Meet the COP 28 Student Ambassadors!
Mohammed Aldulaimi
Mohammed Aldulaimi, born in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) is an Iraqi senior undergrad chemistry student at Khalifa University (KU), U.A.E. Mohammed’s research primarily focuses on the development of new truncated antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) based on natural, larger AMPs. His work addresses the impending multi-drug-resistant bacteria epidemic, predicted to result in 10 million deaths by 2050. His project, under the supervision of Dr. Emilia Oueis, secured 1st place in the pharmaceutical category at the 10th Undergraduate Research Competition hosted by Abu Dhabi University.
Recently, Mohammed established the ACS student chapter at KU, which has successfully engaged over 200 students in various fun and educational events. Besides his research, Mohammed is profoundly passionate about educating and engaging the youth to confront and resolve issues related to climate change. He has recently become an active member of the Green Youth Majlis (GYM) at the Environment Agency in Abu Dhabi, the largest environmental regulator in the Middle East. In his leisure time, Mohammed enjoys delving into new novels and seeking fresh opportunities in hopes of leaving a positive mark on the world.
Recently, Mohammed established the ACS student chapter at KU, which has successfully engaged over 200 students in various fun and educational events. Besides his research, Mohammed is profoundly passionate about educating and engaging the youth to confront and resolve issues related to climate change. He has recently become an active member of the Green Youth Majlis (GYM) at the Environment Agency in Abu Dhabi, the largest environmental regulator in the Middle East. In his leisure time, Mohammed enjoys delving into new novels and seeking fresh opportunities in hopes of leaving a positive mark on the world.
David Baldwin
David Baldwin is a third-year undergraduate student at the Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlantic University (FAU). He is part of the McCoy quantitative ecology laboratory group at the FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, where he utilizes molecular biology techniques and quantitative methods to study parasite lifecycles and food webs in the Indian River Lagoon. His exceptional work earned him the Goldwater Scholarship.
David is also a two-time Yale Conservation Scholar, allowing him to conduct research with the Farmington River Watershed Association on cyanobacteria and E. coli, as well as botany and green infrastructure with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. This program is directed by Dr. Dorceta Taylor, who has mentored David in his professional career and taught him how to investigate the intersections of his work and environmental justice.
Beyond his research endeavors, he serves on the Sustainability Action Committee for his student government and competes on the Model UN team through the Leon Charney Diplomacy Program.
His future plans involve pursuing an M.S. and Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, driven by his passion for exploring the fields of botany, molecular ecology, and natural history. David is also deeply committed to science communication and promoting equitable access to STEM education. In his free time, he enjoys botanizing in natural areas, visiting botanical gardens and natural history museums, and cooking up new recipes.
David is also a two-time Yale Conservation Scholar, allowing him to conduct research with the Farmington River Watershed Association on cyanobacteria and E. coli, as well as botany and green infrastructure with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. This program is directed by Dr. Dorceta Taylor, who has mentored David in his professional career and taught him how to investigate the intersections of his work and environmental justice.
Beyond his research endeavors, he serves on the Sustainability Action Committee for his student government and competes on the Model UN team through the Leon Charney Diplomacy Program.
His future plans involve pursuing an M.S. and Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, driven by his passion for exploring the fields of botany, molecular ecology, and natural history. David is also deeply committed to science communication and promoting equitable access to STEM education. In his free time, he enjoys botanizing in natural areas, visiting botanical gardens and natural history museums, and cooking up new recipes.
Cailey Carpenter
!Cailey Carpenter is a third-year undergraduate at the Georgia Institute in Technology pursuing a major in Chemistry and a minor in Environmental Science. She conducts research on the reductive coupling of carbon monoxide for conversion to fuel sources under the supervision of Dr. Joseph Sadighi. She has also performed research at the University of Oregon developing catalytic cycles for high-value silicon products under the supervision of Dr. Amanda Cook and at Argonne National Laboratory developing electrode materials for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production under the supervision of Dr. Zachary Hood. Cailey is passionate about community outreach in the areas of science and sustainability; she has participated in campus-wide sustainability projects and serves as the president for the Georgia Tech chapter of the Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society. Cailey is especially interested in the intersection of science and policy and hopes to pursue career in chemistry research that works towards developing sustainable energy sources that can be easily implemented through policy. Cailey attended COP 27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt as an ACS-ENVR Student Ambassador and is excited to share her knowledge of the conference with the COP 28 delegates!
Stevie Fawcett
Stevie Fawcett is a senior majoring in microbiology and Spanish, with minors in German and music at Washington State University. His primary focus is on virology research, studying zoonotic disease and virus-host interactions. He also spent the last summer at the University of Toronto studying the role of tumor necrosis factor receptors in cancer and viral immunity. Additionally, Stevie is the chair of WSU’s Environmental Sustainability Alliance, where he oversees multiple sustainability projects on campus. In his free time, he enjoys sports and spending time outdoors.
Tehreem Hussain
Tehreem Hussain is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, GA. She is pursuing a degree in Neuroscience with a minor in the Health, Medicine, and Society program. She has conducted research on silver phosphate complexes and copper nanoparticles in Dr. Joseph Sadighi's organometallics-focused lab group in the past. She is currently conducting research in health economics and policy under the guidance of Dr. Cici McNamara. This past summer, Tehreem conducted research on social determinants of health for cancer survivors at the National Institutes of Health, specifically in the Translational Biobehavioral and Health Disparities Branch with Dr. Lena Lee and Dr. Elisa Son. She is passionate about global health policy and environmental health; on campus, she has participated in the Student Government Association's Public Health Committee, is the Managing Editor of Georgia Tech's student newspaper, and serves as the Vice President of Recruitment for Georgia Tech Student Ambassadors. Tehreem's experiences as a first-generation Pakistani American are tied to her interest in global health policy and she hopes to explore international dialogue on how environmental health is directly related to climate change at COP 28. In her free time, Tehreem enjoys spending time with her friends, reading, and discovering new restaurants.
