Lauren Mechak

617-688-6672 |

CAREER INTERESTS

Working at the intersection of science and policy; climate change mitigation policy.

SKILLS

Editorial & writing skills, particularly conveying technical information for non-technical audiences; database design & management in Microsoft Excel; data visualization in MS Excel and Tableau; data analysis in MS Excel, STATA and R software.

EDUCATION

Duke University, Nicholas School of the Environment Durham, NC

Master of Environmental Management, Environmental Economics and Policy May 2018

  • Article Editor at Duke Environmental Law and Policy Forum, Fall 2017-Spring 2018.
  • Contributor to SciPol, a Duke University initiative to provide unbiased briefs on science and policy topics Fall 2017-Spring 2018.
  • Teaching Assistant for Environmental Law, ENV 835, Fall 2017.
  • Master’s Project: Creating policy recommendations to implement a carbon tax for the city of Boulder Colorado.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Duke University – Duke Carbon Offsets Initiative Durham, NC

Research Assistant September 2016 - Present

  • Drafted, researched, and created a risk analysis survey for educational institutions when purchasing carbon offsets.
  • Facilitated the development of a suite of resources for Duke University employees regarding energy efficiency, including creating workshop educational materials.
  • Consulted on data management improvements to track annual energy savings and carbon offset purchases for Duke University.

Union of Concerned Scientists Chicago, IL

Midwest Clean Energy Policy Intern May 2017 – August 2017

  • Drafted memos on Illinois grid modernization proceeding, including specific recommendations for organizational engagement used by senior staff members to advocate for additional organizational resources in the Midwestern region.
  • Researched atmospheric pollution health impact models and developed a decision matrix that included costs, data requirements, and expected outputs. Matrix used by senior managers to consider contracting modelers.
  • Created map graphics with data from S&P Global Market Intelligence Data in Tableau to be used for federal clean energy advocacy.

Lincoln Park Zoo – Conservation and Science Department Chicago, IL

Associate Population Biologist July 2014 - August 2016

  • Built models to simulate demographic and genetic challenges and solutions in the long-term management of zoo animals held across the United States; 1 of only 3 people in the country to conduct such work.
  • Served as lead author on ~25 technical reports per year published on the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) website outlining model outputs to be used by zoo curators and directors.
  • Presented results at AZA Annual Conferences (2014 & 2015) including 2 poster and 2 oral presentations.
  • Led 2+ monthly meetingswith zoo professionals to determine how real-world issues could be quantified.

Research Assistant January 2014 - July 2014

  • Promoted due to excellent technical research skills and proactively learning model mechanics.
  • Served as point of contact for external reviewers to complete the editing process in a timely manner.
  • Edited final reports for spelling and grammatical errors before uploading them to the AZA.org website.
  • Created and maintained a database to track report progress and compile output data.
  • Provided administrative support to the research team including scheduling meetings.

PUBLICATIONS

Guaza R., Grow S, Mechak L. Beyond frogs in the field: Explore citizen science online through Frogwatch-Fieldscope. Amphibian Ark Newsletter, December 2013

Chapman C, van Bavel B, Boodman C, Ghai R, Gogarten J, Hartter J, Mechak L, Omeja P, Poonawala S, Tuli D, Goldberg T. 2014. Providing health care to improve community perceptions of protected areas. Oryx, 49, 636-642