CURes Blog

The Women of CURes

In honor of International Women’s Day, we’re highlighting the women of CURes! Learn more about our staff and students on our website, and also check out this list of influential women in the field of environmentalism across history!

Dr. Michele Romolini – Managing Director

  • How did you first get interested in science/nature/the environment/etc?
    • My first interests were in animal behavior and conservation. I thought I wanted to be a zoologist or a field biologist. But as I progressed in my education, I realized human decisions and management are what drive changes to the environment. I began studying natural resources management in an effort to better understand these social and environmental factors.
  • Where is your favorite spot in nature?
    • I don’t have a favorite, but Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vermont is one of the most peaceful places that comes to mind.
  • What is your favorite outdoor activity?
    • I love riding my bike along the beach at sunset.
  • Do you have a female role model?
    • I have been fortunate to have several female mentors in my career who showed me that strong leadership and success can be accomplished while raising others up. I strive to follow that model.
  • Why do you think it is important for women to engage with STEM and/or how can we better advocate for women in STEM?
    • It is important that we address complex issues in collaborative teams that have a diversity of perspectives. In order to ensure that women have equal opportunity for achievement in STEM careers, we must advocate for supportive infrastructure like equal pay, paid family leave, child care, etc.

Lisa Fimiani – Dan & Susan Gottlieb Environmental Leadership Fellow

  • How did you first get interested in science/nature/the environment/etc?
    • As a little girl, I loved playing outdoors.
  • Where is your favorite spot in nature?
    • In a wooded area under a canopy of trees.
  • What is your favorite outdoor activity?
    • Birdwatching
  • Do you have a female role model?
    • Rachel Carson (best known for her book Silent Spring), she drew attention to the indiscriminate use of pesticides killing wildlife – especially birds
  • Why do you think it is important for women to engage with STEM and/or how can we better advocate for women in STEM?
    • Women are problem solvers by nature.  How they approach daily life challenges could benefit the male-dominated world
  • Any other thoughts you’d like to share
    • My advice to young girls: there are times when you should take the pretty pink dress off and get into outdoor gear, go outside, get dirty and stay dirty… for a while.  There is a transformation that occurs when one touches and smells the earth.  Don’t miss out!  

Belinda Brunelle – Senior Administrator

  • How did you first get interested in science/nature/the environment/etc?
    • Starting at five years of age my parents would take us camping for a month…this usually entailed traveling from L.A. to Massachusetts to visit the relatives. You see a lot of country when you are traveling over 5,000 miles round trip!
  • Where is your favorite spot in nature?
    • On the top of any  mountain in the sierras sitting very quietly in order to hear the wind, birdsong and all other surrounding sounds.
  • What is your favorite outdoor activity?
    • Hiking everywhere….I’d rather walk then get in a car any day of the week.
  • Do you have a female role model?
    • I don’t have a particular female, but I am in awe of all the rural women homesteaders, with limited education, that used so many resources to keep their families thriving. I love reading about their struggles and the ingenuity they used to stay alive.
  • Why do you think it is important for women to engage with STEM and/or how can we better advocate for women in STEM?
    • Extremely important – the introduction should start at home, but is often not. All disciplines should be open to women and men – No stereotypes please!

Reilly Grzywacz – Silver Lake Research Assistant

  • How did you first get interested in science/nature/the environment/etc?
    • I first got interested in the environment a as a kid. I live in New York, only a five minute walk from this enormous nature reserve. I’d spend countless afternoons hiking with my family, walking my dogs, or just wandering alone there. The connection I cultivated there sparked my passion for environmentalism.
  • Where is your favorite spot in nature?
    • My favorite spot in nature is Margaret Lewis Norrie State Park. It’s a network of trails right along the Hudson River, about an hour north of my hometown. There are small, remote stone beaches and paths along cliffsides with really beautiful views of the river. 
  • What is your favorite outdoor activity?
    • My favorite outdoor activity is hiking.
  • Do you have a female role model?
    • My female role model is Dr. Linda Burke. She was my AP Environmental Science teacher in high school. Most definitely one of the quirkiest women I’ve ever met, she had this passion for the environment beyond any I’d ever seen. She deeply immersed us into the class, exceeding every AP course requirement imaginable, and introduced me to the academic side of my environmentalism.
  • Why do you think it is important for women to engage with STEM and/or how can we better advocate for women in STEM?
    • I think it’s important for women to engage with STEM because there’s an entire population of strong, intuitive minds out there who do not have the resources, support, or encouragement to pursue a career in STEM, but whose insights would surely change the field forever.

