Previous Winners
E J Brannan
2024 Undergraduate Winner
Sir Fraser Stoddart Scholar
EJ is a 4th year undergraduate student majoring in chemistry at the University of Washington (UW). At UW, EJ’s research focuses on a class of synthetic porous materials called metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). Under the supervision of Prof. Dianne Xiao, EJ has studied methods for controlling MOF architectures to enable and modulate physical properties in these materials. Supplementary to his work at UW, EJ has branched out towards a related class of porous materials called covalent organic frameworks (COFs) at the National University of Singapore with Prof. Yunyan Qiu. There, EJ synthesized complex crown ether-based monomer compounds for atomically thin 2D COFs. Alongside research, EJ is dedicated to improving his communities through science outreach and leadership in clubs dedicated to equity in chemistry at UW. After graduation this spring, EJ will move to Berkeley, California to pursue a Ph.D in chemistry at UC Berkeley, where he plans to specialize in synthetic inorganic chemistry. Through his work, EJ hopes to develop new materials that will create a cleaner future and make a positive impact on his community through outreach and advocacy for clean energy.
Hannah Contreras
2024 Graduate Winner
Maxine Holland Hines Scholar
Hannah Contreras is a third-year Ph.D. student in Chemistry at the University of Washington (UW) researching new materials and devices for photovoltaic solar energy conversion and optoelectronic applications under Prof. David Ginger. Hannah completed her undergraduate degree in Materials Science & Engineering at Cornell University focusing on sustainable energy systems. Funded by the National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship, her research focuses on developing metal halide perovskites as next generation solar cells. More specifically, she has examined the role of energy alignment of interlayers to enhance device performance and is currently investigating how different interlayers affect voltage drop across the device in relation to cell stability. Hannah's goal is to develop and optimize a highly efficient, stable, and processable solar cell capable of quick market deployment to aid in the energy sector's transition to renewable sources. Outside the lab, she is actively involved with UW’s Clean Energy Institute for both education and outreach.
Annabel Drayton
2024 Graduate Winner
Stoel Rives Scholar
Annabel Drayton is an incoming 1L student at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon. Annabel is pursuing a law degree after almost seven years of working in the energy and climate sectors and approximately a decade of professional experience. Previously, she represented the NW Energy Coalition in state legislative and regulatory processes, including at the Oregon Public Utility Commission and Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission. In this capacity, Annabel advocated for policies that reduce transportation pollution, increase access to essential and affordable energy services, and help integrate the transportation and utility sectors. Through this work, she observed first-hand the value of legal expertise and representation in navigating legal processes. As a result, she has decided to pursue a legal education to expand her ability to meaningfully support others as we decarbonize our energy system. After law school, Annabel intends to pursue a legal practice at the intersection of public interest and energy law.
Elizabeth Echavarria
2024 Graduate Winner
Schneider Electric Scholar
Elizabeth is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Political Science at the University of Washington Seattle, interested in Political Economy and Environmental Politics. Her research explores non-state governance initiatives in the mining and minerals industry and supply chain, concerning their fundamental role in the development of renewable sources of energy and enabling a just energy transition. Before her doctoral studies, Elizabeth worked as a program and project manager at various NGOs. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from Universidad Nacional de Colombia and an M.Sc. in Public Policy from University College London, which she completed thanks to a Chevening Scholarship from the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Beyond research, Elizabeth works with Latino organizations to narrow the gaps that prevent communities of color from accessing renewable energy and enjoying a pollution-free environment.
Daniel Glover
2024 Graduate Winner
Clean Edge Scholar
Daniel is currently a third year Ph.D. student at Washington State University (WSU) in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He grew up in Norman, OK, receiving a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and an M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Oklahoma Gallogly College of Engineering in 2020 and 2021, with a focus on power systems protection considering high renewable energy penetration and multi-objective optimization for solar photovoltaic (PV) sizing and placement in radial feeders. At WSU, his
research topic is robust grid-edge device coordination and the application of autonomous grid operations for distributed energy resources in distribution networks using deep reinforcement learning. The main focus in this domain lies on improving techniques for safe learning and mitigation of the simulation-to-reality gap for improved policy transfer to real systems. Daniel is also an intern at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in the Distributed Systems Group, an active member of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), and a National GEM Fellow.
