Synthesis Program Team 

Jill Gladstein, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

Director and Full Teaching Professor

jgladstein@ucsd.edu

 Jill earned a B.S. in Early Childhood Education from University of Wisconsin - Madison. She graduated with a M.S. Ed. in TESOL and a Ph.D. in Reading, Writing and Literacy from the  University of Pennsylvania.

What I hope students gain from the Synthesis program: I hope students will learn how to communicate in order to bring about change.

Best writing tip I’ve learned: Find a process that works for you!

On the Playlist: Wherever my mood takes me.

Recommended TV shows:  So many to list. 

Favorite hobby/activity: Walking my dogs, spending time with family and friends, watching musicals. 

Go-to-Food: French fries and chocolate

Brenna Gormally, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

Associate Director

bgormally@ucsd.edu

Brenna went to Pomona College where she received a BA in Biology. She then went on to get a PhD in Biology at Tufts University. Most recently, she was a Teaching & Research Postdoctoral Fellow in the Grand Challenges Initiative at Chapman University. 

What I hope students gain from the Synthesis program: I hope that Synthesis students develop their passions while gaining the skills to tackle some of society's most pressing challenges. I also hope that students become confident working on open-ended projects in team settings. Finally, I hope that Synthesis students can communicate how systemic inequities have led to disparities in the effects of climate change.

Best writing tip I’ve learned: Getting the words on the paper is the hardest part. Do whatever you can to get your first draft down on paper and then revise, revise, revise. And read it aloud!

Favorite hobby/activity: Playing with my dog Archie

Leslie Meyer, M.A. (she/her/hers)

Associate Director

lmeyer@ucsd.edu

Leslie grew up in the Midwest and graduated from the University of Minnesota with a B.A. in Global Studies and Spanish. She received her MA in Latin American Studies from UCSD. Her research is about the impacts of U.S. and Mexican immigration policies on the mental health of asylum seekers in Tijuana, Mexico. Using a variety of collaborative, ethnographic, and applied artistic methods, her work examines how asylum seekers cope with and make meaning of life in limbo, including through acts of altruism and protest, storytelling, and dance.

What I hope students gain from the Synthesis program: I hope students will learn to avoid comparing themselves to others, instead focusing on developing their own unique voice, interests, questions, and ideas.  Furthermore, I hope students will feel valued and like they're a part of a supportive writing community.

Best writing tip I’ve learned: Check in with your breath! Meditation taught me to be able to notice what's going on in my body and mind when I'm procrastinating on a writing project, which is a very helpful first step for me in overcoming writer's block.

On the playlist: Lots of jazz, bossa nova, and hip hop

Favorite Hobby/Activity: Dancing

Go-to-Food: Tacos

Nathaniel Edds, M.Ed. (he/him/his)

Program Coordinator

nedds@ucsd.edu

Meet Nathaniel! He graduated with a B.A. from Denison University where he majored in Psychology with minors in Educational Studies and Philosophy. Nathaniel completed his M.Ed. in Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs from the University of Southern California in 2021. 

What I hope students gain from the Synthesis program: I hope that students explore topics that excite them, instigate passion, and find connections across disciplines to create a meaningful interdisciplinary foundation for knowledge.

Go-to-Food: Cha Siu Bao, Nasi Goreng, and Pulled Pork

Recommended San Diego must eat/do: Explore the tide pools of La Jolla at low tide and enjoy the view from the top of Mt. Soledad.

Adrian Vega, M.A. (he/him/his)

Unit 18 Lecturer
Transfer College Student, First-Generation College Student, Additional Language Spoken - Spanish

Hometown: San Bernardino, California 

Adrian transferred to UC Irvine from San Bernardino Valley College. After working as a tutor at SBVC, Adrian received his MA in English from SDSU. While working on his thesis, he worked as a tutor at SDSU and Mesa College. As a tutor, he worked as an embedded tutor for PUENTE and KAPWA learning communities. After graduating, he worked as a lecturer for the RWS department at SDSU.

Academic Specializations: Adrian specialized in American Literature, where he focused primarily on Chicanx/Latinx authors in his MA program. 

Advice to Synthesis students: Ask for help when you need it, and don't be afraid to ask for help. All of us will be more than happy to help with anything that comes up during the school year.

