Laura Bell is an U-M graduate with a degree in Earth Systems Science and Engineering and currently works as a U-M research scientist. Of personal interest is the intersection of climate change science, engineering, and decision making. “When the prospect to attend COP15 was presented to me, there was no question that this would be a once in a lifetime opportunity to further my personal agenda of achieving better transference of information between climate scientists and decision makers. After all, it is impossible to adapt to nor mitigate the effects of climate change without making informed decisions.”

Third year doctoral student in the U-M School of Public Health, Katie Bush hails from Henrietta, NY. Katie will be the Michigan delegation’s Ann Arbor correspondent, adding her commentary from the public health perspective.

Hi, I’m Adam Ellsworth from Greenville, Michigan and I’m a 3rd year undergrad (junior) Communication Major Environmental Studies Minor at Alma College. I’m interested in technical, environmental and risk communication where my job would be to translate complex scientific information into layman terms to be used to mobilize action. I’m looking forward to the concurrent side events in which persons facing climate change from around the world will be discussing their strategies for overcoming inaction in communities.

Anjuli Figueroa is a senior in the U-M College of Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. Anuli’s hometowns are Mt. Pleasant, MI and San Jose, Costa Rica. “As an environmental engineer, I would like to gain perspective on how science and technology can inform political decisions that affect our current and future standards of living.”

Amrita Kumar is a graduate student in the U-M School of Natural Resources and Environment and the Ross School of Business. She is interested in the intersection between business and climate change policy and is keen to understand how policy can help spur private-public sector partnerships in the clean technology, forestry and water sector. At the COP she will be closely following the integration of forestry (REDD) into the UN framework and conversations around financing of low carbon pathways to development.

Hi, I’m Aubrey Ann Parker from Traverse City, Michigan and I’m an U-M undergraduate in Chemical Engineering + Spanish. I’m very excited to see how different countries around the world are reacting to carbon emissions and the impacts they have on climate change. I also report for Circle of Blue, a non-profit journalism organization reporting the global freshwater crisis, and I’m interested in how climate change affects water, and vice-versa. I’m also invested in the local food movement, and I am keen to see how this plays out with how agriculture, livestock, and transportation relate to climate change.

Nick Parker, from Portland Maine, is a U-M doctoral candidate in the School of Natural Resources and Environment. “I’m very interested in participating in discussions about adaptation to climate change.”

Kevin Reed is a doctoral students in the U-M College of Engineering, Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences Department and the Science, Technology and Public Policy Program.

Hi, I’m Benjamin Roberts from Hemlock, Michigan and I’m an undergraduate (Sophomore) studying Biology/Chemistry at Alma College in Michigan. I want to attend this conference so I can see how science and politics must work together to create positive change in the world. Specifically how alternative energy can be better utilized in the US. I am also hoping to attend as many discussions and presentations about alternative energy and human health as possible. I am also interested to see how an efficent mass transit system works. This is my first time traveling in Europe.

Ahmed Tawfik is a graduate student in the U-M College of Engineering, Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences Department.

Christopher Theriot is a U-M senior in the School of Natural Resources, Southeast Asian Studies (December 2009). Christopher’s hometown is South Salem, New York. His interest in the conference is to seek international policy positions . He currently is working with the United Nations Development Program. He’ll also be talking with the Indonesian delegation. During his stay, Christopher will be covering the area of adaptation. He also attended the Bali COP and was a catalyst for getting Michigan registered as an official observer.

Merry Walker is from Ann Arbor, Michigan and is a graduate student in the U-M College of Engineering, Energy Systems Program. “I am going to the conference to understand and witness the influence of science and technology on international policy making. Currently, I’m starting an organization that focuses on international sustainable development, particularly energy and water systems engineering.”

Katie Whitefoot is a U-M doctoral student in the Design Science program, researching how climate change policies affect the diffusion of energy-saving technologies and design strategies, and how to predict and avoid unintended consequences. She received her master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the U-M in 2008 and grew up on the banks of Lake Superior in Houghton, MI. I’m excited to get a feel for how climate change policies are made, and how research like my own can play a part in the process.”

Hi, I’m Professor Ricky Rood and my current research is focused on bridging the study of weather and climate. I am funded by NASA to study dynamical features as objects and to develop new methods for analyzing climate models. I am funded by the Department of Energy to study sub-scale mixing processes in climate models.

I teach a class on climate change and the interface of climate change with all aspects of society. This has evolved into a class on problem solving in climate change. This is a graduate class, taught in concert with the School of Natural Resources and Environment. The class includes business students, policy students, as well as students from several science departments. It’s cool, and it’s the future. Web link below.

In addition, I have funding to study urban heat waves, human heat health warning systems, and how to govern open source / open innovation communities.

Hi, I’m Professor Paul Edwards and I work in the School of Information at the University of Michigan. SI is an interdisciplinary professional school focused on bringing people, information, and technology together in more valuable ways.

My research explores the history, politics, and cultural aspects of computers, information infrastructures, and global climate science. My most recent book is A Vast Machine: Computer Models, Climate Data, and the Politics of Global Warming (MIT Press, to appear March 2010).

I’m Gabriel Thoumi and currently live in Ann Arbor but will soon be an adjunct lecturer at Ross in the grad program, I have lived in many cities in Asia and the US over the past five years developing forest carbon offsets projects. COP15 is of great interest to me as I’m presenting at the International Emissions Trading Associations meeting on AFOLU in the USA. I’m also a registered Lead Verifier under the Climate Action Reserve for Forest 3.1 and Urban Forestry Protocols. My main job is consulting for Forest Carbon Offsets, LLC, thus I’m most interested in covering forests and more forests during COP15. On a related note, I recently co-wrote an article on financial accounting for forest carbon offsets with fellow Ross grad Talitha Haller, who is also attending the conference.