Current Students 2017-2018
Hannah Rettig - Research Assistant - Rapid assessment of public attitudes toward new energy technologies (2016-2018)
Hannah Rettig graduated from Keene State College in May 2018 with Honors B.S. in Environmental Studies and a minor in Communications. For her senior thesis project, she conducted research on the preferences and values of trail users at a local conservation center called The Harris Center for Conservation Education. In 2016, she had the opportunity to spend 2 weeks in Nepal examining the ecosystem values of community forestry programs with the KSC honors program. As the president of Campus Ecology, an environmental activism group at Keene. Hannah led the club project to build a solar-powered outdoor performance pavilion on campus. She aspires to work for a solar company. From 2016 until her graduation, she worked to develop the website nucleardecom.org - a site where communities that are experiencing the decommissioning of a nuclear power plant can go to learn from each other.
Past Students
Beth Orrick - Research Assistant - Rapid assessment of public attitudes toward new energy technologies (2016-2017)
Bethany (Beth) Orrick is an Architectural Engineering student at the University of Wyoming. She grew up in Texas and has always had a desire to travel. In the summer of 2016 she was able to spend a month in Germany, studying at Hoschule Rosenheim. She then traveled around Europe before heading to Keene, NH to study for a year at Keene State College. A passion for knowledge and an interest in sustainability has driven Beth to explore Environmental Studies. She hopes to eventually earn a Master’s degree and then work in the field of sustainable building.
Meghan Demeter - Coordinator, Women in Energy Mentoring Network. (2015-2016).
I've been passionate about environmental issues since I was 13 years old, when I started an environmental awareness group with a handful of friends. Now going into my senior year, I am pursuing a double major in Economics/Environmental Studies and French, and a minor in Energy Policy. I am the network coordinator for the Women in Energy Mentoring network and serve on the University Sustainability Advisory Committee and the AS Sustainable Action Fund Task Force. I'm passionate about finding economy-wide solutions for climate change, particularly carbon pricing. As an intern this summer for the Center for Climate Protection in Santa Rosa, California, I researched different carbon pricing systems, particularly cap and dividend, and positives and negatives of California's current system.
Stefanie Neale - Project RENT, Graduate Student Research Assistant on BC-WA Carbon Policy project (2015-2016)
I will be graduating from Western this summer with a major in Economics/Environmental Studies and minors in Energy Policy and Spanish. I will be attending WWU’s Graduate School in Fall 2015 to pursue a Master’s degree in Environmental Studies. I have been interning with the City of Bellingham for the past year, where I’ve been helping the City participate in the Georgetown University Energy Prize (GUEP) competition for the chance to win a $5 million grant for energy efficiency (www.facebook.com/guepbellingham). I am also involved in the implementation of Project RENT. As a student living in a rental that uses energy inefficiently, I am very passionate about helping other students save money and reduce their environmental impact through energy efficiency behaviors and retrofits. Project RENT will educate students on the no- and low-cost energy efficiency measures they can easily implement at home, as well as connect students to the many existing energy resources in our community.
Will Jones - Research into Refineries in Washington State (2014-2015) and Research Assistant on BC-WA Carbon Policy project (2015-2016)
Will grew up in Vancouver, WA and takes pride in his home state. His interests include travel, outdoor recreation and good conversation. As senior at Western Washington University, Will is majoring in Financial Economics with an Energy Policy minor. He prefers studying econometrics and energy markets. Will is passionate about researching efficient policy applications for pricing externalities in energy production and consumption. He believes price is an essential catalyst for prompting energy transitions.
Marissa Holewinski - Research Assistant - Rapid assessment of public attitudes toward new energy technologies (2015-2016)
I am a senior at WWU majoring in Political Science and minoring in Energy Policy. Having lived in Alaska and Washington, environmental issues hit very close to home- which makes the ways in which economic incentives can address these concerns a compelling and exciting focus for me. I am specifically interested in externality pricing policies, with risk analysis and management being an important component of creating meaningful and all-encompassing pricing solutions to help reduce our impact and preserve our environment.
Raman Kaur - Research Assistant - Rapid assessment of public attitudes toward new energy technologies (2015-2016)
I am a freshman at Western Washington University. I plan on studying biology and completing my pre-medical. I have lived in Issaquah, WA most of my life and have been surrounded by trails and hikes, sparking my interest in the environment. While I am focused on a career in medicine I am also dedicated towards giving back to the environment. I have been a part of a school district board that supports schools in becoming more environmentally friendly. I have also helped begin a sustainability program in my neighborhood encouraging residents to be responsible towards the environment. Now starting my journey at Western I am excited to take part of a research project that will allow me to be a responsible and an aware citizen of environmental issues.
