Your Action Counts

The Climate Club aims to create an inclusive space for everyone to learn about climate, sustainability, and environmental health.

All you need is curiosity.

  • We aim to improve science and health literacy by providing digestible information on climate, sustainability, and environmental health.

  • We deliver evidence-based and non-biased information, so you can learn from different perspectives.

  • We engage our readers with content that encourages critical thinking and active reasoning.

  • Our articles represent unique perspectives across the world and empower young scholars to voice their ideas.

Meet the Team

  • Zhiru Wang

    FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

  • Ahana Gupta

    DIRECTOR OF MARKETING

  • Michaela McElroy

    DIRECTOR OF FUNDRAISING

  • Dominick Festagallo

    CO-LEAD CONTENT EDITOR

  • Marissa Merkt

    CO-LEAD CONTENT EDITOR

  • Jackson Zeiler

    LEAD CONTENT DEVELOPMENT

Advisory Board

Board of Directors

  • Stephanie Berger

    President

  • Maricela Ureño, MPH

    Secretary

  • Maryann Perez

    Treasurer

  • Anita Solaman

    Anita Solaman

    Strategic Planning & Nonprofit Financial Management

Content Writers

  • Jackson is a second-year MPH student and the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, pursuing a certificate in Environmental Health Policy in the Environmental Health Sciences department. He is passionate about wildfire mitigation strategies, conservation, and environmental justice issues related to access to green spaces. Jackson has worked previously on the funding side of public health non-profits, as well as in international education. He graduated in 2015 from the University of Colorado Boulder with a degree in International Relations. At Mailman, he is the current Vice President for Community Outreach for the school’s Students for Environmental Action group, the only student group dedicated to promoting environmental initiatives at the school and among the student body.

  • As a Master in Public Health from Dartmouth and a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies (concentration in Global Health and Development) from UC Berkeley, Kaavya believes in working towards achieving a sustainable and equitable healthcare system worldwide! She has a passion for the intersection of public health, design, communications, and healthcare policy.

    Her scientific writing and research include topics regarding global health, social determinants, equity, education, and healthcare worker migration.

    To connect with Kaavya, feel free to reach out to her via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaavya-venkat/

  • I am Kelley Wells, a graduate student attending Liberty University pursuing my Master of Public Health with a specialization in Environmental Health. I possess a Master of Science in Environmental Management and a Master of Science in Healthcare Administration from the University of Maryland Global Campus. I attended Louisiana State University A and M College where I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Management Systems and a Bachelor of Science in Geography.
    I have a diverse background in healthcare as a medical reviewer and analyst, environmental health and safety as a researcher, and project management as a data analyst and coordinator. I love learning about public health, environmental health and safety, healthcare, and wellness promotion. I believe in a healthy lifestyle, eating nutritious food, and having good physical activity. My passion is helping to better communities by educating people about health and wellness and environmental issues, finding ways to decrease health disparities, and addressing social determinants of health.

  • Dhruv is an award-winning medical doctor (MBBS BSc (Hons)) based in London. He has previously
    worked with the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, and Eco Medics.

    His research interests include climate change and health, education, social equity, policy, and global health.

    Please feel free to contact Dhruv on LinkedIn.

  • Mary is a second-year MPH student at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. She is pursuing a certificate in Climate and Health in the Environmental Health Sciences department. She is interested in the health risks from climate change, strategies for climate change adaptation and mitigation, and policies to advance population health equity. She graduated from Hamilton College in 2019 with a degree in Biology and coursework in Anthropology and Classical Studies.

  • Yeque (Sissi) is a current MPH student She has a certificate in Applied Biostatistics with a BS in Clinical/Medical Technology. Environmental health and safety, data analysis, cancer research, epidemiological studies, health promotion/ illness prevention, and health policy are some of her key interests.

  • Julia will be graduating this year in May from Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health. Her master’s degree concentration focuses on Population and Family Health, and she is passionate about addressing health discrimination and social equity. In addition to her academic specialty, Julia has interests in a variety of public health topics that she is pursuing an intersectional certificate in the Environmental Health Sciences Department. In her free time, she enjoys fitness (she's a burpee-jump killer), cooking, learning history, practicing Chinese traditional calligraphy, and traveling.

  • Abheri is a fourth year undergraduate student studying psychobiology at UCLA and is on the pre-medical track. She is passionate about health and science literacy as well as the intersection between environmentalism and public health. She hopes to practice sustainability in clinical medicine. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hiking, and running.

