Dylan Bugden graduated from OSU with a Master of Public Policy in 2014. He completed his PhD student at Cornell University in the Department of Natural Resources in 2019 and is now a faculty member in Sociology at Washington State University. His research and teaching interests center on the social movements and the social dimensions of energy use and development.
Virginia Dee Montier-Burke, “Dee”, graduated from Texas A&M with a Bachelors of Science in Marine Biology in 2010. Upon graduation, she accepted a job contracting to NOAA as a North Pacific Groundfish observer, assigned to the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands. After four years at sea, she found a shore side job as a Water and Wastewater Laboratory Manager. In her spare time, she can be found hanging out with her dog, Tonks, or reading a good book. Dee feels privileged to have the opportunity to pursue a Masters of Natural Resources with a specialization in Water Conflict Management and Transformation from Oregon State University. Her Masters project will explore social components of plastic bag bans.
Brianna was born in the Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania but moved to the Pacific Northwest to complete her undergraduate degree. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from Oregon State University. After receiving her degree, Brianna relocated back to Pennsylvania and began working as a teacher and starting an organic vegetable farm. She returned to Oregon State University and earned a Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Natural Resources. Brianna is currently earning her Master of Public Policy degree, with a concentration in Sustainable Natural Resources. Her essay looks at the relationship between the many stakeholders and coalitions involved in Pennsylvania’s attempts to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).
Lauren Anderson graduated from OSU with a Master of Public Policy in 2015. Her area of study focused on energy and environmental policy. Her background is in the field of conservation biology and ecology. She is most interested in facilitating communication between scientists and policy makers, especially regarding environmental management. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, backpacking, and all other outdoorsy adventures. She now works for the National Wildlife Federation in Washington, DC.
Rachel Mooney graduated from University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire with her BSc in Chemistry where she conducted research on atmospheric and physical chemistry. She completed her Master of Public Policy degree in 2021, analyzing public perceptions of LNG export in the Pacific Northwest. She is currently an Analytical Associate at the Climate Action Reserve.
Usman Siddiqi is a Fulbright Ph.D. Candidate at School of Public Policy, Oregon State University. After his Bachelors, Masters, and MPhil in political science with distinctions, he has taught the subject at GC University Lahore, Pakistan, for about 10 years. Apart from teaching, he has served in various capacities including editor of the Journal of Political Science, deputy director of Centre of Excellence China Studies, advisor of Parliamentary Students Society, and focal person of various international conferences. In his Ph.D., he is working on the regulatory politics of energy policy in the US. He is working with Hillary on research related to public adaptation and risk mitigation behaviors/policy support in the wake of extreme weather events.
Lily Butler is from Eugene, Oregon, and studied Natural Resources and Sustainability at Oregon State. She first got interested in sustainability topics when volunteering for the Oregon Natural Desert Association as a teenager. She was also an outreach program assistant for OSU Materials Management and an ASOSU senator. She worked with Hilary on a project exploring community perceptions of microgrids. She went on to graduate studies and the University of Wisconsin.
Alexis earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from North Carolina State University. After working as a transportation engineer for one year, Alexis returned to NC State and earned a Master of Science in Biological & Agricultural Engineering. She then proceeded to work in Alaska for almost two years in both water resources and roadway engineering until she returned to North Carolina. After returning to her home state, she earned her Professional Engineering license and continued to work as a water resources and roadway engineer for seven more years. She earned her Master of Public Policy at Oregon State University in 2021, concentrating in environmental and energy policy. Her essay examined the relation between religious beliefs and perceptions of climate change in the Pacific Northwest. She is currently completing a Hatfield Fellowship with Portland State University.
Ika Widiyasari is a Master of Public Policy student at OSU. She received her Bachelor’s degree in economic statistics from the Institute of Statistics in Jakarta, Indonesia. Prior to coming to OSU, she worked in Indonesia’s Statistics Bureau for almost 7 years. This first-hand awareness of her home country’s impoverished social and economic conditions in remote areas prompted her to pursue a graduate degree in public policy with a focus on rural policy. She worked with Hilary on the community reactions to extreme weather project
Hannah completed her studies at OSU in 2017 with three undergraduate degrees: Anthropology (Biocultural), Sociology, and Religious Studies. In 2015, she received an URSA U-Engage grant to study faculty diversity at American universities on the West Coast and was accepted into OSU’s Department of Anthropology Ethnographic Field School. She worked with Hilary on the community reactions to extreme weather project. Hannah is now pursuing a PhD in rural sociology at Pennsylvania State University.