Since 2022, The Climate Technologies Fellowship has been awarded by the Environmental Studies Program to one Yale College student whose research focuses on improved climate technologies. The fellowship is made possible by the generosity of John M. Amatruda, MD ‘66.
This summer, Jae-Hee Bae, a Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry major in the class of 2026, was the recipient of this fellowship! Her research is titled ‘Cultivating Heterotrophic Galdieria sulphuraria’ is taking place in Zürich, Switzerland, advised by Dr. Fabian Abiusi and Dan Macken in the Sustainable Food Processing Lab (ETH Zürich) led by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alexander Mathys.
Jae-Hee is exploring the potential use of the microalgae, Galdieria sulphuraria, as a low-cost, scalable, climate-resilient food source. G. Sulphuraria is high in micronutrients, meaning that it has high potential to address micronutrient deficiencies in a climate-vulnerable world.
Jae-Hee will be studying the role of light in micronutrient bioaccumulation. Her research is also being made possible by an Alan S. Tetelman 1958 Fellowship for International Research in the Sciences and the Robert C. Bates Summer Fellowship.
The Climate Technologies Fellowship has supported three previous research projects in prior summers, described below.
Ian Gill, Physics and Mathematics ’27 – Ian spent the summer of 2024 at the Plasma Science and Fusion Center at MIT researching the gyrofluid turbulence code MuSHrooM. Using a fluid model of the plasma is key for running more simulations, so he used this model for his turbulence in the tokamak. This works supports the development of fusion as a clean energy source and a viable alternative to fossil-fuels.
Keerthana Chari, Environmental Engineering ’25 – During the summer of 2023, Keerthana researched highly oxidized air masses at the Yale Coastal Field Station in Guilford, CT. She conducted these air quality measurements to contribute to NOAA’s Atmospheric Emissions and Reactions Observed from Megacities to Marine Areas 2023 campaign.
Rebecca Wessel, Environmental Studies ’24 – Rebecca received the fellowship for research for the summer of 2022 and completed three data-driven interactive projects. Through these projects, she explored the use of ArcGIS in conservation and environmental justice. She created a StoryMap about the use of ArcGIS in food justice, built a visual narrative about the effects of sea level rise in another StoryMap, and mapped the range of butterfly species in Egypt and Argentina for the Map of Life biodiversity project.