PPEH Welcomes New Summer Cohort of Public Research Interns

Zoë Affron

I am a rising sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences studying English and Environmental Studies. I have previously worked as an environmental educator for youth in West Virginia, and I am looking forward to applying that experience to my work with Futures Beyond Refining. I am especially interested in the intersection of urbanism and environmental justice, and as a permanent resident of Center City Philadelphia, I have a particular interest in local urban issues. I am very excited to learn from the perspectives of both neighborhood residents and academic experts on topics ranging from public health to climate change and to spend the summer working with people who share my passion for environmentalism.

Grace Boroughs

I was born and raised in South Africa. I am interested in the ways in which these three subjects are interconnected and can be used to make positive change for the environment. I have worked with the Penn Program in Environmental Humanities and Data Refuge for the past two years and became interested in the lack of attention Philadelphia has paid to rising water levels and air pollution data. I am excited to continue and develop this research.

Isabelle Breier

I am a senior double-majoring in HSOC (Disease and Society) and Medical Anthropology with a minor in English. I have recently completed my anthropology thesis, entitled "The Corporatization and Feminization of American Medicine" and am currently working on my HSOC thesis, entitled “Literature, Medicine, and Caregiving: A Novel Synthesis.” I also conduct anthropological research as Dr. Adriana Petryna's research assistant. I served as the chair of the HSOC Student Advisory Board and volunteer at HUP with Service Link. I am excited to join the Futures Beyond Refining team and continue my work in public health advocacy. 

Daniel Cooper

I’m Daniel Cooper, a rising senior in the College of Arts Sciences from South Jersey studying Environmental Science and English. I’m passionate about environmental issues, especially climate change, and I see the most effective way to get people to take action involves sharing personal stories - because we’re all being affected by climate change. I’ve seen this firsthand through my experience at an environmental nonprofit after working with different community groups and with elected officials to pass legislation in support of climate action.

Connor Scarlett Hardy

I am a rising senior double majoring in Health & Societies and Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies. During my time at Penn, I've enjoyed taking courses that engage with a community outside of Penn’s. Some of my research interests include violence prevention and education. This summer, I look forward to learning more about community-led responses to environmental challenges, and how they interact with PPEH initiatives in the humanities. 

Alexandre Imbot

Alexandre Imbot just graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences completing a degree in Sustainability and Environmental Management with a minor in Economic Policy. As a founding team member of the PPEH Futures Beyond Refining project, he is continuing to co-create, communicate, and improve tools which shape the cleaner, more equitable future we deserve.

Tsemone Ogbemi

Tsemone Ogbemi is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania, majoring in English. She grew up in Lagos, Nigeria and Stavanger, Norway and spent her high school years at a boarding school nestled in the woods of New Hampshire. She has always been interested in the power of language to shape our private and social realities and to either promote or hinder justice. She thinks of language as a flexible medium that adapts itself continuously to various cultures, fields of study, and individual communicators, making it particularly useful as a tool for activism. What sparked her interest in the PPEH was it’s commitment to interdisciplinarity, which she believes is often an important quality of inclusive, accessible, and accurate research on issues related to our environment.

Piotr Wojcik

Piotr Wojcik (C'20) is an urban geographer from Chicago who is interested in maps, information, and social/environmental justice.