Akilah Chatman

Akilah (they/them) is a 2022 candidate for the B.S. in Environmental Science with a focus in Applied Environmental Science. Raised between South Florida and Jamaica, their world view has been shaped by the practice of accessibility, from readability of content to the ability to spend time in nature. This holds true for the work they do in both the Ward Lab and the Coastal Change Lab housed by the Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Science department and the Academy of Natural Sciences. Some projects they have recently finished and are currently working on include conducting a greenhouse gas inventory and writing a climate action plan for Abington Township, leveraging access to green space as a tool to develop STEM identity in poor and minority schoolchildren in Philadelphia, and auditing the technical report of the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary for social justice considerations to help combat structural environmental racism. When not in the lab, physically or mentally, they spend their time trying to read at least one book a month, collecting recipes, working out, and designing clothes. For their Fulbright research, they will be working with The Idea Consultants and the Cambodian Ministry of Education to design a community garden in the National Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh that will be guided by the needs of the community and serve as an outdoor learning space for schools around the city.

Akilah has been involved with the Pennoni Honors College through receiving a UREP Undergraduate Research Mini-Grant.

Last updated: May 2022