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Meet Our Summer 2019 Undergraduate Research Fellows
This summer, we are pleased to welcome a cohort of nine Undergraduate Research Fellows to the Bill Lane Center for the American West.
Under the direction of Professor Bruce Cain and Senior Researcher Iris Hui, these students are in the midst of spending ten weeks exploring such topics as air pollution, broadband access and telemedicine in the rural West, water management and funding in California, and automated redistricting in the American West. Their areas of study range from American Studies and History to Computer Science and Symbolic Systems. Please join us in welcoming our young researchers.
Summer 2019 Undergraduate Research Fellows
| Research Fellow | Topic | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sarah Ondak | Photography in the American West |
Photography in the American West
|
| Tanvi Gambhir | Allocation of Water Funding in California |
Using a variety of data sources, Tanvi is examining the allocation and impacts of water funding from Props 50, 84 and 1
|
| Chapman Caddell | Broadband in the Rural West |
Through case studies, Chapman is exploring the reasons behind successes and failures of broadband expansion in the rural West.
|
| Abraham Ryzhik and John Coyle | Environmental Justice |
Using webscraping, Abraham and John are compiling databases of EPA violations in the U.S. to examine spatial inequality in pollution-burden.
|
| Kevin Li | Automated Redistricting |
Kevin is working on a NSF-funded project to explore the implications of using computer-automated algorithms in drawing electoral districts.
|
| Cade Cannedy | Air Quality in Fresno |
Working with the Sean Parker Center, Cade is conducting a field study in Fresno to examine the potential health impacts of wildfire smoke.
|
| Hannah Kelley | Digital Health in the Rural West |
Hannah is exploring inequality in digital healthcare access among disadvantaged populations in rural West.
|
| Shiriel Abramson | Tap Dancing & Environment |
Tap Dancing & Environment
|
Recent Center News
Rollback of protections for roadless areas ignites debate over wildfire management; new concept for managing Colorado River flows proposed amid dwindling reservoirs; domestic policy package threatens Native American and Indigenous communities; agrivoltaics meet resistance from farmers and utilities in Arizona, and more environmental news from around the West.
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Since its founding two decades ago, the Bill Lane Center has become a thriving community of students and researchers who examine the American West in all its complexities.
In 2021, we interviewed Buzz Thompson about a newly-launched California water market, seen primarily as a tool to help farmers hedge against water price increases. Now, Thompson has co-authored a study proposing an "environmental" water market with both economic and ecological value.