Paloma Lenz

Paloma Lenz is a sophomore in Pierson College studying biomedical engineering with a concentration in biomolecular engineering. Her Chilean heritage inspires her study of nature-conscious urban development, scientific innovation, and poetic resistance in the context of sociopolitical tensions in Chile.
Paloma seeks to bridge sustainable partnerships between New Haven and Valdivian non-profit organizations. She devotes her energy to the Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven’s placemaking, green space revitalization, and community-building efforts. In Valdivia, she volunteers with the Corporación Humedales de Angachilla to implement a pilot phytoremediation system in a neighborhood affected by polluted stormwater runoff. She also collaborates with Laboratorio Biomateriales de Valdivia to create biomimetic architectural biomaterials.
Paloma actively reflects on indigenous Mapuche cosmologies and community structures. As the Student Environmental Coalition’s Project Chair of Plastic Nexus of EcoSocial Thought, she aims to construct a dome structure inspired by ruka construction techniques.
When she isn’t studying, Paloma enjoys biking to the top of East Rock, tutoring English-language learners, and playing the violin with the New Haven Chamber Orchestra.