Arthur L. Atkinson, Ph.D. (he/him/his)

Unit 18 Lecturer

Hometown: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma  

Having attended undergrad to study film and media, followed by a master's degree in education, Arthur decided to pursue his growing interest in the field of sociology by moving to New Zealand to earn a Ph.D. After living in NZ, Arthur anded in San Diego and worked at USD in the Department of Sustainability for 6 years before arriving to UCSD. I'm looking forward to this year!

Academic Specializations: Neoliberal Globalization, Postcolonial Theory, Public Service, Student Volunteerism, and Environmental Studies. 

Advice to Synthesis students: Learning to become a good writer is a skill that you can take with you forever and is transferable in every field of study from the sciences to the humanities. And one of the best ways to enact change is to engage in the practice of reading and writing, so approach the texts with an open mind and let's become writers equipped to read and write change.

Brie Iatarola, Ph.D (she/her/hers)

Unit 18 Lecturer
Triton Transfer Ally, Additional Language Spoken - Spanish

Hometown: Tucson, Arizona

Brie Iatarola holds a Ph.D. in Communication and an M.A. in Latin American Studies from UC San Diego. She graduated with a B.A. in Journalism from Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University, and previously worked in the U.S. media industry as a research assistant, copy editor, and freelance journalist.

Academic Specializations: Academic specializations and research expertise include environmental communication, coastal cleanups, community science, cultural studies, political ecology, and surf politics.

Advice to Synthesis students: Be kind to yourself, especially during the brainstorming and drafting stages of writing.

Claudi Brink, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

Unit 18 Lecturer
Additional Language Spoken - Afrikaans & German

Hometown: Johannesburg, South Africa

Claudi graduated with a Ph.D. in Philosophy from UCSD in 2022. She has taught on a wide range of topics in philosophy, including critical thinking, ethics, and environmental ethics. She spent time working as a graduate writing consultant at the Writing Hub and was also a mentor for discussion leaders in the First Year and Transfer Year Experience programs at UCSD.

Academic Specializations: Claudi's work focuses on the work of prominent Enlightenment philosopher, Immanuel Kant. She wrote her dissertation on his theory of self-consciousness and the role it plays in human cognition.  She also has research interests in Kant's theory of freedom of the will and his ethics.

Advice to Synthesis students: Have a plan.

Emily Browne, M.F.A. (she/her/hers)

Unit 18 Lecturer

Hometown: Orange County, California

Emily Browne is a poet and lecturer. She received her B.A. in Creative Writing and Narrative Studies at USC and her M.F.A. in Poetry at Brooklyn College. In her creative work, she communicates emotions surrounding death, grief, and spirituality through Californian landscapes and biota. Her poems have been published in BigCityLit and Rush Magazine.

Academic Specializations: Emily loves to teach eco-poetics, climate fiction, and rhetoric surrounding the climate crisis.

Advice to Synthesis students: Write about what interests you, have patience with the process, and ask as many questions as you can.

Hanna Tawater, M.F.A. (she/her/hers)

Unit 18 Lecturer

Transfer College Student, First-Generation College Student

Hometown: San Diego, California

Hanna is a UCSD alum, having received her MFA in writing here in 2014. She also studied Fine Art at San Diego City College before transferring to SDSU to complete her BA in Literature. She's published two books of poetry and is currently writing her first sci-fi novel. Synthesis is the third writing program at UCSD she's worked in!

Academic Specializations: Interdisciplinary and multigenre writing, specifically in merging hard sciences and creative writing.

Advice to Synthesis students: Engage openly and actively. Be curious. Pursue what interests you. Take risks. Mostly, take advantage of this time to explore different subjects and different ways of thinking and communicating. College is a great opportunity to learn not just about the world and people around you, but also yourself, but you have to be open to it!

James Deavenport, Ph.D. (he/him/they/them)

Unit 18 Lecturer

Hometown: San Diego, California

James received his B.A. in history and political science from George Washington University and his M.A. in World History at New York University. James completed his Ph.D. at the University of California San Diego in Latin American history in 2018.

Academic Specializations: James' recent academic research concerns historical consciousness of Amazonia, environmental history and transnational history using digital mapping and 3D imaging along with a project concerning connections between the rise of neo-fascism/authoritarianism and the climate crisis.

Advice to Synthesis students: Please feel free to let me know how I can help you all and looking forward to the year ahead!

Jill Gladstein, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

Director and Full Teaching Professor

See Program Staff for Jill's biography.