Emily Simso – Research Fellow 

  • How did you first get interested in science/nature/the environment/etc?
    • I grew up in Minnesota, surrounded by nature – we were constantly outside canoeing, kayaking, hiking, and just exploring. It gave me an appreciation for the outdoors I’m not sure I could have gotten anywhere else.
  • Where is your favorite spot in nature?
    • In LA – definitely the beach. Otherwise, I love the Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota.
  • What is your favorite outdoor activity?
    • Hiking! I love going to Malibu, the Angeles NF, the Sierras, and Joshua Tree – anywhere with mountains or boulders to scramble. This time of year, I also love going to look for migrating whales.
  • Do you have a female role model?
    • Christiana Figueres – she was the Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and instrumental in creating the 2015 Paris Agreement. She takes a very intersectional view of climate and emphasizes the necessity of structural changes, including finance, infrastructure, lifestyle, and beyond. She also calls herself a “Stubborn Climate Optimist,” which I think is the necessary outlook to get ourselves to a sustainable future.
  • Why do you think it is important for women to engage with STEM and/or how can we better advocate for women in STEM?
    • Women bring unique perspectives and lived experiences to STEM, particularly in environmental fields, as women are more likely to have close relationships to nature. Women also tend to be more group-oriented, leading to multidisciplinary problem-solving teams. I think we need to emphasize to young women that they can have a career in STEM, particularly young women of color, if we are going to have a just transition to a sustainable future.

Jaclyn Findlay – Long Beach Coyote Project Research Assistant

  • How did you first get interested in science/nature/the environment/etc?
    • From a young age, I had a large fascination and love for nature and animals. I’ve always caught myself being distracted by interesting plants and animal species. 
  • Where is your favorite spot in nature?
    • Being a Vancouver, Canada native, I was always been exposed to the coastal forest, which is known for its large coniferous regions. Being in the forest, exposed to the fresh air and smell of those trees, has to be my favorite spot in nature.  
  • What is your favorite outdoor activity?
    • My favorite outdoor activity is hiking. It allows me to relax and enjoy the sun and the beautiful outdoors.
  • Do you have a female role model?
    • My female role model has to be my Mother. She has always been very supportive, in every aspect of my life. In my academic career, she has always encouraged me to do my best and challenged me to take classes I thought would be too hard. She truly taught me the importance and value of an education. 
  • Why do you think it is important for women to engage with STEM and/or how can we better advocate for women in STEM?
    • Women in the field of STEM are currently underrepresented. Unfortunately, globally, many women are not being encouraged to join the field of STEM. This needs to be stopped. We must encourage, inform, and educate women on joining the field. Because, as Beyoncé would ask, “Who run the World?”