  • Eleanor is an incoming Epidemiology PhD student planning on studying the health impacts of maternal and child environmental exposures. She recently graduated with an MPH in Environmental Health Sciences. She is passionate about climate resilience, environmental justice, and science communication. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music and going on dog walks.

  • Eshani is a recent graduate of Columbia University where she earned her Master of Public Health from the Department of Sociomedical Sciences and a Certificate in Environmental Health Policy in 2022. Prior to her graduate studies, Eshani earned her Bachelor’s in International Relations and Psychology from American University in Washington, D.C, and worked for an international development consulting firm on USAID’s largest ever global health project. Eshani is passionate about studying the nexus of social and environmental determinants of health in vulnerable communities impacted by climate change. She currently works in healthcare consulting in New York City.

  • Tanya Isaac, a native of Bangalore, India, has over 4 years of research experience in the field of environmental health sciences. She obtained a Master of Public Health in Environmental Health Sciences with a specialization in Climate and Health from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. During her time there she worked as a research assistant with Dr. Maya Deyssenroth analyzing the metagenomic composition of contaminated lakes. Tanya is extremely interested on the effects of climate change on water and sanitation (WASH) and the resulting health effects. She has experience working in the field having performed WASH and food for peace program evaluations for USAID in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and has also consulted on healthcare strengthening in India during the peak of COVID-19. Prior to that, Tanya graduated as a Newcomb Scholar with a B.S. in Public Health and Psychology from Tulane University in 2020.

  • Sarah is a recent MPH graduate from the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health with a focus in Environmental Health Sciences and a certificate in Environmental Health Policy. With four years of teaching experience, she is passionate about communicating the complex scientific concepts of climate change and environmental health to the general public. Beyond EHS, she is interested in sustainable development and new, innovating strategies emerging around the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

  • Christina graduated May 2022 from Columbia University with a Master of Public Health in Environmental Sciences and a certificate in Infectious Disease Epidemiology. Prior to graduate school, she worked as a Public Health Nurse at the NYC Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene where her work included COVID-19 research and measles surveillance. She is passionate about ecology, zoonotic diseases, and health communications. In her free time, she can be found volunteering at NYC's only wildlife rehabilitation center (Wild Bird Fund) or at various botanical gardens.

  • Hello! I am from Providence, Rhode Island and recently graduated from Dartmouth College where I majored in Environmental Earth Sciences and Science Communication.  At Dartmouth, I studied community climate change, risk, and resilience from an interdisciplinary lens. I have been involved in both natural science and social science research projects, including ice core chemistry analysis and Arctic research social network analysis. I am excited to use writing, data visualization, and studio art to translate complex climate topics and make science more accessible to public audiences.

  • Alex is a fourth-year medical student and aspiring pediatrician at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. He’s currently on a research year dedicated to environmental health. Prior to medical school, he studied public health at the Ohio State University (2018) and worked as a grants associate in Guatemala through the Princeton in Latin America fellowship. In his free time he likes to make ice cream and hike (combine both for the perfect day).

  • Andrew is a second-year MPH student at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, pursuing a degree in the Epidemiology Department and a Certificate in Climate & Health. He pursued an MPH to better understand how climate change influences population health and is specifically interested in studying air pollution exposure, disaster management and adaptation, and infectious disease patterns. He graduated from UCLA in 2020 with a degree in Neuroscience and a minor in Global Health. He enjoys rowing, doing crossword puzzles, and reading in his free time.

  • Ben is a staff researcher in environmental health sciences at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, where he received his MPH in 2021. He writes mostly about climate change, health, and geopolitics. You can connect with Ben on LinkedIn.

  • Cameron recently graduated with a Master of Science in Healthcare Research from Dartmouth College. Prior to Dartmouth he attended the University of Oregon where he majored in Human Physiology and concentrated in metabolism, exercise physiology, and biological anthropology. Cameron is passionate about preventative medicine and tackling environmental contaminants associated with our ever-developing world. He is also an avid rock climber, runner, and cyclist.

