Institute at Brown for Environment and Society

Allie Reilly ‘15 is an Environmental Studies concentrator most interested in reconciling human society and the environment through policy.  As a New Jersey resident, she is using her personal curiosities sparked by her family’s own experience with Hurricane Sandy to fuel her research.  In collaboration with Caroline Karp (Environmental Studies) and Amanda Martin (RI Statewide Planning Program), she will be researching whether Hurricane Sandy had any impacts on coastal management policies in the Northeast.  The research process will include legal examination of municipal ordinances, followed by a survey of and interviews with local government officials to understand how they respond to events like Hurricane Sandy.  This work hopes to inform coastal management practices, and highlight policies that are adaptive in light of climate change and its subsequent impacts on the coast. Allie also is a 2014 Henry D. Sharpe, Jr. ’45 UTRA awardee and co-funded by the University’s UTRA (Undergraduate Teaching and Research Awards) program.