Lauren Balotin—Senior, Emory College. Lauren is a double major in environmental science and media studies and is interested in a career in science communications or environmental health. She is involved with the Emory Wheel student newspaper, the Emory Environment Senate Standing Committee, Pi Beta Phi, Hybrid Vigor, and Emory Running Club. She is especially interested in the environmental health impacts of climate change, and the way that the media communicates the issue of climate change to the public.

Anna Bell--Senior, Emory College. Anna, who is studying Chemistry, plans to work in technology in San Francisco after graduation. In the future, she wants to use tech and science to help fight climate change. At COP24, she hopes to learn more about the tech and business aspect of climate change that will help her with this goal!

Candelaria Bergero--Graduate Student, Emory Graduate Student. Originally from Córdoba, Argentina, Candelaria graduated in Buenos Aires with a Bachelor’s in International Relations and in Political Science. She came to Emory to pursue her Master’s in Environmental Sciences and currently serves as the graduate teaching assistant for the Climate Change and Society course. She is now merging her two passions, politics and the environment. For her thesis she is researching the mechanisms of policy diffusion in renewable energy targets, a policy that spread all over the world. She is very excited to be attending COP24!

Maya Bornstein--Senior, Emory College. Maya is studying Sociology and Global Development Studies and pursuing her honors thesis on the impact of climate change on women in developing nations. She is interested in looking at the connection between societal structures and climate justice and attended COP 22 in Marrakech. When she is not preparing for the COP, Maya enjoys working on educational and housing issues, gardening, and exploring nature.

Halle Bradshaw--Graduate Student, Emory Graduate School. Her first introduction to climate sciences and climate action was through Dr. Eri Saikawa's lab, which she has been a member for three years. Currently, she is interested in the intersection of women's rights and climate change. When she is not preparing for the COP, Halle spends her time researching her thesis on the Endangered Species Act and working at a local park in Atlanta.

Shirley Ma – Senior, Emory College. Shirley is a double major in Environmental Science and Chemistry and is interested in pursuing a career in marine science. She conducts fisheries research in Dr. Tracy Yandle’s lab, is a ChemMentor, and leads a weekly service trip to Stride Ahead. She is especially interested in how climate change is impacting the ocean and is excited to follow this topic at COP24.

Marinangeles Gutiérrez Rivera--Graduate Student, Emory Graduate School. Marinangeles is a graduating Master's student in Development Practice. Her research and studies focus on climate change adaptation and resilience building, with a special interest in human mobility in the context of climate change. Hailing from Florida State University with a Bachelor's in Business Administration and Management, Marinangeles worked in the advertising and marketing industry for five years before transitioning into urban development; she also has been involved in environmental justice campaigns as a community organizer and since then, has worked as a consultant to local governments on sustainability and resilience strategy and planning. Most recently she's been recognized as a co-author to working papers by World Resources Institute that seek to increase the uptake of mainstreamed adaptation and recognize the factors that lead to implementation.

Laura Toledo—Junior, Emory College. Laura is a double major in Biology and Environmental Sciences and is particularly passionate about animal and habitat conservation. She currently works as the communications and marketing intern for the Emory University Office of Sustainability Initiatives. She conducts climate change research with Dr. Eri Saikawa and is working with the Atlanta Coyote Project with Dr. Larry Wilson. Laura is very excited to attend COP24 in order to learn how individuals and businesses can make the greatest impact on reducing environmental degradation.

Paris Wagner--Senior, Emory College. Paris studies English/creative writing and environmental science, with specific interests in climate change, wildlife conservation, and land rights. She has worked as a Communications Specialist for Climate@Emory and also as a Media Relation intern for the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in Washington DC. She most recently spent four weeks in Namibia and Botswana studying conservation issues as part of an Emory field studies program. At Emory, Paris is a member of the Varsity Track and Field team and represents her team on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. She is also involved with the Emory Climate Analysis and Solutions Team, Relay for Life, Project READ, and serves as the Director of Public Relations for Emory Women in Law. Paris is pursuing a career in Environmental law and plans to work independently on Environmental journalism projects.

Megan Withers--Senior, Emory College. Meg majors in biology and environmental science and is pursuing a career in the marine sciences. She researches fishery management in the southeast United States region and is founder and president of the Emory Scuba Diving Club and a Research Ambassador with Emory’s Undergraduate Research Programs office. She is thrilled to be developing her honors thesis focused on unusual mortality events in northern sea otters. This research, combined with an internship in First Nation territory in Canada, sparked her interest in indigenous communities’ priorities and involvement in climate negotiations. She looks forward to learning more about this topic at the COP.

Eri Saikawa – Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences. Dr. Saikawa has developed and organized the Emory delegation to the UN Climate Change negotiations since 2015. She taught the CoLA course with Sheila Tefft and Wes Longhofer in 2015 and led the first Emory delegation to the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) in Paris that year. She led the Emory delegation to COP22 in Marrakech in 2016 and to COP23 in Bonn in 2017, and is head of the Emory delegates to COP24 in Katowice. She is excited to have an opportunity to showcase Emory research on climate change and hopes to establish more links with other universities and NGOs for future delegations.

Sheila Tefft—Senior Lecturer, Department of English Writing Program. Sheila Tefft specializes in science writing about health and climate change, composition, and multimedia journalism. She was a reporter, editor and foreign correspondent for almost 25 years and served as Emory Journalism director 2000-2009. She spent 12 years in Asia where she was a correspondent and bureau chief for The Christian Science Monitor in Beijing, Bangkok and New Delhi and developed a special interest in environmental journalism. She has also worked for The Chicago Tribune and The Atlanta Constitution and freelanced for many other publications.