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<br /> <br />Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center: Environmental Justice Research Fellow (2021 - <br />2022) <br />Following an expressed need from local stakeholders and community members, Cielo served as a research fellow at the <br />Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center, investigating the implications of legacy contaminants in brownfield sites <br />along the Connecticut River in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Cielo conceptualized, designed, and deployed a MODFLOW <br />3D model of non-aqueous phase liquids in an unconfined aquifer, examining transport under extreme rainfall scenarios. <br />Cielo used the results of this model to evaluate environmental risk for community members who used groundwater from <br />artisanal wells, conducting geospatial risk assessment models at the census block group level. Cielo collaborated with <br />local NGOs and community organizations to develop solutions to mitigate and manage environmental risk and exposure. <br /> <br />University of Massachusetts Amherst: Spaulding Smith Fellow (2019, 2023, 2024) <br />Climate change increases the frequency and severity of precipitation events in the Northeast United States. Severe <br />precipitation events may impact communities disproportionately vulnerable to disturbances in water systems. To examine <br />the impact of 100- and 500-year flooding, Cielo constructed spatially explicit geospatial models to investigate the <br />distribution of flood risk from 2010 to 2020 across the 351 municipalities and 4,985 census block groups using the <br />Environmental Justice Index (EJI) developed by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental <br />Affairs. Cielo worked closely with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Flood Hazard <br />Management Program to build disaster and risk reduction mitigation discourse that supports community members <br />exposed to flooding and supports MA DCR’s efforts to comply with Executive Order 14008. <br /> <br />PROJECT LIST <br />• USGS/NCASC (National) – Organizational Assessment <br />• USGS/NCASC (National) – Strategic Plan Update <br />• USGS/NCASC (National) – Community Outreach Campaign for Water Use Study <br />• Fitchburg (MA) – Community Outreach Campaign for NPDES & MS4 Compliance <br />• Energy Transition Institute (MA) – Large-Scale Surface Water Quality Study <br />• USGS/NECASC (MA)– Groundwater Contaminant Transport and Exposure Study <br />• UMass Amherst (MA) – Flood Hazard Study <br />• UMass Amherst (MA) – Burned Watershed Contaminant Study <br />• ZHAW, Wädenswil (Switzerland) – Industrial Contaminant Study <br />• UMass Amherst (MA) – Classroom Engagement Study <br /> <br />PUBLICATIONS <br />• Spatial and Temporal Analysis of Flood Risk in Massachusetts Environmental Justice Communities. (In review, <br />ASCE Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management) 2024. <br />• Understanding Perception of Risk and Adaptation Strategies to Climate Change Through Participatory Research with <br />a Massachusetts Urban Farming Community. (In review, Environmental Research Letters) 2024. <br />• Understanding Unequal & Cumulative Risks in Our Daily Environment - Environmental Health: Foundations for <br />Public Health. 2024. <br />• Flood risk behaviors of United States riverine metropolitan areas are driven by local hydrology and shaped by race. <br />Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2021. <br /> <br /> <br />PRESENTATIONS <br />• “Understanding Knowledge Systems and Adaptation Practices in Response to Extreme Precipitation Events: Insights <br />from Community Engaged Research in Massachusetts,” American Geophysical Union Annual Meeting, 2023