Anthony Hernandez
2024 Undergraduate Winner
BNSF Scholar
Meet Anthony Hernandez, an undergraduate studying Agricultural Education at Montana State University. Located on the Crow Indian Reservation, Anthony is from the small town of Lodge Grass, Montana, he brings a down-to-earth approach to his studies and enjoys spending time with friends on campus. You might find Anthony serving as an ambassador for the College of Agriculture or sharing his passion for agriculture with others. Outside of school, Anthony served as a Montana FFA State Officer, representing over 6,500 students across the state of Montana. Anthony hopes to teach Secondary Agriculture classes upon graduation
Alyssa Hicks
2024 Undergraduate Winner
Eunice Newton Foote Scholar
Alyssa is a second-year undergraduate student at the University of Washington on the path to earning a B.S. in chemical engineering and a minor in data science. Having grown up in Central Oregon, she felt a deep appreciation for the natural environment. As she progressed through the International Baccalaureate program at her high school, she became passionate about scientific research relating to sustainability. Throughout her first two years at the University of Washington, she has researched methods to optimize membranes for more energy-efficient industrial chemical separation processes as a part of the Bergsman Research Group. More specifically, her project under Yuri Choe studies the properties of polymeric membranes that are altered to contain inorganic nanostructures through vapor phase infiltration (VPI). She spent last summer interning for H2 PowerTech, a Central Oregon company specializing in fuel cell systems. Through hands-on training and data analysis, she gained valuable experience and knowledge in the field of renewable energy. She hopes to leverage her experiences to pursue a career relating to sustainability and data science in the future.
Anders Johnson
2024 Undergraduate Winner
BNSF Scholar
Anders is a third-year undergraduate at Western Washington University majoring in polymer materials engineering with minors in energy science and math. Growing up on the North Coast of California, he developed a deep appreciation for the natural world and wants to work on protecting it into the future. Combining this love of the environment and a passion for materials science, he hopes to devote his career to renewable energy technology. Anders has started pursuing research in the field by simulating new particle systems for concentrated solar power plants with Dr. Nipun Goel and modeling covalent organic frameworks for photovoltaic applications with Dr. Tim Kowalczyk. He will continue this vein of research with an internship at the National Renewable Energy Lab this summer working on organic photovoltaic synthesis and manufacturing. After his undergraduate career, Anders hopes to pursue a graduate degree to continue researching the best ways to maximize renewable energy production and efficiency. Outside of his classes, Anders is an avid mountain biker and an officer in the SAMPE (Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering) club.
Logan Lancaster
2024 Graduate Winner
RESF Scholar
Logan is a fourth year PhD student at Oregon State University in the Chemistry Department. He grew up in the Redwood forests of northern California which instilled a fascination with the natural world. He received his B.A./B.S degree from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA in chemistry and environmental science. At OSU he has worked under Prof. Chong Fang, focusing on uncovering the mechanisms underpinning photocatalysis and light harvesting materials on ultrafast time scales (femto-picosecond). Throughout his time in chemistry, both as an undergraduate and graduate student, Logan has worked to promote chemistry and education through leadership roles in student chapters of the American Chemical Society both at TESC and OSU, as well as participation in the annual Juntos Chemistry events held at OSU which allow Latinx students from across Oregon direct exposure to the OSU campus and lifestyle. After receiving his degree, he plans to pursue a position in academia to further his research and continue to welcome new minds into the chemical sciences.
