Help me finish school!

My name is Sarah Ball. I am 28 years old and I am a New Zealander. I hold a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Otago, New Zealand. I currently live in Austin, Texas where I attend one of the nation's highest ranking Universities.

I am the first New Zealand woman to be offered a place at the University of Texas School of Law, and one of 16 students in the world to be admitted into their Master’s program for Global Energy, International Arbitration and Environmental Law.

I currently have two research projects underway. Firstly, I am researching the environmental impacts of renewable energy technologies on copper mining. In an age where there is a need to develop renewable energy solutions, particularly in wind and hydro energy production (two sources widely used in NZ), there is a growing need for copper as a conductor of electricity and heat with maximum efficiency. Therefore copper mining and production is at its highest. Of course, although renewable forms of energy are generally considered 'green', there are (as with almost everything), environmental costs which I have identified. At the conclusion of my research I will be making recommendations for policy reform in order to minimize these adverse environmental impacts.  

My second research project seeks to minimize wasteful production when drilling and using hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in the extraction of oil, gas and petroleum in jointly owned reservoirs. In short, when a reservoir (oil, gas, petroleum) crosses boundaries owned by two different people, companies or countries - the extraction of the resource becomes competitive and leads to wasteful production. I am researching the impact of cross-border reservoirs on waste levels and how host nations can best resolve issues relating to the development of these reservoirs. My recommendations for reform will address how to minimize wasteful production in these circumstances, and the best way to resolve disputes that inevitably arise both nationally and internationally.

I have one final semester to complete for which I have run out of funding. Please donate and help me to complete my Master’s degree and subsequently go on to make valuable contributions to the growing field of energy law by identifying areas of reform to reduce the environmental impacts of our growing energy consumption.