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Dozens of undergraduate and graduate students from across Duke University are taking deep dives into the energy industry this summer. Many connected with their internship opportunities thanks to the interdisciplinary Energy Internship Program, and 21 received supplementary funding through the program.

Created by the Duke University Energy Initiative in 2019, the program identified more internship listings than ever for summer 2021, including opportunities at start-ups, utilities, renewable energy developers, large firms, non-governmental organizations, and government agencies.

As in the past, students could apply to the Energy Internship Program for financial assistance if offered unpaid or low-paying positions. Thanks to a partnership with the Energy Access Project, some funding was reserved for internships related to energy access or energy transitions in low- and middle-income countries.

One of the students funded by this year’s program is Will Slap, who is pursuing dual master’s degrees in business administration and environmental management at the Fuqua School of Business and Nicholas School of the Environment. Will is a finance intern at BlocPower, a climate technology startup that retrofits buildings in disadvantaged communities with clean energy projects, helping lower utility bills and create jobs. Founded by Duke University alumnus Donnel Baird (’03), BlocPower has garnered national attention with its creative approach to advancing sustainable energy, energy efficiency, and economic development in American cities.

“I'm able to take the modeling and strategy tools I've learned at Duke and put them to work in service of decarbonizing buildings and expanding access to those who traditionally have been marginalized and left out of the green economy,” Slap reflected. “I'm so grateful to the Energy Initiative, the Fuqua School of Business’s Summer Internship Fund, and the BlocPower team for this opportunity.”

Tina Machado, a rising junior at the Pratt School of Engineering, received funding for her project management internship with Sustaining Way, a nonprofit that uses education, collaboration and advocacy to create sustainable, caring and equitable communities. “I am getting real-life experience working with sustainability and energy efficiency that I would not otherwise have,” reported Machado. “I am making great connections with my coworkers and enjoying every minute of the internship.”

“We want to be able to connect as many Duke students as possible to real-world experiences with the energy industry,” explained Dr. Brian Murray, interim director of the recently merged Energy Initiative and Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions. “Thanks to a network of Duke alumni and friends, we’ve been able to match more students to new opportunities. I’m deeply grateful for their generosity and look forward to continuing to grow the Energy Internship Program.”

The Energy Internship Program provided supplementary funding to 21 undergraduate and graduate students in the summer of 2021:

• Scott Burstein, a rising senior majoring in earth and climate sciences at Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, is a summer intern at Standard Normal.
   
• Jeff Fromuth, who is pursuing a master's degree in environmental management at the Nicholas School of the Environment, is a summer intern at The North Carolina Clean Energy Fund.
   
• Abhinav Jain, a rising junior majoring in economics at Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, is a summer intern at Terrafuse, Inc.
   
• Rajat Khandelwal, who is pursuing a master’s degree in environmental management at the Nicholas School of the Environment, is a summer intern at the Indo-German Energy Forum. **
   
• Pierce King, who is pursuing an MBA degree at the Fuqua School of Business, is interning at Clean Energy Ventures.
   
• Colin Lee, a rising senior studying energy mechanics and geopolitics in the Middle East at Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, is a summer intern at Aspire Power Solutions. **
   
• Harry Lord, who is pursuing a master’s degree in management studies at the Fuqua School of Business, is interning at EQ Research.
   
• Christina Machado, a rising junior majoring in electrical and computer engineering at the Pratt School of Engineering, is a summer intern at Sustaining Way.
   
• Kate Neal, a rising junior majoring in environmental sciences at Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, is a summer intern at SmartBlock Communities.
   
• Jonathan Peralta, who is pursuing a master’s degree in environmental management at the Nicholas School of the Environment and an MBA from UNC's Kenan-Flagler School of Business, is a summer intern at Aspire Power Solutions. **
   
• Hope Pratt, a rising sophomore majoring in biomedical engineering at the Pratt School of Engineering, is a summer intern at Aspire Power Solutions. **
   
• Jose Pumarejo, who is pursuing an MBA at the Fuqua School of Business and a master’s degree in public policy from the Sanford School of Public Policy, is interning with the Doing Business Project at The World Bank. **
   
• Casey Schoff, a rising sophomore student majoring in economics and public policy at Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, is a summer intern at Ecolytics.
   
