'Very inspiring'; UC professor wins award for greenhouse-gas research, credits students for her passion
October 30, 2026
Amy Townsend-Small, a College of Arts and Sciences professor, won the 2026 Sustainability Leadership award for her nearly two decades of work looking into the oil and gas industries. Townsend-Small, who teaches for the School of Environment and Sustainability (SEaS), said she studies where methane is emitted through the life cycle of natural gas, and what can be done to reduce emissions. Methane, according to Townsend-Small, is very good at trapping heat in the atmosphere. Specifically, she works to quantify the emissions with the goal to be providing accurate data for policy change.