Hi, everyone! I’m Sarah, the new sustainability coordinator at the Office of Environmental Policy. I began working at the OEP in April, alongside Corinne Tagliarina, as the assistant sustainability coordinator. Since beginning, I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to work with our very talented interns on STARS, recycling updates, and the GreenMetric survey. I’m looking forward to working with them even more once the school year begins! 

I am a third year Ph.D. student in the department of Political Science. My current research focuses primarily on political psychology and elite decision-making during times of crisis, but most of my previous work investigates European Union member state challenges to implementing EU environmental and economic policy.

My interest in Europe and the environment began from an early age, since both of my parents immigrated to the United States from Germany. As a child, I would visit family and would be fascinated by how environmentally conscious Germany is, as well as the many methods Germany uses to produce clean energy. After living in Central Europe for a year during my master’s program, I quickly found out first-hand that not all countries take environmental protection seriously. Needless to say, this sparked my interest in environmental policy, and I have been working in the field ever since!

Prior to coming to UConn, I worked closely with the Sustainability Department at my alma mater, Guilford College. Now at UConn, I have had the opportunity to assist Dr. Oksan Bayulgen and Dr. Richard Parnas with their “Sustainable Energy in the 21st Century” course for the past two years.

I’m thrilled to join the OEP, and look forward to an exciting and productive school year!