Sajjad Uddin Mahmud
2024 Graduate Winner
William Kamkwamba Scholar
Sajjad Uddin Mahmud, a first-generation international student in the US, is currently in the third year of his Ph.D. at Washington State University. He was born in Bangladesh and obtained his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. He has been passionate about renewable and clean energy since his undergrad. Throughout his master's program, he focused on developing cost-effective methods for integrating more renewable energy into power systems without compromising the grid's strength. Besides, he worked for 3 years in renewable energy dissemination in Bangladesh. He assisted in developing an industrial rooftop solar system for Bangladesh and evaluated the technical design, installation, and operation of over 40 large-scale industrial rooftop solar projects, 100+ solar irrigation systems, and 3 grid-tied solar power plants. His current research focuses on assessing the power grid's resilience to extreme weather events. His research aims to fill critical gaps in existing research by providing methodologies to assess grid resilience and empowering stakeholders to plan and operate the power grid more efficiently during extreme weather.
Maxwell Mamishev
2024 Undergraduate Winner
Linda Nettekoven Scholar
Maxwell Mamishev is a sophomore at North Seattle College in Seattle, Washington, and will begin attending the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign to study Electrical Engineering in 2024. Since elementary school, he has pursued an interest in electrical engineering and renewable energy. During his summer internships at the University of Washington’s Novosselov Research Group (NRG), Maxwell became one of the students who established the school’s Industrial Assessment Center (IAC). He orchestrated a marketing campaign for the IAC and played a crucial role in acquiring, scheduling, and conducting energy and waste assessments of industrial facilities in Washington state. Currently, Maxwell continues to collaborate with the University of Washington to work on renewable and sustainable energy projects in the Pacific Northwest with no plans to stop or slow down in the future.
Hannah Mankle
2024 Graduate Winner
Pacific Power Foundation Scholar
Hannah is currently a Mechanical Engineering PhD candidate at Oregon State University with the Pacific Marine Energy Center. Hannah previously completed her undergraduate and master's degrees in mechanical engineering at OSU after transferring from Whatcom Community College. Her current research focuses aim to establish guidelines for appropriate use of different time series generation methods for different wave energy converter operating stages by understanding how ocean wave variation impacts the likelihood of extreme waves within a statistically accurate time series. Through this work, Hannah aims to enable researchers and developers to incorporate modeling assumptions and methodologies that will enhance design decisions to reduce uncertainty and provide more comprehensive performance metrics of marine energy technology.
Aside from research, Hannah has played a large role in undergraduate outreach at Oregon State University for marine renewable energy. From 2021-2023 she helped found and led the Marine Renewable Energy Club at OSU. The club strives to better facilitate interdisciplinary communication and activities between students and professionals who contribute to the advancement in marine renewable energy and sustainable, equitable maritime practices. After completing her PhD, she plans to pursue a postdoctoral position at a National Laboratory to continue contributing to advancing marine renewable energy.
Brooke Sangray
2024 Undergraduate Winner
Honorable Jeff Morris Scholar
Brooke, born and raised in Montana, is a member of the Little Shell tribe of the Chippewa Cree Indians. In 2021, she graduated high school with her Associates of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, with an emphasis in architectural design. In 2021, she was awarded the inaugural American Indian 7th Generation Presidential Scholarship at Montana State University, where she is currently in the undergraduate architecture program. As an aspiring architect, Brooke aims to intertwine indigenous knowledge of sustainability with architecture to address energy and resource conservation, and to produce designs that preserve Native American heritage. As a member of Honor Bound, the first cohort of Native American students at MSU, she has been an integral contributor to establishing the IWIKUA Exchange program with a native-owned farm in Kauai, which aims to provide students with unique exposure to an indigenous worldview and to gain a more thoughtful consideration for their own indigenous culture. To promote Honor Bound and recruit Native American students, Brooke has hosted several talks to discuss her experience in Hawaii, outlining the correlations between Native Hawaiian and Native American culture, historical experiences, and social and economic crises. Utilizing this platform, she has also spoken to engineering and architecture students to discuss how indigenous knowledge impacts the STEM field. As Brooke continues her undergraduate studies, she is motivated to continue in her role as a mentor to incoming native students at Montana State, and distinguish herself as an example of indigenous excellence in the STEM field.