Joey Cilinceon - Project RENT (2015)
I am a senior at WWU double majoring in Business and Sustainability and Management Information Systems. Sustainability is the most important topic that we can be focused on as a collective student body and it can be integrated into everything we do. Whether through ecosystem conservation, energy reduction, or environmental stewardship, it all contributes to the overall goal of preserving our planet for generations to come. Western students can do their part by reducing the amount of energy they use in their homes, thus reducing their overall environmental impact. I believe that Project RENT, our off-campus energy efficiency outreach program, will equip students with the necessary skills and knowledge they need to be on the forefront of social/environmental progress.
Kate Thompson - Project RENT (2015)
I am a junior at Western, majoring in Business and Sustainability and triple-minoring in entrepreneurship, energy policy, and economics. I am the founder and president of the new Net Impact club on campus, have a deep passion for contributing to anything greater than myself, and am committed to shattering the idea that “one person won’t make a difference.” I believe that, as the baton of responsibility is passed down to us, environmental literacy is quickly becoming the most important topic of our generation. Project RENT is an opportunity for us to educate students about their energy use and save them money on their utility bills just by raising awareness. Western students are among the most forward-thinking, environmentally-conscious individuals out there, and I can’t wait to see what kind of innovation we will generate with this Project.
Lindsay Parpart - First coordinator of the Women in Energy Mentoring Network (2014-2015)
I am a senior at WWU majoring in Economics/Environmental Studies, and minoring in Energy Policy. I grew up in Seattle, WA but have lived in Bellingham for almost eight years now. I have become very interested in energy transitions, particularly what this means culturally for our world and what changes we will have to make in order to make this transition. Since being at WWU I have interned with Re-Sources for their Power Past Coal campaign and I am currently the budget authority for Students for Renewable energy, a student led club on campus. here
Emily Krieger - Research Project on Coal Energy in Washington State (2015-2016)
I am currently a senior in Economics/Environmental Studies, and minoring in Energy Policy. I grew up in Seattle, WA but have lived in Bellingham for almost eight years now. I have gotten very interested in energy transitions, particularly what this means culturally for our world and what changes we will have to make in order to make this transition. Since being at WWU I have interned with Re-Sources for their power past coal campaign and I am currently the budget authority for Students for Renewable energy, a student led club on campus.
Leah Bennet: GIS Research Project on Hydrology, Climate Change and Electricity Production (2015)
I am a senior at WWU majoring in Geography with a minor and certification in GIS. Growing up in Edmonds, WA gave me a great appreciation for nature, leading to my love of hiking and outdoor adventure. My project goals are to use GIS tools to characterize pipelines and the people and land vulnerable to unexpected events. I am broadly interested in using GIS in natural hazard planning and hope to find a career that combines my love of nature with helping to protect it.
Rio Digby: GIS Research Project on Oil Trains in Washington State (2015)
I am a senior at Western Washington University majoring in Environmental Studies focusing on Urban Planning and Geography, and getting a minor and certification in GIS. My project objective is to use GIS tools to estimate the impact of changing precipitation patterns on the hydroelectric capacity of Seattle City Light. I am also highly interested in our world's garbage crisis and would like my future career to be one in helping clean up the environment.
Brandon McNamara: Investigations into Carbon Dialogues (2015)
I am senior at Western Washington University majoring in Economics/Environmental Studies with minors in Energy Policy and Political Science. This year I have had the opportunity to intern with Re-Sources, a local non-profit dedicated to creating sustainable communities. I have been working in their Clean Energy Program which focuses on campaigns to reduce fossil fuel transportation and export through Washington State. I am specifically interested in policy solutions that would put a price on carbon emissions, either through a carbon tax or a cap-and-trade system.
Sean Mertens - Project RENT (2015)
I am a senior at WWU majoring in Business and Sustainability graduating Fall of 2015. With my passion for business and environmental conservation tied at the same level of importance, I hope to be part of the wave of new business owners who operate on a new level of sustainability. Until then, I am actively working to create an image for Project RENT that inspires all off campus students to utilize its services. Energy conservation is one of the simplest aspects of sustainable living and the benefits are immediately shown in reduced utility bills. I believe that all of us at Project RENT have special knowledge, skills, and interest that will help make RENT an effective form of off-campus energy use education.