MIT

Mica Caine is the co-founder of Helix, a circular fashion marketplace focused on keeping clothing, care, and stories in motion within local communities. A Central Ohio native, Mica’s work is deeply rooted in place and relationships, spanning circular economy, community-led climate resilience, and decentralized energy systems.

Sanjana is an engineer, environmental justice researcher, and systems thinker working at the intersection of infrastructure, climate, and technology. She is a PhD student at MIT, where her research focuses on renewable energy, energy justice, and the electric grid. She is the co-founder of Rooted Futures Lab, a research and action collective advancing environmental justice in technology, and Earth Hacks, a nonprofit harnessing hackathons as a form of climate action. Her work has ranged from atmospheric science software engineering at NASA to passing decarbonization policy at the local level. She holds a BS in electrical engineering and physics, and a Master’s in City Planning from MIT.

Nicole explores the intersection of affordable housing and climate equity, including building energy retrofit strategies that can reduce energy burden, prevent displacement, and target climate investments to low-income communities of color.

Dyanna is studying policies to guide long-haul economic transition pathways to mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis. Before graduate school, Dyanna organized with grassroots movements to design and win climate policy for over a decade.

Ross has led supply-chain operations for Doctors Without Borders and worked on responsible sourcing and recycling for Apple’s global supply chain. A citizen of both the U.S. and Ireland, he roots his sustainability work in Celtic, Ignatian, and monastic spiritual traditions.

A polymer chemist, Abe studies polymer and supramolecular materials for next-generation batteries and sustainable plastics. Using organic and macromolecular synthetic methodologies, he designs polyelectrolytes, mechanochemically-active networks, and self-assembling graft copolymers.

Ángel is an MBA and MPP candidate at MIT's Sloan School of Management and Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, where he is a Bacon Environmental Fellow through the Center for Public Leadership. His work focuses on expanding clean energy...

Aja finds joy in building reciprocal relationships between people and land. She was born and raised on the island of Oʻahu in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. She is a Ph.D. candidate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the department...

Janelle Heslop is the Associate Director for Strategy and Innovation at NASA’s Earth Science Division, where she leads strategic initiatives and partnerships that connect cutting-edge science with real-world applications. With a background in engineering and business, she works at the intersection of technology, innovation, and strategic decision-making to drive meaningful change for our planet.