Steven Labalme
Steven Labalme is a fourth-year at the University of Chicago with a passion for chemistry. He researches sustainable catalysis, running industrially and pharmaceutically important chemical reactions more efficiently and with less waste for economic and environmental gains. Steven has lectured rooms of 350+ students and overseen 20 graduate-student teaching assistants (TAs) as a TA himself. In his South Side Chicago community, he tutors at a local under-resourced, predominantly African-American K-8 school. For his contributions to education and scholarly research, Steven has been recognized nationally as a Goldwater, Astronaut, American Chemical Society, Great Minds in STEM, and Hispanic Scholarship Fund Scholar. Steven is a former Varsity AAA ice hockey player and an avid runner. He spends his remaining free time zooming around Chicago on the ‘L’ with his long-time girlfriend, exploring new neighborhoods and cuisines.
Chia-Chun Angela Liang
Angela (Chia-Chun) is a PhD candidate at the UCI Earth System Science Department. Her research focuses on better quantifying the Antarctic ice loss and its contribution to sea level using remote sensing, ground observations, and models. Besides her academic work, Angela is passionate about a science diplomacy (e.g., United Nations) and/or a foreign service career. Born and raised in a small coastal village in Taiwan, an island country that faces the challenge of rising sea levels, Angela understands the importance of advocating for evidence-based policy and is dedicated to bringing more science into the policy world on the international level, especially on climate change topics. Angela has experience working with international environmental NGOs and she understands the UNFCCC processes. Currently, Angela is the Science and Technology Advisor at Open Dialogues International Foundation. In addition, she is a co-founder of the Science Policy and Advocacy Network at UC Irvine (a chapter of the National Science Policy Network) and served as president. She is also a Voice for Science Fellow at the American Geophysical Union in 2022.
Erika Lopez Lara
Erika López Lara received her bachelor’s degree in Nanotechnology and Chemical Sciences from Tecnologico de Monterrey and her dual master’s in Materials Science from University of Montpellier and University of Turin. She researched technologies for carbon capture and sequestration, biomaterials, and polymeric membranes for water electrolysis.
During her major, Erika founded W.E.E.D.S an NGO based in Mexico that aims to make sustainability accessible for everyone. Their projects include a program for sustainable entrepreneurship, research and development of low-impact daily products, climate literacy for low-income children, social media activism, among other activities. Throughout the years, this organization have impacted thousands of people with the projects and formed many alliances. She is also a climate leader and mentor for people in Mexico and the United States at the Climate Reality Project. Due to her activism activities, she has been a speaker in over 20 conferences including platforms such as TEDx and the European Union.
Currently, she is a first-year graduate student in Professor Paul Weiss’ group, where she is studying the development of healthier and sustainable protein sources. Her aim is to contribute with her work to tackle the environmental challenges we are facing. During her free time she enjoys yoga, traveling and doing hikes with her family.
During her major, Erika founded W.E.E.D.S an NGO based in Mexico that aims to make sustainability accessible for everyone. Their projects include a program for sustainable entrepreneurship, research and development of low-impact daily products, climate literacy for low-income children, social media activism, among other activities. Throughout the years, this organization have impacted thousands of people with the projects and formed many alliances. She is also a climate leader and mentor for people in Mexico and the United States at the Climate Reality Project. Due to her activism activities, she has been a speaker in over 20 conferences including platforms such as TEDx and the European Union.
Currently, she is a first-year graduate student in Professor Paul Weiss’ group, where she is studying the development of healthier and sustainable protein sources. Her aim is to contribute with her work to tackle the environmental challenges we are facing. During her free time she enjoys yoga, traveling and doing hikes with her family.
Benjamin Shindel
Benjamin Shindel is a PhD candidate in the research group of Professor Vinayak Dravid at Northwestern University. His research focuses on developing adsorbent materials for applications in water remediation, resource recovery, and carbon capture. Benjamin is also a graduate fellow with the Brady Scholars Program in Ethics and Civil Life at Northwestern, where he mentors a cohort of undergraduate students as they develop service projects in the city of Evanston. He has mentored REU students and Chicago area high school teachers for three summers through the NNCI's SHyNE resource at Northwestern, and is an alumnus of the NNCI's Science Outside the Lab program in Washington, DC. In his free time, Benjamin constructs crossword puzzles, writes short stories, and plays pickup basketball.
Hao Nick Zhang
Nick is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Dr. Shoji Hall’s Group in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. As an NSF Graduate Research fellow, his research focuses on carbon utilization using electrochemical methods. The goal of the project is to design processes to recycle greenhouse gasses with high degrees of tunability and efficiency so it can mitigate the effect of climate change. Outside the research, Nick involves in multiple leadership and advocacy positions, including serving as the president of the Johns Hopkins Electrochemistry Society, VP of the Materials Society, and on the Executive Board of the JHU Graduate Student Organization. In addition, Nick is a science diplomacy coordinator at Hopkins Science Policy Group, focusing on science policy & diplomacy projects relating to science collaboration, climate change, and policies. Before starting his Ph.D., Nick obtained B.S. in Chemical Engineering from UC Berkeley. He was a research fellow at Berkeley and Brookhaven National Labs, working on bio-imaging and battery projects, respectively. He has also worked in AgTech and BioTech in Silicon Valley before coming to Hopkins. In his free time, Nick enjoys traveling, live shows, hiking, standup paddleboarding, and kayaking around the Maryland-D.C. area.