Julia Moncur, B.S. (she/her/hers)

Graduate Teaching Assistant

Transfer College Student, Community College Graduate

Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts 

Julia went to community college and state school (psychology major). She decided to become pre-med her junior year, completing all pre-reqs and MCAT, however, ended up pursuing an MFA at a fully funded creative writing program. Julia's path continues to evolve the more she learns and grows. have taught composition & various creative writing courses at UCSD.

Academic Specializations: Kira's current research is mostly focused on Taiwan and East Asia, colonial history, translation, queer archives and literature. Thier visual practice encompasses performance, video, ceramics, illustration, and installation.

Advice to Synthesis students: This class is your opportunity to work on something that you feel passionately about--take it!! If you're not sure if your interests are applicable to the class, check in with your instructor: I bet there is a way to make it work. Past students have worked on projects through the lens of art, surfing, politics, cooking & food, video games, fashion: take risks!

Kira Jacobson, B.A. (they/them)

Graduate Teaching Assistant

Additional Language Spoken - Mandarin

Hometown: Bridgewater, NJ

Kira is a creative writing MFA candidate here at UC San Diego, as well as a visual artist and educator. They received their BA in Art from Reed College. This is Kira's third year teaching with Seventh College, and their second year in San Diego. Kira has been working in various youth education programs for the last eight years.

Academic Specializations: Kira's current research is mostly focused on Taiwan and East Asia, colonial history, translation, queer archives and literature. Thier visual practice encompasses performance, video, ceramics, illustration, and installation.

Advice to Synthesis students: This class is your opportunity to work on something that you feel passionately about--take it!! If you're not sure if your interests are applicable to the class, check in with your instructor: I bet there is a way to make it work. Past students have worked on projects through the lens of art, surfing, politics, cooking & food, video games, fashion: take risks!

Lucky Murdock, M.F.A. (they/them)

Unit 18 Lecturer

Hometown: Huntsville, Alabama

Lucky is a whirlwind of processes and sounds with five years teaching experience.

Academic Specializations: Music, Marxism, visual arts, experimental writing.

Advice to Synthesis students: Don't panic.

Ryan Hayes, M.A. (he/him/his)

Graduate Teaching Assistant

Hometown: Detroit, Michigan

Ryan Rosenberg, M.I.A. (he/him/his)

Unit 18 Lecturer

First-Generation College Student, Additional Language Spoken - Japanese

Hometown: Hilo, Hawai'i 

Ryan is a first-generation college student born and raised on Moku o Keawe in the state of Hawai'i. He earned his B.A. in Linguistics from the University of Hawai`i at Hilo and his Masters of International Affairs from UCSD. He has taught for many years at Denshukan High School in Japan, Hawai'i Community College, and he has served the UCSD writing programs since 2019.

Academic Specializations: Environmental Policy, Energy, Language Revitalization

Advice to Synthesis students: Expand your definition of what being a "writer" means so that it includes you

Sam Gaffney, M.A. (he/him/his)

Graduate Teaching Assistant

Hometown: Dubbo, NSW, Australia

Sam is a Ph.D. candidate in the Communication department with a background in music, anthropology, and philosophy. Prior to the Ph.D., he worked a range of odd jobs including as a hi-fi salesperson, violin teacher, cantaloupe farmhand, and groundskeeper at a golf driving range. In his spare time, He likes to go to the dog beach, listen to music (mostly metal), and play board games.

Academic Specializations: Sam's research looks at coal mining and cattle farming in central Queensland -- in the north-east of Australia. Through tracing the way these industries shape the landscape alongside the (extra-)legal tactics of environmental and indigenous activists, he is trying to shed light on processes of resource extraction, the lives that are harmed and shaped through extraction, and the work that goes into resisting extraction.

Advice to Synthesis students: The best research projects are those that develop from a genuine curiosity. When working to develop your project ideas, trust your gut and follow your hunches about what YOU think is interesting.

Tresa LeClerc, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

Unit 18 Lecturer

Hometown: Ventura, California

Tresa has worked at the University of Melbourne in Australia in the Cultural Studies Department and also lectured in the Digital Politics course in the Media and Communication Department. Before that, she lectured in popular culture at RMIT University in Melbourne.

Academic Specializations: Tresa does research into the literary industry and representation, but she is also currently looking at far-right influencing through food discourse online.

Advice to Synthesis students: Don't worry about starting out with a perfect idea - ideas can change over time. You can always start simple and let the topic evolve as you read.

