Who Are We?

The DEPP Climate Blog was created by the students of Univ 290: International Climate Policy at Depauw University. We’re spending our semester learning about the history of UN climate conferences, U.S. climate policy, and the upcoming negotiations in Copenhagen. We’ll post opinions on news relevant to the Copenhagen treaty, as well as updates on what we do in class.

Anthony Baratta- Anthony is a junior from Findlay OH and a political science major. He was part of the first year of the DePauw Environmental Project. He traveled with Taylor Cantril to the UNFCCC’s Bonn II in June, and is looking forward to learning about international climate policy. Anthony can do an annoying impression of an ambulance and is prone to tell corny jokes. “I’m really excited to work with students from other countries and wrestle with the toughest issue facing our world today.”

Jacob Bonfield- Jacob is a freshman at DePauw from Danville, IN. He has lived in Atlanta and Boston, and was part of his debate team in high school. “I am am immensely interested in climate policy,international politics, and all things related to law.”

Ryan Brown- Ryan is a senior at DePauw from Park Ridge, Illinois. He created a major at DePauw,  bridging of economics and philosophy together. He also plays saxophone and guitar. “I think with my background it will be most interesting to see the ethical and economic implications of any international climate policy in both the short and long term.”

Taylor Cantril is a junior from Kansas City and was part of the 1st year DePauw Environmental Policy Project. He has been part in about every single environmental activity at DePauw since he got to DePauw, including working as a sustainability intern and co-founding DePauw Energy Wars. He traveled with Anthony to the UNFCCC conference in Germany this past summer. “I am continually exploited by this class for my limited knowledge of technology. I spend too much time editing video and figuring out spreadsheets. Please send help.”

Sumeru Chatterjee- Sumeru is a freshman from Kolkata, India. Sumeru has an extensive background in environmental science and loves to beatbox. His hobby of beatboxing in the shower recently landed him the lead beatboxing in spot in DePauw’s acapella group, DePauwCapella. He is also scheming how to get into the Guiness Book of World Records. “The issue that I care most about is consumer participation in the fight for climate change and how a microscopic approach can lead to a possible solution.”

Constance Ferry- Constance is a lifelong student of the earth and organic herb grower in Greencastle, IN.  She has lived on the land in an effort to learn, grow(literally), and teach  how we as people can live with a smaller footprint and a bigger heart in the world.

Mengxiao Han- Mengxiao is a freshman from Nanjing, China. “I am interested in the global environmental challenge, especially the areas related to China.”

Pucong Han- Pucong Han is a junior at DePauw from Beijing, China.

Tyler Hess is a freshman from Louisville, KY and is integrating himself into the Greencastle community very well. Helping to serve on the city’s Board of Sustainability as well as help with the Community Garden projects, Hess has already spearheaded many changes around campus, in favor of sustainability, in just the short month he has been at DePauw. This is his first year with the DePauw Environmental Policy Project and hope to continue it through all four years.

Khin Khin Hlaing- Khin Khin is a freshman from Yangon, Myanmar. Khin Khin will be blogging primarily in Myanamr on the blog. She is a great artistic and plays Tai-Ji-Quan. “I want to be part of a social transition in my country.”

Kelsey Kauffman- Kelsey is the professor for UNIV 290 and co-taught the first year of the DePauw Environmental Policy Project. Her main expertise is prison reform, but was reluctantly dragged into environmental policy by college kids. Kelsey seems to tell a different unbelievable story about her life every 6-7 days, leaving her students baffled.

Keelin Kelly- Keelin is a senior from Boulder, Colorado. She was part of the first year of DePauw Environmental Policy Project and has written multiple articles on renewable energy policies. She also loves to hike mountains at 14,000 ft. “I am taking the class because environmental policy is addicting.”

Alex Lopatka- Alex is a sophomore and an environmental geoscience major from Silver Spring, MD. He got involved in climate change issues last year in the DePauw Environmental Club and his freshman seminar, “The Examined Life”, and is now working as a DePauw Sustainability intern. Alex is not artistic and can juggle. He likes to ride his bike a lot too. “I am taking this class because climate change is the greatest human challenge the world has ever seen and I want to be right in the middle of it.”

Xinxin Liu- Xinxin is a freshman from China. This past summer she attended the the “International Youth Summit on Energy and Climate Change” in Beijing. She is interested in seeing how the world can work together at the Copenhagen summit. “Climate change cannot be solved by a group of people. It needs the attention of all the world.”

Amy Richmond- Amy is a freshman at DePauw and part of DePauw’s Science Research Fellows. She is originally from Montana but more recently from Bloomington, IN. Amy is more artistic than Alex and loves to sing. “My interest in climate change began early on, growing up in a family that is environmentally conscious.”

Jay Wellik- Jay is a senior from Dallas, Texas and a geology major. He was the class expert on coal and “clean coal” for the first year of the DePauw Environmental Policy Project, and once waited 12 hours before getting to testify at the Indiana statehouse. He is focusing on the role of least developed and developing countries at Copenhagen. “I’m particularly interested in these countries because  it is where I hope to work in the future.”

Yi Wang- Yi is a sophomore at DePauw from China. She enjoys playing the piano, skiing, and enjoying nature when she’s not doing homework. Yi will be working with other Chinese students to blog in Mandarin.