• Swetha Sekhar, a rising sophomore majoring  in mechanical engineering at the Pratt School of Engineering and computer science at Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, is a summer intern at Ecolytics.
   
• Sagar Shah, a rising senior studying public policy at Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, is a summer intern with the U.S. Department of Energy’s State Energy Program.
   
• Will Slap, who is pursuing a master’s degree in environmental management from the Nicholas School of the Environment and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business, is a summer intern at BlocPower.
   
• Ava Weinreb, a rising senior majoring in environmental sciences and policy at Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, is a summer intern at Advanced Energy Economy.
   
• Michael Wood, a rising junior majoring in mechanical engineering at the Pratt School of Engineering, is a summer intern at Varea Energy.
   
• Katherine Wu, who is pursuing a master’s degree in engineering management at the Pratt School of Engineering, is a summer intern at Lyft.
   
• Winston Yau, a rising senior majoring in public policy and physics at Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, is a summer intern at Prime Impact Fund.
   
• Erin Yu, a rising sophomore majoring in environmental sciences and policy at Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, is a summer intern at SmartBlock Communities.
   

** denotes the student received funding from the Energy Access Project at Duke

Questions about the Energy Internship Program?
Contact Stacy Peterson: stacy.peterson@duke.edu. 

Want to make a gift to support the Energy Initiative’s educational programming?
You can give online or contact Mary Catherine Hall, Duke Development.

Duke students’ Bass Connections research on energy access and data analytics comes together in a final energy presentation on synthetic imagery used to improve automated wind turbine detection in satellite imagery, especially when applied to diverse locations.

Efforts to ensure energy access across the globe are often hampered by a lack of critical information to guide decision-making and electricity system planning. Information on village-level electricity access and reliability, as well as the location and characteristics of power system infrastructure, is especially scarce. Decision-makers require this information to determine the optimal strategies for deploying energy resources, like where to prioritize development and whether electrification should be accomplished through grid expansion, micro-grids, or distributed generation.

During the 2020-2021 school year, a Bass Connections research team at Duke University aimed to develop deep learning techniques that can automatically and rapidly scan massive volumes of remotely sensed data, such as satellite imagery, to develop detailed maps of energy infrastructure. These deep learning approaches may provide powerful tools for researchers, policy-makers, and governments to collect energy systems information. This video captures the Bass Connections team’s end-of-year presentation in April 2021.

The team used machine learning to create a model that detected wind turbines solely from satellite imagery by training it first with real images of turbines. Since these images are scarce and in practice the machine learning techniques need to be applied to different locations than from where the training data are available, this approach was compared to data resulting from a model which also was trained on synthetic images of wind turbines. Synthetic images, while they might look real to the machine, are generated images and are not genuine photos. Feeding the model synthetic images of wind turbines increased the accuracy or “average precision” of the predicted turbine location.

Bass Connections is a unique Duke University program that brings together faculty, postdocs, graduate students, undergraduates, and external partners to tackle complex societal challenges in interdisciplinary research teams.

Student Team Members: Ada Ye (T'23), Jessie Ou (T'22), Wendy Zhang (T'21), Eddy Lin (T'22), Tyler Feldman (T'23), and Jose Moscoso (MIDS '21)

Faculty Team Leaders: Kyle Bradbury (Pratt School of Engineering and Managing Director of the Energy Data Analytics Lab at the Duke University Energy Initiative) and Jordan Malof (Pratt School of Engineering)

Learn more about the project:

• Bass Connections
• The website created by the team

The Duke University Energy Initiative (EI) and Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative (I&E) announce the return of the Clean Energy Prize to support the development of energy technologies, products, and services at Duke. The Prize makes a $10,000 award to support novel ideas, potential products, and services that advance an accessible, reliable, affordable, and clean energy future.

The Prize invites all Duke students, including May 2021 graduates, to propose innovative projects that could lead to new products or services that will advance a clean energy future. This could mean demonstrating the feasibility of an idea or innovation for a commercial or social venture; developing a working software, service, or device prototype; or developing new applications or markets for a technology in development.

“Securing a clean energy future is an urgent imperative—and one that demands transformative approaches,” said Energy Initiative director Dr. Brian Murray, a faculty member at the Nicholas School of the Environment and Sanford School of Public Policy. “The Clean Energy Prize aims to spur Duke University students’ creativity and fuel new solutions for one of our world’s greatest challenges.”   

