Melanie A. Stansbury
Cornell University
Michael J. Kiparsky
University of California-Berkeley
Melanie Stansbury has always had a passion for water and social justice issues. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Cornell University in the Department of Development Sociology with minors in American Indian studies and natural resources. Her research examines the history, community impacts, and conflict resolution strategies involved in one of the oldest water rights struggles in the U.S. This case, known as the State of New Mexico v. Aamodt, involves four Pueblo nations and thousands of residents of the Nambe-Pojoaque-Tesuque Basin in Santa Fe County. As a native New Mexican, she is honored to have the opportunity do such meaningful research. Melanie has a B.A. in human ecology and natural science from Saint Mary’s College. She has worked in the fields of environmental education, law, landscaping, and community development. She plans to continue her lifelong dedication to water policy, management, and conflict resolution in support of sustainable community development.
Michael Kiparsky has an overarching interest in the interface between science and water policy. He works on technical and policy research questions, and on integrating the two. As a Ph.D. candidate in the Energy and Resources Group (ERG) at U.C. Berkeley, his dissertation goal is to quantify risks to water supply and instream flows in California’s Central Valley. To do so, he is developing a policy-analysis tool to integrate the hydrologic impacts of climate change (geophysical modeling) with the consequences of those impacts to decision-makers (economic risk analysis). In addition to his technical work, Michael has conducted research on policy topics including collaborative policymaking, adaptive management, and integrating climate change into water management. Michael has worked for water organizations including the CALFED Science Program and the Pacific Institute. He holds an M.S. from ERG and an A.B. in biology from Brown University. In his spare time, he enjoys backcountry skiing, cycling, and spending time outdoors with his family.