Sohara Mehroze Shachi
2024 Graduate Winner
Al and Nancy Jubitz Scholar
Sohara Mehroze Shachi is an MBA student the University of Washington, Seattle. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from Yale University and earned a Master’s degree in environmental science from the University of Oxford. Sohara worked with the United Nations in Bangladesh on proliferation of renewable energy and building climate resilience of vulnerable women. She also worked as a freelance environmental journalist, shedding light on renewable energy innovations. Last summer, Sohara was selected as a climate corps fellow of the Environmental Defense Fund, whereby she worked on integrating climate considerations in investment decisions. Currently, Sohara is serving as the elected chair of the University of Washington’s Campus Sustainability Fund, which aims to foster an environmentally and socially engaged university culture by funding multidisciplinary, student initiated and led projects on campus and around the local Seattle community. Post-graduation, Sohara plans to work for a sustainability consulting firm to help businesses decarbonize their supply chains and adopt renewable energy.
Kathleen Snook
2024 Graduate Winner
Cascade Energy Scholar
Kathleen is a fourth-year inorganic chemistry Ph.D. student at the University of Washington, where she studies in the lab of Prof. Dianne Xiao. Her research focuses on developing redox-active metal–organic cages as an exciting new class of electrocatalysts, as their well-defined enzyme-like interior cavities may stabilize reactive intermediates, lower the energetic barrier to transformation, and alter the overall reaction selectivity. Kathleen’s interest in catalysis and sustainable chemistry stemmed from her work as an undergraduate student at Boston University in the lab of Prof. John Caradonna. There, she studied the use of transition metal polyhydride clusters for the catalytic transformation of greenhouse gases like CO2 into relevant chemical feedstocks. Ultimately, her goal is to leverage her knowledge of chemistry to help address the pressing challenge of the climate crisis. Beyond research, she is dedicated to outreach and mentorship, through organizations such as the Clean Energy Institute and Letters to a Pre-Scientist. Kathleen firmly believes that it is her duty to help others and uplift them, just as her mentors had helped her.
Bryce Sprauer
2024 Graduate Winner
Schneider Electric Scholar
Bryce is a first-year MS student in Geography at Portland State University. Working as a Graduate Research Assistant with Dr. Alida Cantor’s NSF grant, “Build & Broaden: Water-Society,” she mentors an inspiring team of undergraduates on research processes and science communication. Her research focuses on hydrosocial production of ocean-space. In the context of Oregon’s floating offshore wind energy process, her research is theoretically mapped through Legal Geography, Political Ecology, Decolonizing Methodologies, and Collaborative Governance. Bryce also works with the National Policy Consensus Center as a Co-Facilitator for Oregon’s floating offshore wind energy informal work group, assisting the group’s collaborative governance process toward passing House Bill 4080 and drafting a Roadmap Considerations document. Building on her background in International Relations and Conflict Resolution at the University of Oregon, Bryce looks to meet a need in our renewable energy landscape to better understand and build long-term relationships and protocols for meaningful collaboration with Tribal governments and further regional energy resilience and cooperation in the U.S. West and British Columbia. Bryce’s work has been shaped by the mentorship of communities including the Ford Family Foundation, Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics, Oxford Consortium for Human Rights, Holden Leadership Center, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Marianao Havana’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Center, as well as the guidance of Professors like Jennifer O’Neil and Joseph Fracchia in the Robert D. Clark Honors College. Bryce spends her mornings listening to Democracy Now! alongside her 120-pound rescue dog, Luis; she can often be seen whipping out her notebook to scribble down a new idea; and she is currently learning how to fly fish from her grandparents, Gil and Nancy.
Aaron Weaver
2024 Undergraduate Winner
Daimler Scholar
Aaron is a fourth-year undergraduate at the University of Washington pursuing a B.S. in chemistry and physics. He is passionate about developing a deeper understanding of clean energy systems and improving clean energy devices. He is currently doing research with Professor David Ginger, where he uses photoluminescence spectroscopy to study charge carrier dynamics in perovskite solar cells. His research will give insight into the loss pathways that reduce solar cell efficiency and will help develop methods to reduce these losses. Next year, Aaron will be a graduate student at the California Institute of Technology, where he plans to continue using spectroscopy to improve our understanding of how we can effectively produce clean energy.
