Sarah Braverman, energy enthusiast and recent graduate

Alumni Spotlight: Sarah Braverman, energy enthusiast and recent graduate

Sarah Braverman is an energy expert and recently graduated from the MPA-ESP program at Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs. This is an accelerated one-year public administration master’s degree program in environmental science and policy.Since graduating in April last year, Sarah has joined Carbon directAs a client project manager, “provide scientific consulting services and investment capital for carbon removal and utilization of the ecosystem”. This privately-owned startup is based in New York City and focuses on advising clients on carbon removal or carbon capture projects and assessing the quality of the projects based on internal standards. The office is located in New York City, but its employees are located all over the world, including full-time professors and faculty from leading universities focused on climate change and carbon capture.

Although Sarah Braverman is still a novice in this position, she has used the skills and knowledge she has acquired in the MPA-ESP program to understand the environmental science and terminology of her project and use it effectively Communicate to customers. Her work also includes policy research. This is where her passion lies. She understands how policies affect customer markets. So far, she has found that her work is very rewarding and recognizes that the MPA-ESP program has improved her research skills and environmental policy knowledge. In her free time, Sara enjoys hiking, running and watching live music performances. She grew up in New York City, but still likes to explore Manhattan, and is also a volunteer for the New York Alumni Association of Mount Holyoke College.

Before joining the 2021 MPA-ESP program, Sarah graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies in 2017. During her undergraduate study, she was able to conduct research on the Mojave Desert in California, focusing on ecosystems and water resources management. The purpose of this research is to create a map model in GIS that applies layers to ecosystems, plants, animals, and terrain to further study the impact of climate change. After graduating in 2017, Sarah received a scholarship to continue her studies. Arava Environmental Research Institute As a researcher. During this scholarship, she worked at the Transboundary Water Resources Management Center and developed a local governance model for off-grid water use. She also assisted the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in projects with Israeli and Palestinian date farmers. While abroad, she was particularly interested in solving the climate crisis while supporting international cooperation, in this case cooperation between Israel and Palestine. After receiving the scholarship, Sarah served as the project assistant and university relations manager of the Arava Institute, giving other students the opportunity to conduct research and study in the project.

Sarah wanted to continue her studies after graduating from Arava College and began her graduate study journey. She wants a plan that not only addresses environmental laws or policies, but also integrates environmental science with policy and public administration. Here, she discovered SIPA’s MPA-ESP plan. Sarah was also attracted by the integration of this project with the Earth Institute. SIPA’s global connections and attention were a major positive factor in her decision to come to Columbia University. Personally, she likes that the project is located in the center of New York and close to home.

When looking at all the different areas that could result from working with the environment, Sarah discovered that she was interested in the field of water management. However, with her previous research and experience in water resources and management, Sarah believes that her knowledge of other environmental issues can also be expanded.For her workshop courses, the focus of summer and autumn courses is how U.S. Department of Defense Decarbonization can be achieved by investing in renewable energy, and her team is able to examine large-scale energy use and renewable energy. This prompted Sarah and some other members of the MPA-ESP 2021 class to create an energy innovation, technology and policy committee. The committee convened several experts to let them know about different forms of energy, from coal and nuclear energy to oil. Sarah said, “No matter which field you end up in, it is important for me and my classmates to understand the issues in various fields of energy infrastructure.”

Continuing this energy focus, Sarah also has the opportunity to become a graduate research officer at Columbia University. Global Energy Policy CenterDuring this position, her research focuses on zero-carbon fuel alternatives and decarbonization policies. Carbon Management Research Program At the suggestion of Dr. Julio Friedmann.This allowed her to study hydrogen and ammonia fuels as sustainable alternatives to hydrocarbon fuels and Release fact sheet On these topics. For one of her elective courses, Sarah was also able to learn about urban sustainability and examine environmental regulations at the local level.

In the spring semester, Sarah was the deputy manager of the Applied Earth System and Policy Analysis Workshop.The focus of this seminar is the general management of reducing HFC and greenhouse gas emissions National Resources Protection CommitteeAs she gained knowledge about project management, she found this seminar course to be one of her favorite courses in Colombia. She found that the intense nature of the research in the seminar also allowed her to understand her peers on a professional and personal level.

In addition to the spring semester seminar, Sarah also participated in a global energy policy course taught by Tom Moerenhout. This course provides students with a general understanding of energy policies around the world, especially the interaction and internal operation of energy markets. Her favorite memory of the course is a speaker discussing the past, present and future of the oil oligopoly.

Sarah kept her options when she started looking for a job. She originally wanted to join the public sector, but once in the process of finding a job, she became interested in the private sector. She mentioned that she was shocked by how certain companies are leading change to create a better environmental future. Her advice to future graduates is not to limit yourself to specific fields. She is still studying private sector policies and realizes that you can find your passion in any field. Her last word to other students is to keep you hope and find something you like, and you don’t need to be tied to a specific interest, company or field—there are several possibilities.

Finally, Sarah reviewed her three most memorable moments in the ESP program:

• “Moving in with other students in the MPA-ESP project is a great gift, and I will never take it back. I found it to be a great resource and experience because I lived with people of similar time, and at the time There are similar life experiences.”
• “Professor Park accidentally swallowed a fly in front of the camera and had to continue the class afterwards. This is one of the most interesting memories I have spent in this program. I really enjoy spending those intensive summer semesters. Happy moments.”
• “Queues and social activities are experiences that I will never forget. Although the summer semester is virtual to my classmates, due to the pandemic, social activities such as virtual happy hours remain in some of the most challenging moments of our lives. High spirits are doing a great job. The world is changing. We don’t know what is happening in the world, our academia and our surroundings, but the people in the project are so supportive and unremittingly optimistic. I am my team and We are very proud of how we overcome so many challenges and obstacles during our time at Columbia University.”

Michael Bannon is a 2021 alumnus of the Environmental Science and Policy Project MPA.

If you are interested in learning more about the MPA-ESP program, please contact Assistant Director Stephanie Hoyt (sah2239@columbia.edu).