Harvard College Conservation Society
  • Home
    • News Updates
  • About
    • About HCCS
    • Statement of Solidarity with BLM
    • Partners and Opportunities
    • Calendar of Events
  • Blogs
    • Summer Blogs >
      • 2019
      • 2018
      • 2017
      • 2016
      • 2015
    • Forum Conservianum
  • Projects
    • Careers in Conservation >
      • Fall 2020
      • Fall 2018
      • Spring 2018
      • 2017
      • 2016
    • Current Projects
    • Past Projects >
      • 2018-2019
      • 2017-2018
      • 2015-2017
  • Contact
  • Members
    • Inducted Members
    • Resources

Past Projects

Read on below for a description of what we've worked on in the past!

Contact Us to learn more about any of our projects!

2016-2017

Picture
Picture
Picture

The World Wildlife Fund - Climate Crowd Campaign Data Synthesis

Team Leaders: Abba Parker and Jon Hamilton

In our first semester working with WWF, we synthesized reports gathered from around the world on climate change into readable summaries, which our contact at WWF then uploaded to their site. This kind of work allows researchers in the field to quickly view the general trends of certain areas affected by climate change. The trends we covered in our reports included changes in climate that local people have noticed, the effects of those changes on their lives, their responses to those changes, and the effects of climate change on wildlife.
Picture

Planetary Health Alliance - Education Material Curation

Team Leaders: Andres Lopez and Neil Philip

The Planetary Health Alliance is a consortium of universities, NGOs, and partners that share a mission of furthering the growth of a rigorous, policy-focused, interdisciplinary field of applied research aimed at understanding and dressing the human health implications of changes in the Earth's systems. Our project team worked with PHA's Health and Education Fellow, curating course materials and resources in order to launch an educational platform for planetary health topics. We also helped to coordinate student engagement for the Global Scholars program, which has the goal of bringing planetary health experts to campus to deliver lectures to be recorded and made available online.

The Women in Nature Network - Network Establishment

Team Leader: Angie Torres
​
The WiNN Project developed out of our project with this same organization, previously called Women for Wildlife, listed below. In the 2016-2017 year, we began the process helping the network to establish and maintain a quarterly newsletter to all of its members, develop a website, and establish new branches of the network in other collegiate settings to host events and nurture future conservationists through resources and mentorship.
Picture

Careers in Conservation 2017 - Spring Conference

Team Leaders: Whitney Hansen and Katherine Culburtson

In our second year planning and executing a conference for Boston-based students interested in professionally pursuing careers in conservation, we took on the conference entirely to HCCS (as opposed to planning the conference for the Women for Wildlife organization). Working within Harvard University resources and beyond, we worked to recruit speakers, panelists, advisers, sponsors, and partner organizations to fulfill one of HCCS's primary mission statements, which is "to unite undergraduate students, Harvard professors, PhD researchers, and actively campaigning scientists to pool resources and ability in an effort to make a difference in the environmental movement" by investing in future conservationists. You can read more about the 2017 conference on the conference page here.

Forest Fund - Consultation and Social Media Project

Team Leaders: Emma Borjigin-Wang and Lorena Benitez

Forest Fund is a platform that allows people to get involved with solutions to environmental issues directly and transparently. It allows donors to pay ranchers to set aside a portion of their land for reforestation and the Forest Fun assistes with the transition process. HCCS assisted the Forest Fund by finding grants and other financial resources as well as helping to manage the Fund's online presence. 
Picture

​Conservation International Suriname Marine Protection Research Project

Team Leaders: Chinmay Sonawane and Maria Park

In our first year working with Conservation International, we conducted research to provide suggestions to CI - Suriname and local stakeholders concerning working toward achieving Suriname's environmental sustainability goals listed in the Ocean Health Index (OHI), a means of assessing the quality of the ocean through ecological, economic, and social dimensions. Additionally, we helped to tailor the OHI+ framework to Suriname through collaborating with CI - Suriname and relevant stakeholders to determine reference points and goal weightings. 

2015-2016


Picture

Oceanic Society - Blue Habits Marketing Campaign

Team Leaders: Liz Stebbins and Hannah Schmidt

 A year long process of researching marketable objects to build a product line that adhere to sound sustainability practices, and ideally support marine conservation goals or community driven efforts. This job involves identifying objects, designing a fulfillment plan, looking into the feasibility of building business partnerships with manufacturers and/or seek donated/co-branded products, developing a marketing plan to improve sales, and creating a long-term business plan to ensure continued OS success.

Sponsor: Wayne Sentman, Oceanic Society​

Picture


Trends in Commercial, Recreational, and Conservation Management Research Paper Project

​Team Leaders: Whitney Hansen

Description: Use large databases of marine wildlife and bird population numbers to track the efficiency of commercial, recreational, and conservation management in preserving these different species’ populations, and discover the most effective method for species management in circumstances that either conflict with human harvesting or involve an endangered species.
           
​Sponsor: Joe Roman
Picture

Women for Wildlife - Spring Conference

Team Leaders: Nia Walker, Maggie Chory, and Abba Parker
          
Description: Combining forces with a newly-formed network of women in conservation to: connect with female conservationists in the Boston Area to help with local projects, join a pre-existing Women for Wildlife mentor program for club members to have conservationist advisers for future careers, educate local high school women on the possibilities of a career in science, and host a job networking fair at Harvard for all local Boston colleges, high schools, and graduate schools to meet women in conservation. 

Sponsors: Leanne Alonso, Lisa Famolare, Renee Gonazles, Women for Wildlife
Picture


​Harvard Dining Initiative

Team Leader: Annie Opel
           
Description: Research and write up detailed essays on the issues of eating factory farm meat from ethical, sustainability, and human health perspectives to both present to our peers on campus and to Dean Khurana, the dean of students, in an effort to source dining hall meat from sustainable and ethical sources only.
           
​Sponsor: HCCS Officers
Picture

Botswana Predator Conservation Trust - Consultation Project

Team Leaders: Dylan Wile and Angie Torres
 
Description: Assist BPCT’s data collection process by evaluating the survey systems in place, and analyze given documentation and data results in order to research and determine the most efficient way to evaluate success in the pre-existing program to educate Bostwanan children on predators’ ecological function and value in the African savannah.

Sponsor: Lesley McNut, Botswana Predator Conservation Trust
​

Picture

Conservation International Suriname Marine Protection Research Project

Team Leaders: Maggie Chory and Sabrina Devereaux

Description: Stimulate the policy framework and creation of a Surinamese marine protected area chain by researching pre-existing marine reserves with similar social, political, and/or ecological settings, and write analyses of the costs and benefits of each pre-existing system in order to recommend the best approach for marine protection in Suriname. This work includes networking within the Conservation International database for recommendations from CI marine experts and policy experts, as well as formatting a presentation for CI Suriname to use in conversations with the Surinamese government.

Sponsors: John Goedschalk and Sheila Marhe, CI Suriname
Copyright © 2019