Ying Xia
2024 Graduate Winner
Carl Imhoff Scholar
Ying Xia is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in Materials Science and Engineering at University of Washington (UW), and a visiting researcher at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). Under the guidance of Dr. Jun Liu and Dr. James J. De Yoreo, her research is primarily focused on understanding the fundamental mechanisms affecting metal deposition and biopolymer crystallization at interfaces for energy-related applications. Her work specifically targets dendrite suppression in Zn aqueous batteries through controlled Zn electrodeposition and investigates the interaction of polymer additives at electrolyte-electrode interfaces. Ying is dedicated to advancing the basic science of renewable energy and aims to establish fundamental design principles for materials used in energy storage and conversion, such as batteries and catalysts. After completing her Ph.D., Ying plans to pursue a career at a national lab or as a university professor, continuing her contributions to solving critical issues in renewable energy.
Ying has earned recognition as a Clean Energy Institute Fellow at UW and is actively involved in STEM outreach, inspiring K-12 students about the potential of clean energy and fostering their curiosity in science. She currently serves as the Outreach Chair for the UW chapter of the Electrochemical Society (ECS), leading its educational initiatives. Additionally, she is instrumental in coordinating and supporting numerous seminars and conferences on renewable energy to contribute to the broader renewable energy community.
Rahoul Banerjee Ghosh
2023 Undergraduate Winner
Sir Fraser Stoddart Scholar
Rahoul is a second-year chemistry major at the University of Washington, Seattle. He grew up in Kolkata, India surrounded by teachers and academics, inspiring him to pursue research. He has been working for the past year under Professor David Ginger, studying the optoelectronic properties of gold nanoparticles with the hope of developing organic-inorganic complexes for photovoltaics, photodynamic cancer therapy and drug delivery systems. This year, he will be working in the group of Professor Xiasong Li, studying quantum chemistry with applications in clean energy materials. His long-term goals involve developing climate change solutions, through both sustainable technology and equitable global policy - as well as building lore for his Dungeons & Dragons campaign.
Nan-Chieh Chiu
2023 Graduate Winner
Pacific Power Foundation Scholar
Nan-Chieh Chiu is currently a third-year Ph.D. student with optoelectronic engineering and materials chemistry background at the Department of Chemistry at Oregon State University. His research focus is based on elucidating the structure-to-property relationship of new nanoporous materials for energy-related applications under the supervision of Dr. Kyriakos C. Stylianou. In particular, he is working on employing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which obtained versatility structures and high surface area, for hydrogen (H2) generation and storage.
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Nan-Chieh’s passionate about utilizing his material design and synthesis skills for developing materials that are impactful to the field of H2 fuel and have a real impact on our society. He plans to work either at a national lab or in the industry after completing his Ph.D. thesis and pursuing cooperation with companies and academic groups for renewable energy implementation.
Martin Chown
2023 Graduate Winner
Clean Edge Scholar
Martin is currently a master's degree student at the University of Oregon's Center for Electrochemistry (OCE) studying battery energy storage and green hydrogen production technologies to accelerate the renewable energy transition. While growing up in northern Michigan, he began advocating for renewable energy by leading a project to install a 20 kW solar array on his high school campus. As an undergraduate, he studied chemical engineering at the University of Michigan and held leadership roles in clean energy and carbon capture clubs, which enabled him to develop a broad engineering background on the suite of clean energy and carbon removal technologies necessary to de-carbonize the world. Having received cutting-edge training and education in electrochemistry at OCE, he is excited to intern with Sila Nanotechnologies to develop batteries that enable sustainable and effective renewable energy storage.
