Stewards Magazine

During a study abroad trip to India as an undergrad, Alison Shereda (MS ’23) had an opportunity to learn from local communities about their experiences with climate change, which enhanced her Sustainability and Development (SusDev) studies at SEAS.

Shereda appreciated SusDev’s international focus and that it gave her the flexibility to take classes in other topics, such as food security and climate adaptation.

“It paired well with other tracks at SEAS,” Shereda notes, “so I was able to also specialize in Environmental Justice and diversify my lens a little bit.”

Shereda is utilizing those different perspectives in her role as a post master’s research associate in the Coastal Sciences Division at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

She studies the social and ecological impacts of renewable energies, particularly emerging ones such as offshore wind and marine energy, on coastal communities along the West Coast.

“Looking at the people side of things is new and something that’s been understudied,” says Shereda. “What’s rewarding is being a part of this novel area of research that has a lot of excitement and enthusiasm, both at the lab and at the federal level. There’s a lot of opportunities to engage with experts across different areas of expertise.”

Shereda says her SEAS capstone project gave her the skills needed to succeed at PNNL given that she works on large projects with multiple collaborators. “Being able to propose a project and see it all the way to its completion is something I draw upon as a researcher at a national lab.”