend the UN Conference in Copenhagen and to be a part of this important international event.
Rick Otis
In his recent role at the Environmental Protection Agency as Deputy Associate Administrator for the Office of Policy, Economics, and Innovation, Rick was part of the senior management team responsible for the agency’s policy, rulemaking, and innovation activities. During his thirty years in Washington DC, Rick has developed an extensive understanding of the mechanisms used by federal agencies, Congress, the Executive Office of the President, and interest groups to establish and implement national environmental policy. His experience with these mechanisms, existing environmental laws, the federal regulatory process, and the transformational value of information technology has fostered his interest in the evolution of federal, state, and corporate environmental programs.
Mihir Parikh
Mihir is a senior Environmental Studies major, politics minor from Acton, Massachusetts. Mihir is concentrating in environmental justice and policy, and has been recently working in the green technology field. For the past two summers he has been interning with Greentech Media, an online media company producing market research in renewable technologies. Mihir is continuing his work with Greentech Media from Ithaca, producing a monthly newsletter and research on photovoltaic solar technology. Mihir spent his last semester abroad in Barcelona, Spain and has some exposure to the Spanish approach to climate change. Mihir has done some work with state legislators and has some exposure to policy work and is looking forward to experiencing the international angle.
Shannon Reilly
Shannon is a senior Communication Management and Design major with an Art History minor from New York Mills, NY. She is an Assistant Operations Manager for Residential Life where she has planned, designed and implemented a "Go Green" program for the residence halls. She is currently working on an independent study researching the affects and impacts of media on the environmental movement. After an early graduation in December, she hopes to volunteer with GreenPeace, and train for a marathon with Team in Training before beginning her Masters in Environmental Studies and Policy next fall. Shannon hopes to increase her knowledge and interest of environmental media at the Convention in the Parties in Copenhagen this December.
Molly Schimpff
Molly Schimpff is a Junior English major with a minor in Politics and Italian from Wynnewood, PA. After taking several international relations classes through the Politics department and international literature classes through the English department, she developed an interest in international relations. Through her internships with Project LookSharp and the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival she became aware of climate change as an global issue. After learning more about international policy through her International Environmental Policy class, she is anxious to experience first hand how the United Nations and national leaders create an international treaty!
Pete Siciliano
Peter is a sophomore Environmental Science major and part-time music student from Alcove, NY, and is hoping to design a concentration centered around renewable energy, in particular wind or solar power. He has been involved with several on-campus research projects, researching areas such as "ghost" energy in the dorms, as well as unintended or wasted electricity and power usage. He also plans to become involved with the natural land conservation at Ithaca and to hopefully study abroad in the near future. In his spare time, he enjoys skiing, soccer, being outside, intramurals, and being involved with music. He is extremely excited for the Copenhagen confrence in December and is looking forward to the opportunity to see how the climate change movement will come together on a global scale.
Margot Spiker
Margot Spiker is a junior Health Policy Studies major with a minor in Environmental Studies from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She believes that health and the environment are very much intertwined making the policies surrounding these issues very crucial. In the past three years Margot has vastly expanded her knowledge of environmental subjects. She was an intern for the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival and she has earned a certification from the Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute. Her interest in policy making and sustainability have led her to the Convention of the Parties in Copenhagen where she is excited to witness political discussions in action. This summer Margot hopes to intern for Sustainable South Bronx, an organization dedicated to "greening the ghetto".
Meghan Swope
Meghan is a junior Communication Management and Design student from DuBois, Pennsylvania. She has worked for Sunny 106.5 WDSN FM in DuBois, and is currently the Web Editor of Ithaca College’s Fuse Magazine. Meghan spent this past summer interning with international communications firm Fleishman-Hillard in Washington, D.C. While at Fleishman, she worked on the U.S. Army’s Operation Tribute to Freedom campaign, honoring Soldiers who have bravely served our country. Her time in the greater D.C. community also sparked an interest in policy making, and she is looking forward to observing U.N. negotiations firsthand in Copenhagen. Meghan spent the spring 2009 semester studying abroad in Sydney, Australia. While there, she swam in the waters of one of the seven natural wonders of the world during a visit to the Great Barrier Reef, traversed through the desert of the Australian Outback, and observed the majestic landscapes of neighboring New Zealand. These experiences opened her eyes to the true beauty of another part of the world, and she hopes that climate change action will help preserve these locations for future generations.
Allison Walker
Allison is a senior Business Administration major with a double concentration in Marketing and International Business and a minor in Spanish. She currently manages the Student Services Team at the Deans' Office in the School of Business. She is President of the Women in Business Network and Chair of Marketing for the Peer Advisor Organization. She has coached and captained the Women's Club Frisbee Team for the past two years. After graduation, Allison is planning on attending Stanford for her PhD in Marketing.
Becky Webster
Becky Webster is a junior double major in Environmental Studies and Journalism and an active member of the IC community. She is a President's Host tour guide for the school, the lead student worker for the Environmental Studies program, and a member of the IC's Resource and Environmental Management Program (or REMP). After her freshman year, Becky had the opportunity to intern with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, with their magazine The Conservationist. This past summer, she spent her first month in New Zealand with the International Student Volunteer Program, doing conservation work and learning about the NZ culture. Now, back on campus, she continues to pursue her goals of becoming an environmental journalist, writing environmental-based stories for the school newspaper, The Ithacan, and keeping an environmental blog. She is eager is be an observer at the UN conference in Denmark and even more eager to use the media to relay important information to campus and nationwide readers!
Maria Winters DiMarco
Maria is a junior Integrated Marketing Communications major and International Communications minor at Ithaca College. Her interests include sustainable food development, public communication, and traveling. She is a member of the Slow Foods chapter at Ithaca College and hopes to study food, culture and communications after she graduates. She will be attending the United Nations Climate Change Convention in Copenhagen, Denmark this December and will be studying abroad next semester in Florence, Italy.