Tarang Tripathi, M.A. (he/him/his)

Graduate Teaching Assistant

Additional Language Spoken - Hindi & Assamese

Hometown: New Delhi, India

Academic Specializations: Teacher and Student Agency, Equitable Education, Social Network Studies

Advice to Synthesis students: Writing is a skill! Like with other skills, this can be developed too!

Aaron Chipp-Miller, B.A. (he/him/his)

Graduate Teaching Assistant

Transfer College Student

Hometown: Vista, California

Aaron studies philosophy. He has been an IA for Syn 1 in the past and not a TA for SYN 100 until FA22.

Academic Specializations:  Aaron works on relational equality, power, and authority, particularly with respect to capitalist production. In addition, he does work on our obligations to nonhuman animals.

Advice to Synthesis students: Get to know the professors and TAs of your smaller-sized classes, and don't hesitate to stay in touch or ask for letters of recommendation or advice. We love to help you and see you grow.

Amy Knight, M.A.S. (she/her/hers)

Graduate Teaching Assistant

Hometown: Spokane, Washington

Amy is currently a PhD student in the Sociology department, where she is investigating how communities use scientific products like flood and fire hazard maps to adapt to climate change.

Advice to Synthesis students: Get to know the professors and TAs of your smaller sized classes, and don't hesitate to stay in touch or ask for letters of recommendation or advice. We love to help you and see you grow.

Anran Tu, M.A. (she/her/hers)

Graduate Teaching Assistant

Additional Language Spoken - Chinese Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese

Hometown: China

Anran is currently a PhD candidate in art history at the Department of Visual Arts. Her reserach interest includes a wide range of topics in history of art and science. She majored in Biology during her undergraduate study in Hong Kong, before turning to humanities and obtained her MA degrees in University of Alberta and the University of Edinburgh.

Academic Specializations: Twentieth-century East Asian art, history of science and technology

Advice to Synthesis students: Learn to take ownership of your learning. It will transform your college experience.

Ashley Yung Batchelor, M.A.T.S.L.

Graduate Teaching Assistant

Additional Language Spoken - Spanish

Hometown: Tucson, Arizona

Academic Specializations: Ashley's research primarily concerns language ideologies and educational policy. Her current research is concerned with how English Learner Classified student agency and understanding of the EL classification on their educational trajectory.

Brenna Gormally, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

Associate Director of Project-Based Learning

Course: Water

See Program Staff for Brenna's biography.

Kyle Haines, Ph.D. (he/him/his)

SYN 100 Lecturer

Course: Environmental Justice in Divided Territory

Additional Language Spoken - Spanish

Hometown: Santa Ynez, California

Kyle has been Lead Environmental Researcher at the UCSD Center on Global Justice since 2019. Kyle was a post-doc with the Center from 2017-2019 and a PhD student in UCSD Political Science from 2009-2017. Before grad school, Kyle went to UC Santa Cruz and briefly toTrinity College Dublin. In the past, Kyle worked as a janitor, waiter, groundsperson, and substitute teacher.

Academic Specializations: Kyle's research focuses on social-ecological resilience and urban planning in the context of climate change, with applications in the US-Mexico border region and southern Mexico. Kyle writes about environmental justice, urban conservation and adaptation, and critical theories of technology and involving his students at both undergraduate and graduate levels in specific projects to understand and act on theory in the real world. Through the UCSD Community Stations program, he focuses this research and teaching on the western canyon system of Tijuana and their terminus in the Tijuana River Estuary in the US, and have taken students across the border to work on projects and do public service with partners from the US and Mexico for more than a decade.

Advice to Synthesis students: Be flexible, humble, and active. Find ways to be both critical and open, and to test your theoretical and academic knowledge with collaboration with others in our community.

Leslie Meyer, M.A (she/her/hers)

Associate Director of Writing

Course: Mental Health and Climate Justice Activism 

See Program Staff for Leslie's biography.

Nour Hachem

Neil Smith

SYN 100 Lecturer

Course: Climate Change, Cultural Heritage, and Digital Documentation

Trish Stone, M.F.A. (she/her/hers)

SYN 100 Lecturer

Course: Virtual Reality and Climate Change

Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Trish is an artist.

Academic Specializations: Trish teaches ICAM and Media classes in Visual Arts.

Advice to Synthesis students: Be kind to each other. 

Ashley Yung Batchelor, M.A.T.S.L.

ELL Tutor

See SYN 100 Instructional Team for Ashley's biography.