Chemistry Graduate Students Keith Husted and Alayna Johnson named members of the MIT Climate & Sustainability Consortium Student Council

Ongoing student input is central to the MIT Climate & Sustainability Consortium (MCSC)’s efforts, with the goal to have student voices interwoven into some of the core conversations and solutions the Consortium is tackling, as well as into the upcoming programming and events the Consortium is hosting. The newly established MCSC Student Council, a group of students that is partnering with MCSC leadership, is helping facilitate this meaningful dialogue by representing the MIT student voice, sharing opportunities for engagement with the MCSC with other students, and providing feedback to the MCSC as it grows and evolves. The group will be partnering closely with MCSC Faculty Steering Committee members David Hsu, Associate Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning, and Maria Yang, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, as well as with MCSC administration.

The MCSC Student Council is interdisciplinary, and includes both undergraduate and graduate MIT students from a diverse range of interests, areas of study and research, and experience. Despite their varying backgrounds, all members have an interest in climate and sustainability in common, and are passionate about shaping MIT’s role in accelerating the essential global transition to mitigate climate change. Please learn more about each member below.

Anushree Chaudhuri is an undergraduate double majoring in urban studies and planning with computer science and economics. She’s interested in the intersection of environmental policy, economics, data science, and social impact. As a member of the first MCSC Student Council cohort, Anushree hopes to build lasting relationships between the MCSC and student sustainability groups, involve students in industry climate action efforts, and increase sustainability-related career pathways at MIT. In her free time, she plays on the MIT Women’s Ultimate Frisbee team and loves to bike around Boston, read, write, cook, and sing.

Autumn Deitrick is a PhD student in the MIT-WHOI Joint Program in Applied Ocean Science and Engineering. In the Nepf Environmental Fluid Mechanics Lab (MIT) and the Coastal Ocean Fluid Dynamics Lab (WHOI), she researches sediment transport in mangrove forests to better understand their blue carbon storage potential. Prior to coming to MIT, she earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Penn State as a Schreyer Honors College Scholar in 2021. Autumn is looking forward to serving on the MCSC Student Council because she believes that MIT can be a leader in sustainability and achieve their climate goals.

Keith Husted is from Toronto, Ontario and completed his undergraduate degree in Chemistry at McGill University. He is currently a Ph.D. student in MIT’s Department of Chemistry in Professor Jeremiah Johnson’s lab, where he works on developing degradable and recyclable crosslinked plastics. Keith is looking forward to socializing with the climate-oriented MIT student body and is excited for the chance to raise awareness about what we can all do to make a difference.

Alayna Johnson is a second-year graduate student in the Department of Chemistry. She is a member of the Program in Polymers and Soft Matter and conducts research, also working with Professor Jeremiah Johnson, similar to Keith. Her research interests include devising green methods for polymer synthesis and developing recycling/upcycling routes for industrial polymeric materials. She looks forward to learning about the diverse stakeholders that MCSC works with and exploring the world of science policy as a member of the Student Council.

Anne Liu is a second-year Master’s student in the MIT Technology and Policy Program. She works as a Research Assistant in the Materials Systems Lab studying the cost of hydrogen as a fuel source, and is the Co-Managing Director of MIT Energy Night 2021. Prior to MIT, Anne worked at a startup company that manages plastic recycling and recycled material tracing. In addition, she has three years of experience in sustainable urban planning and international / governmental project management, and is enthusiastic about clean energy technology development and investment. She holds a B.A. degree from Macalester College in Psychology with a minor in Physics.

Sandhya Mahadevan is a 2023 MBA candidate at MIT Sloan focused on climate justice and corporate sustainability. Sandhya’s background is in commercial-scale solar project finance and development. At Sol Systems, she helped Fortune 500 companies and public institutions implement onsite solar to meet their energy needs. She also advised corporate DEI strategy on Sol’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion team. Sandhya holds a BSFS in Science, Technology, and International Affairs from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. In her free time, you can find Sandhya enjoying the outdoors, listening to live music, or perfecting her blueberry pie recipe.

Selma Sharaf is a senior studying environmental engineering and minoring in management. At MIT, she has taken classes such as Laboratory for Sustainable Business (S-Lab). She is currently a Clean Energy Intern at ADL Ventures and has served in multiple climate action intern roles. She has conducted research with the Atmospheric Chemistry & Composition Modeling Group and Resilient Infrastructure Networks Lab. She has also been involved with MIT Engineers Without Borders, Action Sustainability Corps, and the Global Research and Consulting Group. Selma joins the MCSC Student Council because she is interested in the intersection of sustainability and the private sector, and believes that applying scientific research from MIT to corporate sustainability policies will help maximize their impact.

Natasha Stamler is a senior at MIT studying mechanical engineering and urban planning. She is primarily interested in how we can adapt building and cities to rising urban heat. As a member of the MCSC Student Council, she is excited to learn more about implementing climate change mitigation strategies at a large scale, both at MIT and beyond.

Eva Then is a fourth-year undergraduate student studying Urban Science and Planning with Computer Science. She is most interested in using her skills as an urbanist and technologist to solve complex environmental problems. Eva’s excited to collaborate with companies who are ready to engage in meaningful sustainable practices and help them set ambitious climate goals.

Kelly Wu is a senior majoring in Chemical Engineering, with a strong interest in energy, climate, and sustainability systems. She is the current co-president of the MIT Energy and Climate Club and previous UA Sustain co-chair. She has done research regarding systems-wide analysis of chemical and energy production industries, and has worked in renewables financing and development. Kelly is interested in the human, social, and economic systems involved in energy, including how they combine with the physical flows, especially when considering policy proposals for a renewables transition. Outside of school, she enjoys playing ultimate frisbee with the MIT women’s club team, and hiking.