Cheldina J
- Research Program Mentor

PhD candidate at Yale University

Expertise

engineering design loop, water purification technology, sustainable design, green chemistry, 3D printing, environmental justice

Bio

Hello (: My name is Cheldina and I am a PhD student in environmental engineering at Yale. I am passionate about developing point-of-use and sustainably developed water filters for household use for communities facing water insecurity. I am currently investigating using ceramics as a filter medium and customizing it with nanotechnology and micronutrients to improve the filter's purification efficacy and use it as a vehicle for improving The Hidden Hunger that many people face in the developing world. My personal interests include enjoying the arts (i think art heists are insane but also super interesting), reading, fitness, and self-care, exploring and giving back to my community, and spending time with my friends and family. I am looking forward to getting to know you and completing an exciting project together!

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

Investigating Sustainable Approaches to Combat Environmental Justice Issues in the US

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines environmental justice (EJ) as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of people to ensure "the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards, and equal access to the decision-making process to have a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work." However, environmental justice can become difficult to achieve when the communities, which are often disadvantaged, had no hand in the creation of hazardous environments, their proximity to these contaminated areas, or the tools or capital to remedy the problems. When the basic needs outlined by the EPA are not, these issues become injustices that lead to significant individual and communal stress as well as have intergenerational impacts on health. Environmental injustices are issues that are still hidden in the gossamers of environmental issues despite their prevailing impact on communities of color and the impoverished. This paper will outline the impact EJ has as well as investigate sustainable approaches that have been proposed to alleviate EJ issues in different communities in the US.

Coding skills

R Studios

Languages I know

Haitian Kreyol - Native, French - intermediate

Teaching experience

During my undergraduate, I escaped the collegiate bubble and mentored underprivileged high school students in my community. I helped different students with their college applications for 1.5 years. I am an alumna of the UNCF & Fund II STEM scholars program and I have been mentoring a scholar for the past year through the program's mentorship initiative. In the beginning, she was confused about her academic and career trajectories but together we honed in on her interests and I guided her in several ways such as helping her find and apply to opportunities and programs that are in line with her goals. Additionally, I work with an organization that taught me the hallmarks of effective student feedback, which is feedback that is goal-oriented, actionable, student-friendly, prioritized, ongoing, consistent, and timely.