A new semester means new William & Mary Law School students join the Virginia Coastal Policy Center. The nine new students will work in groups on projects related to coastal resource management issues currently facing Virginia and the nation. Meet the students and read about their diverse projects below.
Patrick Harner will research challenges associated with Hampton Roads Sanitation District’s proposed groundwater injection project, which entails injecting treated wastewater it into Virginia’s main groundwater aquifer to replenish it. Patrick graduated with a bachelor’s in history from William & Mary in 2008. He has two master’s degrees: one in earth and environmental science from Wesleyan University in 2013 and one in planetary science from the University of Arizona in 2015. He is in his second year of law school and expects to graduate in 2018. His hometown is Rescue, Virginia.
“I am excited about participating in VCPC because I grew up taking full advantage of the James River and the Chesapeake Bay, and I want to participate in the policy efforts to preserve them.”
Noah Trembly will analyze four working waterfront case studies, as well as help analyze the Virginia Beach tourism industry’s resilience to severe flooding. He received his bachelor’s in psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2010. He is in his second year of law school and expects to graduate in 2018. He is a native of Bethesda, Maryland.
“As an avid whitewater kayaker, I spend a significant amount of time on the rivers in and around Virginia and understand that there is overlap in the issues that affect these rivers and the coastal areas. I am excited to learn more about the people who work to protect Virginia’s coastal areas and to contribute to this shared goal.”
Hillary May will update narrative policies for the Department of Environmental Quality’s Coastal Zone Management Program. She graduated from Clemson University in 2014 with a double degree in English literature and psychology, and a Spanish minor. She is currently a second year law student at William & Mary and expects to graduate in 2018. She is a native of Roanoke, Virginia.
“I’m excited to be in VCPC this semester to get a chance to do meaningful work that has a tangible impact on the environment and wildlife in my home state.”
Emily Tucker will research challenges associated with Hampton Roads Sanitation District’s proposed groundwater injection project, which entails injecting treated wastewater it into Virginia’s main groundwater aquifer to replenish it. She received her bachelors in chemical and biomolecular engineering in 2015 from Georgia Tech. She’s in her second year of law school, and expects to graduate in 2018. Her hometown is Lawsonville, North Carolina.
“I am looking forward to seeing lawyers affect change in the environmental policy arena and have a positive impact on Virginia’s coastal resources.”
Michael Zielinski will update narrative policies for the Department of Environmental Quality’s Coastal Zone Management Program. He double majored in psychology and English at the College of William & Mary, earning his bachelor’s in 2007. He received his master’s in religious studies from the University of Virginia in 2013. He’s in his third year of law school, and expects to graduate in 2017. His hometown is Culpeper, Virginia.
“I’m excited to be in VCPC this semester because I’m eager to apply the knowledge I’ve gained in my law school courses toward protecting Virginia’s coastal resources and the people whose well-being and livelihoods depend on those resources.”
Derek Van De Walle will analyze four working waterfront case studies, as well as help analyze the Virginia Beach tourism industry’s resilience to severe flooding. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s in political science and classical civilizations. He’s currently a third-year law student, and will graduate in 2017. He is a native of Township, Michigan.
“I’m excited to broaden my knowledge of environmental law and policy and focus on the Chesapeake Bay.”
Peter Quinn-Jacobs is developing a website featuring recurrent flooding information with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. You can read more about his project here. He attended Wells College and graduated in 2012 with a bachelor’s in English and a minor in Spanish. Before that he attended Tompkins Cortland Community College, where He got an associate’s degree in math and science. He’s in his third year and will graduate in 2018 with both a law degree and a Master of Public Policy degree. He is a native of Ithaca, New York.
“I’m excited to work for VCPC this summer because the clinic is at the center of great policy work that will help prepare Virginia for climate change, and I want to do what I can to help.”
Chelsea Wilkins will analyze four working waterfront case studies, as well as help analyze the Virginia Beach tourism industry’s resilience to severe flooding. She earned her bachelor’s from James Madison University in 2015 with a double major in biological anthropology and justice studies, and concentration in global studies. She graduated within the Honors Program and wrote her Honors Thesis on Indigenous Land Rights of the Khoi in South Africa after traveling to South Africa. She’s a second year law student and will graduate in 2018. Newport News, Virginia is her hometown.
“I am thrilled to be able to work substantively on environmental issues through VCPC. We are in a geographic area with a great deal of biodiversity and a variety of landscapes, while working in a time when environmental preservation has never been more important. Working directly on cases will allow me to apply what I have learned in the classroom in a meaningful way.”
Daniel Heifer will update the Commonwealth’s Floodplain Management Plan. In 2014, he received his bachelor’s in government and international politics from George Mason University, with a minor in history focusing on Africa. He is a second year law student and expects to graduate in 2018. His hometown is Fairfax, Virginia.
