The Invisible Methane Crisis and What Fung Fellows Are Doing About It 

As an anthropology student, Zoe Saito had never been so central to innovation in the technology sector. That was before becoming a Fung Fellow. 

Upon her acceptance to the program, she joined a cohort of students on the Sustainability and Innovation track. They were divided into teams and each presented with an open-ended design challenge, which is where Saito met Jacky Li, another fourth-year, third-year Jack Pham, and second-year Hamna Asif. With majors in Anthropology, Society & the Environment, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering — a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives crucial to innovative problem-solving — the team was equipped to begin a substantive research and design project. They worked under the supervision of Dr. Britt Young, who offered guidance to get their project to where it is today.

Partnering with Climate Action California (CAC), they began researching the invisible methane crisis in California. Their research brought the students face to face with a crisis that most people are dangerously unaware of: methane emissions, which are the second largest contributor to global warming, after carbon dioxide. “The statistics for methane emissions were shocking for all of us,” Saito remarked, regarding the data they encountered throughout their work in the fellowship. The students are currently submitting a report to the California Air and Resource Board based on their findings.  

Methane traps about 86 percent more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, but lasts a significantly shorter time in the atmosphere. Confronting methane emissions is an effective, economical means to slow global warming. Methane abatement strategies vary across emission sources and regions, but almost always have low or negative costs due to the improvements in human and planetary health and overall societal benefits they would offer. 

From their research, the group sought to take action, using their findings to conceive, design, and build a product that could detect methane emissions. Both their advisors at CAC and the Fung Institute helped them narrow the scope of their product. Asif recalled that “[they] initially wanted to go big and build a methane sensor for larger industries like farming,” which is the largest source of the state’s emissions. They were also interested in mitigating emissions in the fossil fuel industry, the second largest producer in the state, but opted against this path in the face of the immense cost and scale. Weekly meetings with Dr. Young and CAC brought them to the realization that “some problems simply stem from the household”, and they realized there was a meaningful difference to be made there as well. 

They then began to envision what product they might create to confront the crisis they had encountered. They pointed to the lack of information regarding household methane emissions as inspiration for their product. While household trash, compost, and gas stoves are significant sources of emissions, most people are unaware. The group endeavored to design a tool that could help households limit their methane emissions by increasing information regarding said emissions. With more data on methane produced at the household level, third-parties can aggregate this data to inform future methane mitigation solutions, while households can confront and minimize their own emissions. 

Leveraging each of their strengths, they designed and built a methane sensor for households, all from materials bought on Amazon for a total of $15. The device will help households track their methane emissions while increasing the quantity of data that exists on methane produced on the household level. It can inform future innovations, as it targets a sector where there is currently very little information. 

Looking forward, the four aim to disseminate the device into the farming industry, where it can confront methane emissions from the largest source, or even embed it into popular exercise tracker Strava to further the human-centered design of the product. 

“‘Human-centered’ is probably the one term I’ve heard the most throughout the Fung Fellowship,” Asif commented, while the rest of the group nodded in agreement.

“[Human-centered design] something I would never have learned in my engineering classes,” Pham added. “I will no longer design a product just because I can. I just need to [address] what people need, what effect it will have in the future, and how it will help humans.”

“[This program] has totally changed the way I view my academic life, the way I view projects, the way I want to build things as an engineer,” Asif said. “It was really fun!”

Each spoke to the effect the Fung Fellowship has had on their academic and professional life. “The program completely changed the way I view [anthropology], engineering, STEM, and what innovations are possible,” Saito added. 

Pham spoke to the insight into his future that the program offered, “I was glad to have an opportunity to work with different majors and delegate tasks, it was a glimpse into what working in industry will be like.”  

Li added, “We all found our place in the project and we all managed to come together to make something that is beneficial to the environment that we all care for.” 

Each of the four emphasized the gratitude they have for the Fung Fellowship, their advisor, Britt Young, and each other. “This fellowship allows you to explore. It gives you the agency to work on what you want to work on… Whatever you have in mind is going to be appreciated, and this fellowship really allows you to explore and go in any direction,” Asif shared. 

The students regard the cohort of mixed majors and the collaboration it breeds as a highlight of their time as Fung Fellows. From meetings with Climate Action California, to meeting with their advisor, to sessions with just the four of them, each emerged with an emphasized importance in the power of collaboration.

“Group work is hard, but everyone in the Fung Fellowship wants to be there,” Saito commented. 

In the Fung Fellowship, each of these students was embraced for their unique background, where their strengths could be leveraged in the creation of a unique product. From discovering an invisible problem, to understanding the problem’s scope and how they could make an impact, to creating a usable product designed with humans in mind, this team exemplified all that the Fung Institute teaches.