PROJECT: SUSTAINABLE ENERGY AT MINES

         Following the Mines Solar Committee, I wanted to continue activism for sustainability at school of Mines. Concurrently, I learned and applied for an opportunity called University Innovation Fellows, an international program for creative & ambitious students to refine institutions in higher academia. The program mentors & partners with students, teaching definition and validation techniques for problems within the local community. Once validated, students take on a project to tackle a key institutional issue while learning creative and empathetic problem-solving skills. Fall 2021, I decided to become a University Innovation Fellow with a project focused on expanding curricular opportunities for undergraduate students in the field of renewable energy.

         Working with Professor Leslie Light (Engineering, Design & Society) and Professor Paulo Tabares (Mechanical Engineering), we began interviewing students, creating surveys, and holding events to gauge interest in sustainable energy studies. Dialoguing with multiple academic departments and extracurricular organizations, it became clear that students desired a program allowing for further education while requiring low commitment.

        The program has successfully been running since Fall 2021, offering prestige at commencements and bringing the sustainability community together in celebration. I was fortunate enough to graduate with this distinction at my graduation in December 2022.