Winter 2018
Colleen Linn
Colleen Linn earned an undergraduate degree in Anthropology from Michigan Technological University in 2010. After graduating, she worked as an environmental canvasser for Clean Water Action, mainly focusing on campaigns to expand the renewable energy standard in Michigan. This May, she will be completing her Master's degree in Anthropology, where she has focused on researching urban water & transportation issues in Flint and Detroit. Throughout her academic career, she's been passionate about researching solutions for making societies more environmentally compatible, especially ensuring equal access to basic necessities such as water. In her free time, she likes to travel back to her home in the Upper Peninsula, enjoying hiking, yoga, and spending time along Lake Superior.
Camille Akemann
Camille Akemann grew up in Pinckney, MI and received her B.S. in biochemistry at the University of Michigan in 2016. She was then accepted into the pharmacology PhD program at Wayne State University where she joined Dr. Tracie Baker's lab. Her current research focuses on the transgenerational effects of toxins, including lead and endocrine disrupting chemicals, on zebrafish. Outside of academia she enjoys running, playing piano, and spending time with her wife and pets.
Camille graduated from WSU and the T-RUST program with an MS in Pharmacology in 2020.
Darrin Hunt
Darrin Hunt is a PhD candidate in the biological sciences studying in Donna Kashian’s laboratory at Wayne State University. His dissertation research centers on the physical impacts of invasive bivalves on benthic macroinvertebrate and fish communities in urban streams. Darrin has won teaching awards for assisting in the development of curriculum to be used with incoming honors students in the biological sciences, and has recently co-authored a peer reviewed web publication funded by Michigan Sea Grant. Darrin received a Bachelor of the Arts from Wayne State University in 2013, an Associates in Applied Science Degree specializing in veterinary technology from Macomb Community College, and has been a Licensed Veterinary Technician since 2006. In his spare time, Darrin enjoys playing music, skateboarding and spending time with his wife, two dogs, and three cats.
Jaraslava Pallas
Jaroslava Maria Pallas is a PhD student in Urban Anthropology, working under the supervision of Dr. Andrew Newman. She graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 2010 with a B.S in Anthropology with a minor in Women and Gender Studies. Subsequently, in 2016 she received her M.A in Anthropology from Wayne State University. Her master’s essay titled Dining in Detroit: A critical look at urban food consumption patterns through 19th Century Faunal Remains Analysis, focused on the history of food consumption and production in the city. Before pursuing a graduate degree at Wayne State, most of her work has been with non-profit organizations and urban farms in Southeast Michigan. Her current work explores the relationship between post-industrial urban spaces, specifically abandoned factory sites and transportation infrastructure, and the promotion of urban biodiversity. In particular, she is interested in the way that those ecological concepts are used in city planning, education, and global transfer of knowledge. Additionally, she is an intern at the Office of Campus Sustainability at Wayne State, working on improving green initiatives on campus, such as recycling and food waste management. In her spare time, she coauthors a collaborative research blog Death and the City, that explores death and dying in an urban space.
Natalie Lyon
Natalie Lyon is a Master of Urban Planning student at Wayne State University. As a SEED Wayne Fellow and graduate research assistant, her research has focused on local food access and urban agriculture in rust belt cities, fracking impacts on the food system, and the global food-energy-water nexus. Along with her studies, Natalie is co-founder and organizer of the Detroit Biodiversity Network, a student organization focused on improving the sustainability of urban ecosystems through applied ecology and green infrastructure projects. She is currently interning at MKSK Studios, a Midwest-based landscape architecture, planning, and urban design firm.
Natalie graduated from WSU and the T-RUST program with an MUP in Urban Studies and Planning in 2019.
Brendan O'Leary
Brendan O'Leary is a metro Detroit native who moved to the Midtown area in 2012. He spends his spare time biking and playing the bagpipes at the Gaelic League in Corktown. Brendan recieved an undergraduate degree from Allegheny College in Pennsylvania where he double majored in Environmental Science and Environmental Geology. During his undergraduate studies, Brendan had the opportunity to work on permeable reactive barriers at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA and studied how geomorphology affects pre-settlement forest distribution in the Pacific Northwest. Brendan went on to receive his Masters of Science in Geology at Wayne State University working under Dr. Larry Lemke, completing his thesis focused on geostatistical modeling and how spatial temporal modeling can help better understand air pollution influences on asthma and perinatal issues. Most recently, Brendan has been working as a field geologist for the environmental consulting firm, Arcadis. His field experiences at Arcadis include subsurface vapor intrusion studies, groundwater sampling and modeling, and soil and bedrock drilling.
