Fall 2019
David A. Criss
David A. Criss is an Economics PhD student. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Theory and Constitutional Democracy from Michigan State University's James Madison program, and then a Master of Arts degree in Economics from Wayne State University where he also volunteers for events such as the University's Farmers Market and Keep Growing Detroit's community seed packing gatherings. As a T-RUST student, David hopes to cultivate his interests in urban sustainability and develop an innovative economic model to assist in the implementation of an interdisciplinary systems-based approach designed to address the prevalent issues afflicting urban areas. When he's not busy being a PhD student, David enjoys going to the movies, playing tennis, gardening, running, biking and spending time with friends.
Brenna Friday
Brenna Friday is a PhD student studying Biological Sciences under the mentorship of Dr. Donna Kashian. In 2019, she earned her bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Maryland with a concentration in Ecology and Evolution. While there, she studied the interactions between pathogenic chytrid fungi (Bd and Bsal) and North American salamander species. As an undergraduate, she also had the opportunity to participate in collaborative research projects at Shoals Marine Lab, ME and the Coral Reef Ecology Lab at the University of Queensland, AUS. Brenna is looking forward to combining her research interests in disease ecology, aquatic ecology, sustainability and GIS as a new T-RUST student. In her free time, Brenna enjoys volunteering with urban tree planting groups, reading, and baking.
Kate Ekhator
Kate Ekhator is currently a PhD student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Wayne State University. She has a masters degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Ibadan and a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil Engineering) degree from Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Nigeria. Prior to starting her graduate studies at Wayne State University, she worked as an Environment/Safety Officer in an oil and gas firm monitoring environmental and safety compliance. She was also involved in advocating for improved workers welfare through her role as the Pan Ocean branch chairman of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN). Her research interests are in ground water movement, contaminant transport and phytoscreening studies. She is currently working in Dr. Carol Miller’s Lab using tensiometers to measure soil suction. She is a member Dr. Shirley Papuga’s Contaminant Ecohydrology and Phytoscreening journal club. She also is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Institute of Safety Professionals of Nigeria (ISPON) and the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). She enjoys being outdoors and working with her hands. When time permits, she also enjoys reading fictional novels and watching action adventure movies.
Stephanie Osborn
Stephanie Osborn is a Master's student in Urban Planning. She completed her dual B.S. degrees from Aquinas College in Sustainable Business and Biology. She then went on to complete a Masters in Public Health before continuing on for a degree in Urban Planning. Stephanie is the chair of the Gesu Green Team, a steering committee member of Make Food Not Waste, and the board member of One More Meal. Her interests in sustainability began during her undergraduate career, and have focused mainly on air and water quality and more recently on waste/resource management, specifically that centered around food. In her free time, Stephanie loves to run, hike, camp, garden, and play board games. She is looking forward to being able to use her public health skills and perspective with urban planning tools to create healthy environments.
Sandaruwan Subasinghe
Sandaruwan Subasinghe is a PhD student in Communication. He earned a bachelor's in Agriculture Technology and Management from University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka and M.A in Communication from University of Maine, Orono. He is primarily a quantitative scholar interested in environmental communication. His research specifically focuses on climate change risk communication and message framing effects. He uses prospect and framing theories in addressing broader research questions in communication. He utilizes quantitative methods such as surveys and experiments to explore applied communication questions. In the T-RUST program, he is planning to address Detroit stormwater surge and message framing issues in the urban context. Sandaruwan is a Lecturer at University of Peradeniya and has been teaching communication. In his free time, he is interested in listening to music, hang out with friends, and traveling.