Anthony Gironda
2023 Graduate Winner
Association of Energy Engineers Scholar
Anthony is a 2nd year PhD student in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Washington. Once-through nuclear fuel cycles leave thousands of metric tons of spent nuclear waste to be disposed of, approximately 80,000 tons in the US alone. The accepted proposal for disposal is deep geologic isolation. Engineered barriers encapsulate the waste container, and at geological time scales (10,000 yrs – 1M yrs), behavior and corrosion of the materials used to contain the waste are not well understood. Anthony’s research develops new x-ray spectroscopic instrumentation and techniques to characterize different concretes proposed for use in repositories to identify the best candidates for long-term disposal. Outside the lab, Anthony is interested in scientific policy, and is currently examining equitable policy and program implementation of Washington energy utilities in response to the Clean Energy Transformation Act. After graduation, Anthony wants to be an educator and mentor as a professor, and be more involved in shaping science and energy policy.
Alexis Glaudin
2023 Graduate Winner
BNSF Scholar
Alexis Glaudin is a second-year PhD student at The University of Washington. She is a Lumbee Native American from York, Pennsylvania. Since she was a child, Alexis has cherished her Native background, which has fostered a strong fondness of and connection to nature and wildlife. This has inspired her work in the renewable energy field as she strives to improve the efficiency of state-of-the-art solar cells for a more widespread and cost-effective use of solar energy. To do this, Alexis seeks to synthesize metal-free, all-organic chromophores that can access the currently untapped near-infrared region of the solar spectrum and convert the light into usable energy through a process known as triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion. Her research efforts are being funded in part by the National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). After completing her PhD, Alexis plans to create an interdisciplinary team of scientists, engineers, and indigenous studies scholars focused on increasing tribal sovereignty through the implementation and education of solar energy on reservations. Through this organization, Alexis hopes to use solar energy to help Natives adapt traditional practices to modern-day issues and increase resource autonomy for all tribes.
Seancarlos Gonzales
2023 Graduate Winner
Seancarlos Gonzalez is a second-year chemical engineering Ph.D. student at the University of Washington. Seancarlos grew up in the Portland, Oregon area and he received his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering at the University of Notre Dame. While there, he researched novel battery materials for energy storage. Now, in the Bergsman group, he is studying the use of membranes for gas separations and carbon capture. Gas separations are ubiquitous but require significant amounts of energy due to the widespread use of cryogenic distillation for these separations. Developing more efficient membranes that could replace these distillations would reduce the energy consumption and the emissions produced by gas separations. Seancarlos's research uses vapor phase techniques to improve the separation properties of existing membranes in a way that can be scaled up to industry. He is also a Clean Energy Institute fellow at the University of Washington and enjoys doing STEM outreach by introducing K-12 students to clean energy and getting them excited about doing science.
William Heins
2023 Undergraduate Winner
William Heins is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Washington (UW) earning a B.S. in chemical engineering with a concentration in energy systems and minors in chemistry and mathematical physics. William first conducted undergraduate research at the UW Washington Clean Energy Testbeds (WCET) with Professor J. Devin Mackenzie where they invented a novel method for manufacturing thin film solar modules. After one year, William authored and filed a provisional patent application with UW CoMotion and began a collaboration project with another university to explore the invention’s further applications. Last spring, he presented at the UW Undergraduate Research Symposium to share the technology and inspire others in renewable energy. This January, William advanced the provisional patent to a utility patent/patent cooperation treaty (PCT) with UW CoMotion for official patent office review and will co-author future publications. Last spring, William also began undergraduate research with Professor Hugh Hillhouse at the UW Clean Energy Institute where he studies degradation of perovskite thin film solar cells, a technology capable of surpassing today’s silicon standard. He is completing his study in collaboration with the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and will compose an honors thesis followed by potential publication in a peer-reviewed journal. This spring, William will graduate magna cum laude with honors in chemical engineering and become a full-time chemical engineer in industry, committed to his mission of inventing and scaling renewable energy technologies to combat the climate crisis.
Ashlyn Kamin
2023 Graduate Winner
Cascade Energy Scholar
Ashlyn (Ashe) is a third-year Ph.D. student in Chemistry at the University of Washington, where they are broadly interested in the design and synthesis of new molecules and materials with applications in next-generation energy storage devices. As an undergraduate at Whitman College, their research focused on synthesizing ultrastable halogen-free electrolytes for metal-ion batteries. Advised by Prof. Dianne Xiao, Ashe’s current research efforts are aimed at building conjugated metal–organic materials that can merge a host of desirable emergent properties such as high electrical conductivity, large surface areas, and accessible metal sites.
