Carson Cooper is a 2019 Peter J. Rappa Fellow at the University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program. Carson received her master’s degree in City & Regional Planning with a specialization in Environment and Health at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in May 2019. Her graduate capstone project examined the effects of green infrastructure design on urban stormwater flow by comparing different design configurations of bioswales on a single site.

As a Rappa Fellow, Carson is working on green roof strategies for Honolulu as a means to mitigate urban heat and stormwater. Under the mentorship of Matthew Gonser and the Office of Climate Change, Sustainability, and Resilience, her project will evaluate the potential of green roofs in Honolulu by analyzing costs, climate, and policies. This research will foster more greenspace in the City and County of Honolulu which will lead to reduced energy costs, reduced stormwater, improved runoff quality, and increased biodiversity.

After the Rappa fellowship, Carson will work as a Research & Analytics Planner for the Greater Nashville Regional Council which serves Nashville and the surrounding 13 counties of Middle Tennessee.