What I’ve been up to while traveling the world at Minerva University
Projects
My journey
San Francisco
Entering my first year at college, I approached San Francisco with curiosity, testing out different mediums and fields to see what best fit.
NatGeo x TNC Externship
Diversion from Reality - Science Communication
Focusing on the San Francisco area, I conducted both primary and secondary research and interviewed local leaders, conservationists, community members, and experts from NGS/TNC to understand the San Francisco Estuary system's impact on the local community. Additionally, I performed a landscape and gap analysis to identify shortcomings in current conservation efforts and proposed solutions. I practiced my written and visual storytelling skills to contribute to a broader awareness of marine conservation and inspire communities to protect these vital ecosystems.
Costa Rica Ecotourism
How Costa Rica is Able to be a Leading Country in Sustainability
While not San Francisco-specific, this piece built upon my skills in researching & analyzing complex systems as a part of my social science course.
Seoul, South Korea
Having never traveled abroad before, moving to Seoul was a big shift During this semester, my goal was to focus more on my growing interest in conservation and videography.
One Day
70 countries. one city. one day.
One Day is a docuseries exploring the lives of international students living abroad at Minerva University. Each episode captures a single day in a new international city. The first episode takes place in Seoul, South Korea where students study, prepare for Ramadan, taste Korean cuisine, and reflect on their journeys thus far.
Death of the Eel
For multimedia class, I channel my interests in conservation & videography to discuss how overfishing of juvenile eels in South Korea has put the population at risk of extinction.
In this short video, I call out the problems in the eel industry and the necessity to reduce consumption in order to the longevity of this mysterious species.
Taipei, Taiwan
Moving into my second year and upper-level courses, I was excited to test out as many opportunities as possible. This semester I focused on the creative elements of projects from science communication to gallery exhibitions.
Napkins magazine
to power and propel the art of interdisciplinary imagination
I co-founded Minerva University’s literary and arts magazine. I helped to develop the company ethos by developing our purpose statement, brand identity, marketing strategy, and organization structure for the first two issues of the magazine.
Fractal Exhibition
Within Napkins Magazine, I designed an interactive exhibition called Fractal, at Studio94 in Taipei. The exhibition encourages participants to be in the moment and capture their incidental thoughts and emotions. I worked on developing the exhibition theme, execution, marketing, and exhibit design. My main room points to the web of our identity, which is a malleable interplay between the individual and the larger social setting. A person is a single woven strand that cumulatively creates an ornate web of connections that designs the societal image.
A Vegan Story
Waste Not Why Not podcast episode
I guest-produced an episode of Waste Not Why Not, a podcast on climate and sustainability from Ghost Island Media in Taiwan. For the podcast, I researched the development of veganism in Taiwan, considering the cultural influences of Buddhism in the region, and edited together the narration, interviews, and music into a cohesive piece.
Primary Source Analysis
For my global history course, I apply primary source analysis to dig into the socio-cultural history expressed through the presentation of the orangutan apes.
Hikers Guide to Science
science communication
For this location-based assignment, I hiked into Yangmingshan National Park in Taipei, capturing Taiwan’s volcanic activity. After, using geo-mapping tools and reading the scientific literature on the topic, I synthesized my findings into a piece written for a general audience.
Amazon geo-diversity
Using geology principles for resource management in the Amazon
This paper explores the Amazon River basin from a geological perspective, using the findings to inform resource management policy in the Amazon region.
Hyderabad, India
In contrast to Taipei, my time in Hyderabad was more science-focused, with an emphasis on wildlife studies.
Camera Trap Research
with Hyderabad Tiger Conservation Society
I worked with HyTiCoS to conduct a temporal and spatial analysis of native fauna in Telangana state in India using camera traps
Primate Research Proposal
Impacts of Urbanization on Between-troop Aggression in Bonnet Macaques
This paper proposes a research method for identifying the impacts of urbanization on between-troop aggression in bonnet macaques. I base my proposal on peer-reviewed literature and field observations.
Buenos Aires, Argentina
My time in Argentina focused on reflection, refining my interest in wildlife and storytelling.
One Day
Episode 270 countries. one city. one day.
One Day is a docuseries exploring the lives of international students living abroad at Minerva University. Each episode captures a single day in a new international city. The second episode takes place in Taipei, Taiwan where students, explore local heritage sites, work in PhD level labs, and embrace the sunny day.
QGIS Analysis
Cementing Chinatown: Using QGIS to Explore the Impacts of the 1906 Earthquake on San Francisco’s Chinatown
I used the Quantum Geographic Information System (QGIS) to explore the impacts of the built environment on the change in San Francisco’s Chinatown before and after the 1906 earthquake.
WILDLIFE Instagram
I am producing short-form content with the purpose of connecting people with the natural world in an accessible, artful manner, taking the viewer in close to these places and beings.
Ghost Tour
Finding the Lady Ghost & Other Spirits in Recoleta Cemetery
I designed a 6-stop walking tour of Recoleta Cemetery that shared ghost stories about famous characters in the cemetery. The tour introduces ghost tour enthusiasts to the ethical conflicts of these tours, reinterpreting the ghost stories with their historically accurate counterparts.