With the rise in battery electric vehicles (BEVs) as transportation, Los Angeles (LA) has passed the LA’s Green New Deal to incentivize BEVs. However, the knowledge gap is that while BEVs are generally correlated with cleaner air, the non-exhaust emissions of tire-wear due to the heavier weight of batteries has not been fully accounted for. We propose this research project: To what extent do PM2.5 emissions from tire wear, attributed to the heavier weight of light-duty BEVs, disproportionately impact air quality and environmental justice across different communities in Los Angeles? We utilized the EMFAC emissions model and Urban Dynamometer Driving Schedule from the California Air Resource Board to develop a baseline emissions profile of BEVs. Then, we synthesized quantitative data from air quality policy reviews, GIS models, and vehicle traffic demand (VMT) models to assess the effects of BEV adoption on air quality in LA communities. BEVs have a larger amount of PM2.5 tire wear emissions. Due to more non-exhaust emissions from BEVs, the GIS and VMT models demonstrate the environmental burdens of communities along freeways would experience. The current policies highlight that California is proactively addressing air quality concerns from mobile sources. Ultimately, the objective is to give attention to the overlooked PM2.5 emissions BEVs contribute from the increased tire wear from the heavier weight compared to gasoline vehicles to mitigate the environmental justice impacts of communities along freeways.

Unseasonal wildfires in Los Angeles County during January 2025 prompted an investigation into the climatological variables potentially contributing to their emergence. This study examined long-term atmospheric trends to assess their relationship with fire risk indicators in four representative locations: Santa Clarita, Altadena, Santa Monica, and Pacific Palisades. Using data sourced from ClimateToolbox.org and the gridMET dataset, the analysis focused on vapor pressure deficit (VPD), minimum relative humidity, wind speed, solar radiation, potential evapotranspiration, and the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). The findings revealed consistent increases in VPD and solar radiation, declining relative humidity in inland areas, and persistent drought conditions across all sites. Santa Clarita and Altadena exhibited high evapotranspiration rates and atmospheric dryness, underscoring their vulnerability due to dense vegetation and topography. Though coastal regions displayed some buffering effects from marine influence, the broader climatological trends point to a shifting seasonal dynamic. These results suggest that climate change is compressing California’s rainy season while intensifying dry-season characteristics, even during winter months. The study underscores the growing need to reassess traditional wildfire calendars and to develop proactive mitigation strategies as winter fire events become more plausible.

The multi-year sewage crisis at the Tijuana border poses an immense threat to the wellbeing of nearby ecosystems. A key threat posed by untreated sewage in marine and terrestrial environments is antibiotic resistant bacteria. To quantify the presence of antibiotic resistance in the region, we have purified isolates of Escherichia coli from a pristine site in the San Gabriel Mountains, an ocean site in Venice, and five highly impacted sites in San Diego County across two separate time points of February 2024 and February 2025.. After purification, isolates were tested for resistance to a suite of antibiotics using the Kirby Bauer method: tetracycline, erythromycin, ciprofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, nalidixic acid, cefotaxime, kanamycin, and streptomycin. High levels of resistance were observed in isolates from erythromycin, even in the pristine site. Levels of resistance at all sites are compared to fecal indicator bacteria levels assessed using IDEXX technology using correlation plots. Future work includes multi-drug resistance analysis for the 2025 time point and an epidemiological analysis of publicly-available health data from the region.

Waste reduction and reuse have been extensively studied at UCLA since UC President Robert Dynes signed the UC Policy on Sustainable Practices in 2007. UCLA achieved its 2012 goal of 75% waste diversion but failed to reach the 100% waste diversion target by 2020, which was the original goal of the UC Policy enacted in 2007. This project aims to characterize the state of waste reduction and reuse at UCLA and compile a California university-centric perspective on the current state of waste reduction and reuse to inform our waste management policy. We have developed a reusable pilot program for the University housing sector of UCLA Sustainability to reduce overall waste output from dining services. Our findings from other universities have also been compiled into an online Zero Waste Bulletin, which will be made available to all UCLA students and facilities managers, providing an in-depth survey of effective waste reduction strategies employed by other universities and their appointed managers, as well as educational materials on optimal trash sorting practices at UCLA. The goal of this research project is to enhance our understanding of UCLA’s reusable materials policy and to formulate a sustainable and feasible solution towards Zero Waste at UCLA.

Climate change has endangered the Sonoran Desert’s saguaro cactus - a central organism essential for our desert biodiversity. One observation is that the growth of the cactus is impaired even in established plants (i.e. the arm growth and spatial orientations for saguaros in different territories). This research attempts to discover how traits such as elevation, distribution, and moisture availability correlate to saguaro arm growth. I used a dataset owned by Desert Lab on Tumamoc Hill established over 117 years, containing more than one thousand saguaro images and related environmental data, to code in RStudio to make statistical analyses. This included boxplots, graphs, and mapping. The data visuals make it easy to discover trends and patterns, such as clustering of multi-armed saguaros at higher elevations and north-facing slopes. When coding in R, I made sure to consider the relationship between main stem length and arm development. With some of our discoveries, we found that saguaros located on the colder, north-facing slopes had more arm development. This is probably because of the increased water retention and decreased evaporation, thus being consistent with the idea that moisture availability is a very important part in differing structures. Coding tools and data analysis can show long-term ecological trends and aid us in understanding how organisms like the saguaro cactus are continuously changing and adjusting to our Earth’s climate change. The results and findings from this research could help influence future conservation efforts for dry ecosystems that are experiencing drastic environmental changes.