This last month of my fellowship has been a whirlwind! My last update had me preparing to head off to Indonesia to begin to implement the study I designed for Pelagic Data Systems. Unfortunately, there were several complications in the fishery I was supposed to be working in, and as such plans had to change. But the change has been excellent!
I’m now splitting my time between two projects. I have resumed work for the CBE on the Arctic economics project with WWF. My focus within this project has been on the subsistence/indigenous economy, and I’ve been working to collect data and useful information to help understand how economic and environmental changes in the Arctic are affecting the indigenous populations. It has been a very interesting area to research, and I’m excited to contribute to such an important project!
The second project I am working on is a continuation of several class projects over the last year that has turned into an exciting opportunity. Fish Cubed entered a summer accelerator through the Goleta Entrepreneurial Magnet to push forward with our mission of reducing the environmental impact of food production and increasing social equity in access to fresh, organic produce. It has been an intense, exhaustingly exhilarating project that has seen us putting in incredibly long hours but making significant progress. Fish Cubed is now Urbavore! We are closing in on demo day (August 9th) where we will be pitching in front of approximately 250 potential investors to see if we can take our business to the next level. Exciting things are happening!
The lifestyle that has come along with this project may not appeal to some (see the cover image for an understanding of where I’m living), but for me it has been incredible! I’m living in a 1984 Volkswagon Vanagon parked only 1 block from the beach in Isla Vista, CA. I am doing 100 days of blue, and start every morning jumping into the ocean before diving into looooonnnnggg days working on full business + product development, and Arctic research. Life has been wild and crazy and amazing.