  • My name is Michelle Rozenfeld, and I am a rising highschool junior in the culinary/hospitality academy at the Bergen County Academies. I have a large passion for using writing to convey the need for action for planetary health, as well as learning the environmental law and building resilience from weather disasters. I recently made a petition for the protection of my town’s citizens from the impending implosion of the Nabisco building. My work with members of my community helped contribute to the cancellation with over one-thousand signs to our petition. I am always looking to explore more opportunities of the vast sector we refer to as climate change, such as learning about climate photography, internal displacement, international policy with the United Nations, and water quality. I enjoy conducting interviews and hope to meet more influential individuals in the green sector as I write a book on green careers for high school students. I want to continue to use the techniques I gleaned from the Climate Change, Disasters, and Recovery: Introduction to Community Planning for Resilience course at Columbia University, as well as my journalism skills from the School of The New York Times, to provide worthwhile and educational articles for the layperson.

    I am always available on linked in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle5555

  • As a writer, Annelise enjoys writing about sustainability and environmental conservation. She obtained a Master of Environmental and Resource Management from the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus–Senftenberg, with a specialization in sustainability in agriculture. Apart from writing and research, Annelise is passionate about all aspects of environmentalism, including policy and the promotion of environmental awareness in the general public.

  • Jessica is a recent graduate from the University at Buffalo, where she earned her masters in Sustainability Leadership and previous bachelor’s in Environmental Geoscience. Her key interests include addressing and analyzing scientific misinformation through the intersection of theological and political means. She’s also passionate about a just transition to clean energy, sustainable development, advocating for equity, and environmental justice in general. She hopes to use her knowledge and passion to influence policy through community involvement and scientific research. Jessica spends much of her free time with her pets and being involved in cat rescue. She enjoys hiking, camping, music, and good beer.

Editors

  • Katie is entering her senior year at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and will be graduating with a degree in English-Creative Writing. Her stories, essays, and poetry have been published in The Muse, The Flame, and elsewhere.

    She has joined the climate club as an editor and looks forward to helping bring awareness to that which is threatening the health of our current environment.

  • Sophia Riley is a graduate of Asbury University, where she double majored in creative writing and art & design. She is passionate about conservation and making important topics accessible to children through story. She has illustrated three books, including one she wrote for a local Japanese garden, and is working on publishing a novel. She currently lives in northern Illinois.

    Sophia’s Instagram: @purely.sophia and @purely.sophia.studios

  • Lily Weitner is a student at UW-Whitewater studying communications and creative writing. She is editing for The Climate Club in the hopes learn more about the environmental crisis and meet likeminded individuals.

  • Dominick has been writing and editing for websites for almost a decade, and for academic institutions for even longer. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Archaeology from Brooklyn College and continues to keep up with how ancient weather patterns affected human behavior and adaptations. He has joined The Climate Club as an editor to help refine its messages of environmental awareness and protection.

  • My name is Savannah Anderson, and I work as a Content Editor for The Climate Club! I recently completed my Bachelor’s Degree in English and am very passionate about writing and editing. In college, I was the Editor-in-Chief of my school’s literary magazine along with a writing consultant. I joined The Climate Club because I wanted to use the skills I’ve gained over the years to help make important information more accessible to the general reader.

Marketing & Branding

Art & Visuals

  • Eve is an illustrator/motion designer based in New York City. She specializes in visual design and art direction. Eve graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design with a BFA degree in Illustration and later went to Maryland Institute College of Art for her MA in Illustration.

    In the past few years, she created illustrations and designs for a number of companies: The New Yorker, Boston Globe, Rimowa, Believer Magazine, The Tokyoiter, New York Time Kids, Circket, Realm Magazine, Astra Magazine, Chinese Campus Literature Magazine.

    Check out her website to learn more: https://www.eveliu.com/

  • Maisie Conrad-Poor is a rising senior at Lawrence University, majoring in Studio Art, minoring in Environmental Studies and studying violin performance. She has a strong interest in science communication. Much of her artwork focuses on ecosystems, emotional connections to the natural world and the lesser known stories of small creatures.

    Her watercolor paintings have appeared in The Illustrator, an on - campus zine. Maisie draws inspiration from her field experiences in forests, lakes and bogs, as well as from medieval Arabic herbals and other folk art. She is currently working on an immersive, multi - media art exhibit about bogs, their ecology, history and importance in an ever changing climate. Maisie believes in the power of illustrations to inspire hope and enthusiasm, helping us to imagine a way forwards.

Join Us.

  • If you are a critical thinker and are passionate about knowledge sharing, science communication, and social equity. Come join our team!