Past recipients of the Clean Energy Prize include Arsheen Allam MBA ’17 and Towqir Aziz MA ’18, who received the prize in 2018 for GOLeafe, which developed a new production process for graphene, a promising nanomaterial with potential applications in solar energy production and energy storage. Allam, a Forbes “30 Under 30 in Energy” honoree, was recently named to the fifth cohort of Chain Reaction Innovations, the U.S. Department of Energy’s elite entrepreneurship program at Argonne National Laboratory.

The deadline for submissions is 11:59 pm EDT on Friday, May 28, 2021. For complete details and application instructions, download the Request For Applications.

Contact Suellen Aldina, Energy Initiative Director of Engagement and Administration, with any questions.

Transportation is at the precipice of a revolution in propulsion not seen since the internal combustion engine replaced the horse and buggy. The proliferation of electric cars will change the daily lives of motorists, boost some regional economies and hurt others, reduce oil insecurity but create new insecurities about raw materials, and impact urban air quality and climate change. 

Duke alumnus Dr. John Graham joined the Duke University Energy Initiative and Duke Center on Risk to discuss the forces driving this global transition, highlighting themes from his new book, The Global Rise of the Modern Plug-In Electric Vehicle: Public Policy, Innovation, and Strategy (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2021). Dr. Graham, who earned a master's degree in public affairs at Duke in 1980, is Professor of Risk Analysis and Decision Science and Dean Emeritus of the O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University.

After an introduction by Jonathan Wiener (Duke Law, Nicholas School of the Environment, Sanford School of Public Policy), Graham gave a brief talk and engaged in conversation with Dr. Lori Bennear (Nicholas School of the Environment), who moderated questions from the audience.

In April 2021, Duke University announced that the student organizers of the fifth annual Energy Week at Duke (Nov. 9-12, 2020) had won a university-wide 2020-2021 Sustainability Award for "Creativity During COVID." Energy Week's learning and networking opportunities—offered virtually for the first time—attracted total attendance of more than a thousand, including university students, energy professionals, and others interested in the future of energy. 

The 2020 Energy Week organizers included more than forty undergraduate and graduate students in degree programs at the Fuqua School of Business, Nicholas School of the Environment, Pratt School of Engineering, Sanford School of Public Policy, and Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. Student organizers were advised by the Duke University Energy Initiative and the EDGE Center at the Fuqua School of Business.

“Every year, it’s so inspiring for us to witness and support the students’ efforts, but this year they outdid themselves,” reflected Energy Initiative director Dr. Brian Murray. “Faced with a global pandemic, these students collaborated virtually across multiple time zones to take the Energy Week experience online with a fantastic, engaging event lineup. It was a powerful demonstration of Duke students’ determination, adaptability, and creativity, as well as a testament to Duke’s vibrant interdisciplinary energy community.”  

Upheaval and Resilience: The 2020 Energy Week Lineup

The theme for Energy Week at Duke 2020 was Upheaval and Resilience. “The energy sector is grappling with massive shifts right now, including climate change and its impacts, a global pandemic, disruptive technologies and business models, and increased awareness of equity and environmental justice issues,” explained Duke student and Energy Week co-lead Panayiotis Koutsogeorgas (MEM/MBA ‘21). “We wanted to explore how individuals, companies, and communities are responding to these dynamics and building resilience for the future."

The week’s signature event, the Duke University Energy Conference, highlighted industry experts’ insights on upheaval and resilience in the energy and climate policy sphere, energy markets, cleantech entrepreneurship and investment, and sustainable development.

Featured experts included Duke University Trustee Carmichael Roberts T ’90, PhD ’95 (Co-founder and Managing Partner, Material Impact). Roberts leads the investment committee for Breakthrough Energy, launched by Bill Gates and other billionaires to accelerate progress toward net-zero emissions. In a keynote conversation (view video at right) with his Material Impact colleague Sidney McLaurin MEM/MBA ’17, Roberts shared candid insights on the cleantech scene’s evolution, what budding entrepreneurs need to know, his experience as an investor, entrepreneurship during the pandemic, diversity in cleantech, and more.

