“I knew I wanted to apply my undergrad communications degree to the environmental field,” begins Maya Halma (Master of Environmental Studies ’26). Her major, communication and social influence, plus one general education course in environmental studies came together to turn a long-time interest in the climate into a passion and a direction for graduate school. After attending an information session for Penn’s Master of Environmental Studies program (MES), Maya knew the interdisciplinary program would help achieve her goal: to motivate climate action through communication.
“The flexibility of the MES program, which let me take four classes outside of the School of Arts and Sciences, was one of my favorite things about it.”
During her two years at Penn, Maya dove into academics, research, and extracurriculars to explore the vast and multifaceted field. “By the time I reached the end of the MES program, I had narrowed in on the water sector,” she says. At graduation, she was ready to launch her environmental communications career at The Water Center at Penn.
Pursuing the Environmental Sustainability concentration, Maya built her curriculum with courses offered across campus. “The flexibility of the MES program, which let me take four classes outside of the School of Arts and Sciences, was one of my favorite things about it,” she says.
Her Arts and Sciences classes included Environmental Law and Environmental Policy—courses she says are foundational for any line of work in the field. She also took two city planning courses from the Weitzman School of Design, Planning for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation and Water Policy. “The Water Policy class was probably the most transformative for me,” she shares. “It honestly taught me everything I needed to know for the line of work I'm in right now, and it was a field I hadn't really thought of before.” Coursework covered water quality and water management issues like flooding, drought, and contamination. “That class made me realize I wanted to take a couple more water-focused classes.”
She even took a course at the Wharton School of Business on climate and financial markets—the first business course she had ever taken. “I wanted to make sure I was getting the full range of environmental studies classes,” she notes.
“I love where I am now, in this interdisciplinary space bringing communication, science, and policy together within the environmental field.”
Another draw for Maya to come to Penn was the unique opportunity to conduct research with the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media (PCSSM). After fleshing out a capstone proposal during the required MES Proseminar course, Maya successfully pitched her idea on climate action messaging and motivating pro-environmental behavior. PCSSM’s associate director, Dr. Heather Kostick, and postdoctoral researcher Dr. Ovidia Stanoi agreed to be her capstone readers.
“They were absolutely fundamental in getting this project off the ground,” Maya shares. “I had never been the lead author on an academic research project before and I had a lot to learn along the way in terms of applying for funding, learning how to code, doing all the statistics for this project. PCSSM and my readers were instrumental for getting the research done.”
Her capstone, entitled “Does socioeconomic status affect how behavioral interventions motivate action on climate change?” spans norms-based and ease-based behavior changes for individuals like eating more vegetarian meals and reducing gasoline usage. “The main takeaway is that behavior change is hard,” she says, noting there's not a one-size-fits-all strategy for all climate behaviors. “It’s really important to be creative, to keep looking at different strategies for different behaviors.”
At the May 2026 graduation ceremony, Maya was honored with the Department of Earth and Environmental Science’s Frederick N. Scatena Award for Excellence in Research for her capstone project research. Maya and her readers are currently working on getting her capstone published in an academic journal.
During her time at Penn, Maya also completed a communications and outreach internship with Penn Sustainability in summer 2025 and worked as a graduate fellow at The Water Center at Penn from March 2025 until her graduation in May 2026. The fellowship included research on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly known as “forever chemicals,” and communication strategies—a role that prepared her for a full-time staff position at the Center after completing her degree.
In June 2026, Maya became The Water Center’s research and communications specialist. About half of her time is devoted to supporting the Center’s work as a provider of the EPA’s Real Water Technical Assistance initiative (RealWaterTA) offering direct, no-cost technical support to regional municipalities, counties, tribes, and water utilities to address water infrastructure needs and access government funding. She credits the rigorous academic research that went into her capstone project with preparing her to manage this applied research project. Her communication responsibilities at the Center include writing and editing reports, social media, and web content, as well as event planning.
“I love where I am now, in this interdisciplinary space bringing communication, science, and policy together within the environmental field,” she says. “I think continuing to find ways to talk about water in ways that make people realize how important it is and that we really need funding for water infrastructure is where I want to stay.”
Read more about Maya's MES capstone and program experience in the July 2026 Penn Climate Alumni Spotlight article.
