Basic Information
- Name: Aman Rampure, he/him (LinkedIn)
- Ambassador Cohort: 2025-2026 (pilot)
- Campus: University of California, Irvine
- Major: Environmental Engineering
- Minor: Material Science Engineering
- Year: Sophomore
- Fun Fact: Aman loves working with cars and works with a racing team on campus!
Table of Contents
Student Ambassador Program Project Information
Project Description
The project aims to modernize UC Irvine’s Environmental Changemakers Certificate (ECC) program to better support students interested in sustainability and environmental leadership. The project proposes more practical, interdisciplinary, and industry-relevant opportunities that equip students with the skills needed to address real-world environmental challenges and create meaningful impact through innovation.
Project Purpose and Influences
- My personal experience with the Environmental Changemakers Certificate revealed that the program had become outdated and lacked meaningful academic and professional value for students interested in sustainability.
- My peers shared feedback on lack of uses and applicability for the certificate as it stands now in real life.
- I wanted to better connect students with professional certifications and opportunities.
Key Assets/Resources
- We worked with Professor Rosso, Professor Bryan Bowerman, and Professor Don Williams to understand the process of changing the certificate as well as required coursework. They shed light on the process of changing courses and certifications on the administrative side, with information on auditing, review time periods, and other details that we were not previously aware of.
- The EOP Framework was used as a guide for identifying gaps in the current certificate and envisioning improvements that emphasize systems thinking. It also provided a structure for evaluating how well the Environmental Changemakers Certificate prepares students for sustainability-focused careers.
- Dr. Jennifer Mueller (Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology) was our peer group mentor and provided us with extremely helpful advice for identifying changes to the certificate program and preparing to share our argument for needed changes with faculty on campus.
Pivotal Moments
- January-March 2026: Reviewed certificate and required coursework, referenced the EOP Framework, and began drafting ideas for changes. Began outreach to faculty responsible from the certificate, one each from the School of Engineering, School of Physical Sciences, and School of Social Ecology.
- February-May 2026: Continued outreach via email and office visits with limited communication and coordination received in return.
- April-May 2026: Developed final list of proposed changes and supporting arguments. Reached out to students for feedback as well as faculty and counselors.
- June 2026: Initial changes approved via meeting with the certificate committee. Additional changes proposed for Environmental Engineering curriculum specifically.