Other keynote speakers at the Conference were energy journalist Amy Harder (Axios) and investor Wes Edens (New Fortress Energy, Fortress Investment Group) in conversation with Duke alumnus Husein Cumber T '97 (Florida East Coast Industries). View the full Conference video playlist, including keynotes, quick talks, and panel discussions.

The Energy Week lineup also featured Climate Whistleblowers: A Live Podcast event (view event video or listen to podcast episode), presented in coordination with the Sanford School of Public Policy’s Ways & Means podcast. Virtual networking events during the week included the Energy Innovation Showcase spotlighting novel energy technologies and programs; SPARK Career Event, connecting Duke students with 24 energy employers; and a Power Hour for interaction among the Duke community and special guests.

The Energy Research Poster Presentation, organized by the Pratt MEMP Energy Club, highlighted university students’ energy research and awarded a total of $7,500 in prizes to competition winners: Akintonde Abbas, UNC Charlotte (first place); Sara Sultan, UT Knoxville (second place); Rahul Chakraborty, NC State (third place); and Vanessa Zambrano, UC Berkeley (best undergraduate poster). 

Meanwhile, more than 70 teams of graduate students across six countries vied for $15,000 in prizes in the 2020 Energy in Emerging Markets Case Competition. Organized by the MBA Energy Club and sponsored by the Energy Access Project at Duke, the annual competition encourages students to propose solutions for industry partners to tackle real energy challenges in the developing world. This year’s winning teams hailed from the University of San Francisco (first place), Yale (second place), and the University of Michigan (third place). 

Save the Dates: Energy Week at Duke 2021

Planning is underway for the sixth annual Energy Week at Duke ( November 8-11 2021, with the Conference scheduled for Wed., Nov. 10, 2021). 

More About Energy Week

Energy Week at Duke was launched in 2016, when student energy clubs across campus teamed up to build on the success of the MBA Energy Club’s Duke University Energy Conference (presented annually since 2009) and Energy in Emerging Markets Case Competition. While Energy Week’s leadership and lineup varies each year, the series consistently attracts total attendance of more than a thousand to educational and networking opportunities focused on energy business, policy, and technology.

In 2020, these student organizers played key leadership roles, coordinating efforts by dozens of their peers from degree programs across Duke: 

• Energy Week Co-Leads: Will Foster (MEM/MBA ‘22), Panayiotis Koutsogeorgas (MEM/MBA ‘21)
• Energy Week Marketing Co-Leads: Nicole Lococo (MPP ‘21), Will Slap (MEM/MBA ‘22)  
• Duke University Energy Conference Leads: Katie Davis (MEM/MBA '21) with MBA Energy Club co-presidents Davis Guebert (MEM/MBA '21) and Zoe Ripecky (MEM/MBA '21) 
• Energy in Emerging Markets Case Competition Co-Leads: Zukhruf Amjad (MEM '21), Hassan Nadeem (MEM '21), Emily Perry (MEM/UNC MBA '22), and Keith Zukowski (MBA '21)
• Climate Whistleblowers Co-Leads: Myra Parsonnet (MPP '21) and Raphael Wineburg (MPP '21)
• SPARK Career Event Co-Leads: Akash Gulati (MEM/MBA '22), Leyi Ruan (MEM '21), and Sagar Shah (T '23)
• Energy Innovation Showcase Co-Leads: Akshay Krishnan (MEM '21) and Ian Reichardt (MEM '21)
• Research Poster Presentation Co-Leads: Alfred Indome (MEMP '20)
• Energy Week Technology Co-Leads: Stefan Chen (MEM '23), Grace Fernandez (MEM/MBA '23), Yash Doshi (MEM '22), and Charlotte Navin-Weinstein (T '23)

Curious about careers related to energy access and energy transitions in low- and middle-income countries?  Check out this career talks session, which focuses on opportunities in governmental agencies and development banks.

This is the second of two virtual career talks organized by the Energy Access Project at Duke University and the Duke University Energy Initiative in February 2021. Duke students from diverse undergraduate and graduate degree programs learned from professionals about their organizations, roles, energy career journeys, and advice. The webinar was moderated by Victoria Plutshack, Policy Associate at the Energy Access Project.  

Sam Kwon: Practice Lead Senior Director, Energy, Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) 
Sam Kwon explains the goal and composition of the MCC, a U.S. government agency with a public-private board, and describes the skill sets of professionals on the MCC energy team. To illustrate the day-to-day work of his team, he offers examples of current issues with projects in Nepal and Ghana. Kwon, a graduate of Georgetown Law, also describes his professional journey in development finance.

