Who We Are 6
Deike Peters, Ph.D., joined SUA’s Environmental Studies faculty fall 2013
Deike is originally from Dortmund, Germany but she has since studied, lived and worked in diverse global cities. The subject of this Learning Cluster is closely aligned with Deike’s academic research interests, and she was very excited and grateful to be able to share both her specific knowledge on high-speed rail and transit-oriented development as well as her general passion for sustainable urbanism with this wonderful group of enthusiastic students. Her most moving personal moment of the trip was standing at World Trade Center memorial at sunset. Prior to his radicalization, Mohammed Atta, the main hijacker-terrorist who crashed AA flight 11 into the North Tower, studied urban design and planning in Hamburg, Germany at the same time Deike was there. Studying cities and truly understanding the effects that different urban infrastructures have on our lifestyles, habits and mobility patterns can never be an abstract, technical exercise. Deike was delighted that during this Learning Cluster, her students had the opportunity to see, walk, hear, smell, feel, and ask many astute questions. Her final insight: this likely won’t be my last traveling LC at Soka! ..............................
Kailey Moser, Class of 2016, from Northern California
Concentration: Social and Behavioral Studies
Kailey joined the cluster because of she is interested in sustainable transit oriented development. She realized how poor the transit systems in California are but also that there is a potential to improve it. Kailey plans to follow the ongoing process to build a high speed rail connecting Northern and Southern California.
Katherine Mehltretter, Class of 2016, from North Carolina
She chose this learning cluster based on her potential interest in urban planning, and discovered an interest in intra-city transportation. She learned how difficult it is for transportation plans to get implemented. Since the subject of this learning cluster was so interesting, Katie plans on taking more urban planning classes in the
future.
Tuan Nguyen, Class of 2017, from Vietnam
Ted pursued his intended career path to urban development, along with eco-friendly architecture. The most important thing he learned throughout the trip was what urban planning is. He learned that it takes a group of people twenty five years to plan for a project to rebuild one single building at the center of New York City and how a project has to be the cooperation between multiple public and private entities, He learned how many Environmental Impact agreements are being used to shut down certain projects rather than to really preserve the ecosystem. Most significantly, he learned what it means to be an
urban planner.
Jensen Reyes, Class of 2016, from San Juan Capistrano, California
He picked this learning cluster due to an interest in High Speed Rail in California, as well as improving efficiency and user-friendliness in public transportation. A favorite portion from the trip would be visiting Central Park and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, as well as the fact that waiting for a train back to Grand Central Terminal did not take more than 3 minutes. He has since learned a lot about usage of efficient public transportation in urban areas, as well as pondered upon the specific nuances of implementing High Speed Rail in the Californian megaregion. He plans on keeping tabs on any news regarding the future of High Speed Rail in California, as well as connecting
Southern California to Southern Nevada.
Renae Zelmar, Class of 2016, from San Jose, Califronia
Concentration: Environmental Studies
She is interested in pursuing urban and regional planning, and thus thought this cluster would help increase her knowledge of public transit systems, particularly in dense urban centers. She is concerned about the development of the California high speed rail line and what it could mean for her future life in California. This cluster gave Renae her first real experience with the East Coast, and a much better understanding of a true city environment. The meetings with professionals in the fields of regional and city planning, solidified her interest in pursuing the field in the future, and informed her of the complex
interconnectedness of different tiers of projects and plans.