Maria Curley – Education Specialist

  • How did you first get interested in science/nature/the environment/etc?
    • I have had a special connection to nature since I was a little girl.  We had a large yard growing up in Pasadena, and with nine mouths to feed, having a huge garden helped decrease the food bill!  We grew the majority of our own vegetables and some fruits, including citrus.  I loved the Garden!  Being a middle child and a Virgo, having things in order was always important to me, so gardening was the perfect hobby. It became a passion of mine.  Not only did we grow our own food, but we also potted some of the plants and sold them in our nearby neighborhoods to make money for the family.  I loved all the tasks related to gardens, including weeding, watering, pruning, harvesting, and eating the results!  I also got very interested in insects as pollinators and would pour over our National Geographic magazines and learn all I could about plants and animals as well as different landscapes.  When I later attended UC Riverside, my first job was helping to manage the UCR Botanical Gardens.  The curator at the time, Dennis Kucera, was amazed at how much I knew about herbs, roses, potted plants, soil amending, watering, etc. I had found my perfect niche!  Much later, going into education, I have continued my passion for animals, plants, and the environment, and pass on my love and passion to students and teachers, through teaching and curriculum-writing.  I feel very blessed to have been exposed to nature early on as a child, as it has connected me to Mother Earth ever since.
  • Where is your favorite spot in nature?
    • I especially love the mountains.  Growing up in Pasadena, we had the most majestic view right from our backyard, of the San Gabriel mountain range.  From then on, I have always loved hiking in the mountains and was fortunate when attending UC Riverside to connect with a group of young people who also loved hiking.  We hiked up to Mt. Baldy as our first “high peak” at 10,064 ft elevation! Screeing down the face of the mountain on the descent, was something I will always remember!  Be sure to have sturdy hiking shoes for this endeavor!  Another must-hike for any other mountain-lovers is Mt Washington in New Hampshire.  Be sure to bring all-weather gear though … the summit has had some of the coldest recorded temperatures in North America!  
  • What is your favorite outdoor activity?
    • I am an avid birder, or as my dear friend Lisa would lovingly say, “a bird geek”!  I love birds in all landscapes … from songbirds to raptors to pelagic birds that have the ocean as their home most of their life.  My favorite birds are hummingbirds.  For anyone who also loves hummingbirds, a trip to Costa Rica should be on your bucket list.  It has a huge diversity of hummers and they are some of the most beautiful you will see!  Since I was a little girl I used to always want to be able to fly like a bird.  If I get a chance to come back in another life, I want to come back as an Osprey!
  • Do you have a female role model?
    • I have always been a huge fan of Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962).  As you might know, she was the wife of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, our 32nd U.S. President.  Through her personality and actions, she transformed the role of First Lady.  I admired her for her no-nonsense, tenacious spirit to do what was right and just in a world that needed change.  She was a champion of  many causes I connect with, including the women’s suffrage movement, civil rights, American workers, the poor, and young people.  She believed, like me, in social responsibility and everyone lending a helping hand to those who need it.  She also loved nature and the enviroment, and near and dear to my heart … history, writing and teaching.  She was a woman who didn’t just ‘talk the talk’, she ‘walked the walk’, from her volunteer work teaching immigrant children, to fighting for equality and independence for the underprivileged and underrepresented.  I have always connected to Eleanor because I too was an awkward, serious child, and also lost my parents at a young age.  I admired her for her strength and resiliency to overcome challenging circumstances and never accept no when it came to doing what was right for racial and social justice. Her work at the United Nations was unprecedented, having overseen the drafting and passage of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.  I believe if it were not for Eleanor Roosevelt, the road to equality for women and other under-recognized groups would have been a much longer uphill battle.
  • Why do you think it is important for women to engage with STEM and/or how can we better advocate for women in STEM?
    • We absolutely need more women engaged in STEM, or as we promote here at CURes, “STREAM”, which stands for Science, Technology, Restorative Justice, Engineering, Art, and Math.  Historically, males have been pushed more and supported in the STEM fields, especially in engineering, math, space science, and more.  Thankfully, times are changing.  As a teacher, I strive to promote equity in my examples of professionals in the fields I teach, to show young men and women that diversity makes us a stronger and more resilient people and world.  When I design project-based-learning activities, I design mixed groups and encourage young men and women to work on project teams together, in a supportive and collaborative way, yet challenging each other to high expectations and results.  Teachers can also bring women in STEM fields to do guest presentations, encouraging young women to go into the fields of science, math, and technology.  Providing opportunities for young men and women of today will only strengthen our work force and promote equity for all.
  • Any other thoughts you’d like to share
    • I would love to encourage women (and everyone) to find what brings them joy and follow that passion, whether it is the environment, social equality, criminal justice reform, bird conservation, space exploration, or any other field.  I also want to remind others to always remember and learn from the past, especially as a people / civilization / world, so we dare not repeat the negative events.  We have come so far in areas such as environmental reform and social /gender / racial equality, that we must keep moving forward by learning from the past in the hope of an even better tomorrow.