Dia Martin: Managing Director, U.S. International Development Finance Corp. (IDF) 
Dia Martin offers background on IDF, a U.S. government agency and a development finance institution that operates in 100+ countries. She describes her work as a managing director on the social enterprise finance team in IDF’s Office of Development Credit, where she manages a diverse impact investing portfolio that includes energy projects. Martin outlines a typical workday and shares a success story: a $5M loan that helped propel a small company called GreenLight Planet to secure nearly $100M in financing.  

Natacha Marzolf: Principal Development Bank-Energy, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
Natacha Marzolf explains the structure and scope of IDB, as well as the makeup of the energy division, where she works. She offers an overview of IDB’s energy portfolio; explains the four-pillar framework that guides IDB’s work (access, sustainability, security, and governance); emphasizes the importance of knowledge-sharing; and describes initiatives related to regional integration, gender diversity in the energy sector, and innovation. A native of France and a graduate of Harvard Law, Marzolf has worked for IDB for about 25 years, and she describes her trajectory within the institution.

Alisha Pinto (MPP'16): Energy Specialist, World Bank
Alisha Pinto outlines her career journey from Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy, where she graduated with a master’s degree in public policy, to her current role as an energy specialist within the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) at the World Bank.  ESMAP is one of the custodians for U.N. Sustainable Development Goal Seven (“access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy”). Pinto explains how ESMAP fits into the World Bank framework. She describes her role in advancing the newly formed Clean Cooking Fund, a $500M fund meant to catalyze and accelerate access toward clean cooking.

Get email updates on energy news and events at Duke.

Learn more about the Energy Access Project at Duke.
 

Curious about experts’ takes on resilience & upheaval in the energy industry? Care about climate issues? Looking to expand your network? Check out the Duke University Energy Conference and other free virtual events during the fifth annual Energy Week at Duke (Nov. 9-12, 2020). 

ALL ENERGY WEEK EVENTS: 

Climate Whistleblowers: A Live Podcast Event (Mon., Nov. 9, 6-7 p.m. ET) — Open to all. Join the hosts of the award-winning Ways & Means podcast (produced by Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy) for a live storytelling event. Featured experts include environmental justice activist Hilton Kelley, Tim Profeta (Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions), Deondra Rose (Polis: Duke’s Center for Politics), and Karen Torrent (National Whistleblower Center).

SPARK Career event (Tues., Nov. 10, 5-7 p.m.) — Open only to Duke undergraduate and graduate students. Come explore career opportunities and network with 20+ employers from across the energy sector.

Duke University Energy Conference (Wed., Nov. 11, 9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. ET) — Open to all. How can individuals and companies in the energy sector demonstrate resilience in the face of disruption? Come get industry experts’ insights. Keynotes include Amy Harder (Axios) on the post-election energy policy outlook, Wes Edens (New Fortress Energy, Fortress Investment Group) on future disruptions in investment and infrastructure, and Carmichael Roberts (Material Impact, Breakthrough Energy) on entrepreneurship in uncertain times. Additional panel discussions and quick talks will tackle energy and cleantech investment trends, energy’s role in sustainable development, and what’s next for energy markets. 

Power Hour (Wed., Nov. 11, 7-8 p.m. ET) — Open only to Duke alumni, students, employees, and invited special guests. The Duke University Energy Initiative is hosting this virtual networking event for the Duke community and special guests, including Conference speakers, Energy Week corporate sponsors, and the top five finalist teams in the Energy in Emerging Markets Case Competition. 

Energy Innovation Showcase (Thurs., Nov. 12, 5-7 p.m. ET) — Open to all. Explore cutting-edge energy technology and business solutions. Featuring remarks from innovators at GRID Alternatives and Greentown Labs, as well as the opportunity to network with entrepreneurs, investors, and researchers from other inventive companies and organizations. 

ABOUT ENERGY WEEK AT DUKE: This annual event series is organized by several dozen undergraduate and graduate students from many Duke degree programs, with support from the Duke University Energy Initiative, EDGE Center at the Fuqua School of Business, and corporate sponsors.   

QUESTIONS? Contact energyweek@duke.edu.