Over the Summer and Fall 2013 semesters, EEM grad students and graduates assumed a variety of exciting new positions in the environmental and energy management arena. Here is a summary of some of them.
Benjamin Heras worked an internship at the World Watch Institute. Benjamin's duties involved working with the Climate and Energy team, and conducting research about some Latin American countries in order to develop a base of information about energy, such as demand, sources, investment in renewables, trends and costs.
Gana Bold is leading an NGO in Mongolia called the Mongolian Association of Environmental Professionals (MAEP). Gana reports that the organization is focused on helping environmental professionals in Mongolia who are working to improve environmental management, especially with regard to the mining sector, which is a very important environmental concern in Mongolia. Gana has set up a team of consultants to work on a standard operating procedure for environmental monitoring in mines in the south Gobi region, where there are several big mine projects including Oyu Tolgoi - copper and gold mine by Rio Tinto and a number of coking coal mines. He indicated that Soon MAEP will present its environmental monitoring SOP program at national level.
Norvic Chicchon-Ugarte recently joined The McCain Institute for International Leadership, a nonpartisan decision-tank associated with the Arizona State University. Norvic carries the title of Next Generation Leader Fellow. He presently is carrying out a leadership development program with First Solar, a global leader in solar energy solutions, in order to foster the growth of renewable energy investment in Latin America, especially in Peru.
Josef Antosh recently was appointed as a Project Engineer at Mangan, Inc., in Houston, Texas. He is working in the oil and gas development area. Previously, Joe was with Booz Allen and Hamilton.
Kristin Deason serves as Project Manager for several large-scale renewable energy projects in helping the US Department of the Army move towards a transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. In November 2013, her Fort Detrick, Maryland renewable energy project received national press attention when it hit an important milestone with the announcement of a Notice of Intent to Award the development contract for an 18.6 megawatt solar photovoltaic facility at Fort Detrick. Kristin's Fort Detrick project is the most advanced of the numerous projects being pursued by the Energy Initiative Task Force of the Department of the Army to strengthen the Army’s energy security and sustainability by developing and executing cost-
effective, large-scale renewable energy projects leveraging private sector financing. Fort Detrick is a Net Zero installation with a goal of being Net Zero energy by 2020. The proposed PV system will be designed as "micro-grid ready" so that it may be connected to a future micro-grid and thereby contribute to the overall energy security of the installation. Further details on Kristin’s project can be seen by clicking on this link: Fort Detrick Renewable Energy Project
Trina Fletcher is conducting doctoral research under a George Washington Carver Fellowship at Purdue University. Her research has a focus on education and policy linked to renewable energy technologies. Trina visited Africa and the Fall 2013 semester as part of her research. She indicated that “I have my Masters at GWU to thank for my guidance.”
Vanessa Trejos full-time accepted a full-time position at PEER Consultants as an Environmental Scientist during the Summer 2013 semester. Vanessa is working in the environmental sustainability and engineering division preparing compliance monitoring reports, performing GIS analysis, participating in community outreach efforts, performing field studies and identifying methods for increasing energy efficiency and sustainability for our clients.
