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"Operation Climate" Podcast
Year Initiated: Spring 2020 | Organization: Operation Climate, in partnership with Environmental Alliance
Operation Climate is meant to be the one-stop-shop for information on environmental issues that matter to Duke students and Durham community members. From spotlighting work that Duke environmental clubs are doing to promoting sustainability and environmental justice, to gaining important perspectives from Duke faculty working in environmentalism-related fields, this podcast is meant to inform and empower Duke community members to create lasting change in the fight against climate change and all its intersections. This podcast is also meant to be engaging and digestible for students who don’t have much experience or knowledge in climate/environmental issues. Each podcast episode will be the length of a Duke bus ride (10-15 minutes long) full of engaging and digestible informational content and conversational discussion. We hope to cover issues such as the Durham Green New Deal, Duke University’s role in the Light Rail, net-neutral carbon emissions at Duke, food insecurity at Duke and in Durham, engineering sustainable technologies, and more. Our content is geared towards Duke community members across all departments to show how environmentalism and climate action/justice really intersect with every academic, political, and everyday sphere of life.
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Project Leads
Matthew Brune
Class of 2023
Katherine Li
Class of 2022
Katherine is a junior majoring in civil engineering with a concentration in environmental engineering and water resources. She is also pursuing a certificate in Energy and the Environment. She is from British Columbia, Canada, and in her free time she enjoys creating music, listening to podcasts, and watching Bojack Horseman. Aside from being involved in Duke Environmental Alliance, Katherine is also the chair of professional development for Duke's chapter of ASCE, treasurer for Duke's Devilish Keys, and is involved with the Penny Pilgrim George Women's Leadership Initiative. During her time at Duke, she has designed and implemented lesson plans on water scarcity for middle school girls, researched the benefits and drawbacks of geoengineering, and worked as a research assistant where she helped conduct a literature review on chemical dispersant usage in the context of marine oil spill treatment. A fun fact about Katherine is that she played the piano for 12 years!
Hello! My name is Matthew Brune and I am a sophomore studying Civil and Environmental Engineering, with a minor in Statistical Science. I’m a sophomore from Wilmington, NC, who is passionate about finding climate change solutions. Here at Duke, there is so much being done in this fight against global warming and I am excited to showcase what we as a Blue Devil community are doing to make sustainable change!
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Natasha Von Seelen
Class of 2021
I’m a senior ECE/CS double major, and working on a certificate in Energy and the Environment. I’m also on track to meet the requirements for an English minor (but I can’t declare that). I was born and raised in Greenwood, SC, and I love hiking, camping, kayaking, and really doing anything outside. In addition to helping lead the Operation Climate podcast, I am co-president of Duke Conservation Tech, where I lead a project working a variable opacity algae window to reduce energy consumption in buildings, and I am part of team developing a low-cost method for tracking sea turtles using drones. This year I’ve also been helping out with species identification methods for Duke’s Rainforest XPRIZE team.
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Leah Roffman
Class of 2022
President of Environmental Alliance
Hi, I’m Leah! I am a sophomore majoring in public policy and minoring in statistics, with an interest in climate and energy policy. I joined Environmental Alliance last year because I wanted to work with other students who were passionate about environmental issues and seeking to make positive changes on campus. This year, I am very excited to be leading the club and helping to pioneer a Duke environmental podcast among other things!
Kevin Peng
Class of 2022
VP of Environmental Alliance
Kevin is a junior Mechanical Engineering major with a Certificate in Energy and the Environment. He is passionate about exploring ways technology can help address the climate crisis, as well the links between energy, the environment, and broader societal issues of equity, justice, and sustainability.
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