UCLA IoES alumna Danielle Sonobe graduated from UCLA in 2023, earning a B.S. in Environmental Science, with a minor in Geospatial Information Systems & Technologies and concentration in Earth & Environmental Science. A first-generation college graduate, Danielle began her higher education journey at Las Positas College in Livermore, California.
Shortly after graduating, Sonobe was accepted to the 2024 Spring term for NASA’s DEVELOP Program, which leverages Earth observation data to tackle environmental challenges. Her team assesses thermal stress impacts on coastal Hawaiian fishponds (loko i’a) using NASA Earth observations — in collaboration with science advisors at JPL, Hawaiian nonprofit Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuamo, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
For her Senior Practicum project, Sonobe’s team analyzed smartphone data to assess park usage during extreme heat events while collaborating with the L.A. County’s Department of Public Health, Chief Sustainability Office and Department of Parks and Recreation.