Fellowship Spotlight: Bryan McDonald

Ph.D. Student in Social Ecology; Assistent Director Center for Unconventional Security Affairs

The Food System and Human Security: Confronting Hunger and Biological Threats in a Time of Global Change

How can societies better prepare for possible threats from infectious diseases like pandemic influenza? That is one of the central questions driving research by Bryan McDonald, a doctoral student in UCI’s School of Social Ecology and a 2004 Newkirk Fellowship Recipient. During his time as a Newkirk Fellow, Bryan traveled to Southeast Asia to learn more about the social, political, and economic impacts of the 2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and the growing concern of a possible influenza pandemic related to a new type of avian influenza.

Through participating in an international conference on the links between animals, health, conservation, and human security, Bryan learned about the steps necessary to prepare for and respond to threats like SARS and bird flu. Traveling to Thailand and Taiwan also helped Bryan learn more about agriculture and food distribution in Asia and the way that food systems can contribute to infectious disease threats to human health.

Bryan has done an excellent job of connecting science from the university to the community. He has worked to inform business leaders and school officials on the threat of infectious diseases, and helped them think through the reasonable steps they can take to prepare for such threats. Some responses to disease, such as closing schools, could have a number of follow on effects such as increased absenteeism at work if parents have to stay home with children or problems for children that may depend on school lunches for a good meal each day. He also gets the community engaged in topics of human security through his position as Assistant Director for the Center for Unconventional Security Affairs. Bryan has exemplified the Newkirk Center mission of improving science's response to community needs and increasing the effective uses of scientific results for the benefit of society.

Fellowship Recipients

2008
Jessica Dawn Pratt, graduate student in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, for her proposal entitled Assessing the Ability of California Sagebrush to Persist in the Face of Climate Change: A Restoration and Public Education Project to Inform Future Land Management.

Madeline Joy Baer, graduate student in the Department of Political Science, for her proposal entitled Water Policy in Developing Countries.

2007

Christine M. Goedhart, graduate student in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, for her proposal entitled The Effect of Water Stress and Vegetation Change on Soil Nitrogen Cycling in Owens Valley, California.

Rebecca Jo Aicher, graduate student in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, for her proposal entitled California Grasslands, Hunam Development Pressures, Global Change & Other Threats to Ecosystems.

Sarah M. Manchak, graduate student in the School of Social Ecology, for her proposal entitled Examining Change in Civilly Committed Sex Offenders.

Chun Kon Kim, graduate student in the School of Social Science, for his proposal entitled The Impacts of Transporation Energy Policy on Fuel Consumption and Transportation Safety.

2006

Heather Goldsworthy, graduate student in the School of Social Ecology, for her proposal entitled The Role of Climate Change Science in Microfinance.

Kyriaki Papageorgiou, graduate student in the School of Anthropology, for his proposal entitled Seeds of Doubt: Science, Society and the Law in the Biosafety Debates over Genetically Modified Organisms.

Toby Warden, graduate student, for his proposla entitled Mixed Motivations: The Policy Order of the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement

2005

Hannah Aoyagi, graduate student in the School of Social Ecology, for her proposal entitled Linking Science to Policy Outcomes: An Evaluation of the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). Click to view her powerpoint presentation.

Kristie Franz, graduate student in the School of Engineering, for her proposal entitled Infusing New Science and Technology into NWS Hydrologic Forecasts.

Dhawal Nagpal, graduate student in the School of Social Sciences, for his proposal entitled Making Sense of Efforts to Tackle Climate Change at the International and Corporate Level.

Rishika Rishika, graduate student in the School of Business, for her proposal entitled Evaluating the Impact of Cigarette Advertising on Consumption Behavior: The Debate and its Implications for Public Policy.

Angila Romious, graduate student in the School of Social Ecology, for her proposal entitled An Environmental Index to Evaluate Impact of Land Use. Click to view her powerpoint presentation.

2004

Ismael Aguilar-Benitez, graduate student Planning, Policy & Design, for his proposal entitled Local Accountability and Operating Performance of Water Utilities on the U.S.-Mexico Border: The Laredo-Nuevo Laredo Case.

Bryan McDonald, graduate student in the School of Social Ecology. See his spotlight above. Click to view his powerpoint presentation.

Jamie Morgan, graduate student in Environmental Analysis & Design, for her proposal entitled Considering the Effectiveness of International Environmental Agreements: A Case Study of the Ramsar Convention.

Judith Pajo, graduate student in Anthropology, for her proposal entitled Cycles of Recycling: How Environmentalism Relates the Economic and the Social in Germany.

Lisa Sander, graduate student in Environmental Health Science & Policy, for her proposal entitled Contextual Forces and Environmental News. Click to view her powerpoint presentation.