Ashe’s work has been supported by a Clean Energy Institute Graduate Research Fellowship and the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program. Beyond research, they have a special interest in interdisciplinary approaches to building a more equitable clean energy future. They have been heavily involved in K–12 science outreach efforts in partnership with the Clean Energy Institute at UW. Outside of lab, Ashe is particularly passionate about music and community organizing.
Charlotte Kamman
2023 Undergraduate Winner
Al and Nancy Jubitz Scholar
Charlotte is a fifth-year student in the Bachelor of Architecture program and a Stamps Scholar at the University of Oregon. Charlotte was drawn to the field of architecture for the potential it provides to practice applied sustainability. Her areas of interest include sustainability, building science, land management, and nature-based solutions to climate change. Charlotte is a Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC), specializing in high performance, science-based, sustainable building design. Charlotte recognizes that the built environment is an area in which the implementation and integration of renewable energy technologies can have an enormous impact. She plans to use her professional career to address climate change in ways that balance human and environmental needs.
Marlowe Lawson
2023 Undergraduate Winner
Stoel Rives Scholar
Marlowe is an undergraduate student at Western Washington University working to obtain a BA in Energy Policy and Management. After completing an internship with Greentech Renewables, a solar distribution company, they have joined a research project centered around energy efficiency in residential homes. Through both this research and their studies, they hope to address the economics of sustainable energy so that making the switch to renewables becomes the easy choice instead of an added cost.
After school, Marlowe wants to join the PeaceCorps and help establish increased energy efficiency in Latin America and is taking care to achieve this goal without taking away autonomy from these communities. In their free time, they have worked with Students for Renewable Energy to start making these changes at the university level as well as participating in the Women and Nonbinary Energy Network to address accessibility in energy as a male dominated industry.
Morgan McShea
2023 Undergraduate Winner
Linda Nettekoven Scholar
Morgan McShea is a current student at Cascadia College pursuing her BAS in Sustainability. She has a degree in Apparel Manufacturing Management from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and has worked in the fashion industry for over a decade. She decided to return to school to combine her knowledge of design and business with her passion for sustainability and building a better, green future. She has worked with Puget Soundkeeper Alliance and interned with Friends of North Creek Forest in efforts to both drive community education and environmental stewardship, and to aid in the preservation and restoration of precious natural resources. She currently works as a fieldworker for Cascadia Consulting Group, where she works with communities, businesses, and municipalities to reduce waste, combat climate change, and build resilience.
Willow Thompson
2023 Winner
Raymond Guy Jubitz III Memorial Scholar
Willow Thompson originally earned a bachelor’s degree with a double major in Politics and Law & Society at Oberlin College, and recently pivoted to studying chemistry at the University of Oregon and Lane Community College. During the 2020 Oregon wildfires, as a volunteer firefighter, Willow co-led the evacuation of more than 100 people from her community near Detroit Lake, Oregon. Being displaced by a natural disaster sparked Willow’s motivation to develop technologies that can reduce climate disruption by lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Since August 2021, she has worked in Dr. Shannon Boettcher’s lab at the University of Oregon with graduate student mentor Grace Lindquist. In the lab, Willow studies green hydrogen production via anion-exchange-membrane water electrolysis. Her work has focused on understanding the catalyst layer characteristics that predict higher electrolyzer efficiency when employing more earth-abundant and inexpensive non-platinum group metals. She will begin a master’s program in Materials Science and Engineering at Stanford University this fall. Willow’s long-term goal is to facilitate increased reliance on renewable energy sources through her work in energy storage R&D.
Eden Tzanetopoulos
2023 Graduate Winner
BNSF Scholar
Eden Tzanetopoulos is a third-year Ph.D. student in Chemistry at the University of Washington (UW), within the lab of Dr. Daniel Gamelin. Eden completed her undergraduate degree in Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley. During her time at Berkeley, she worked in the Energy Conversion Group of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), concentrating on oxygen-evolution reaction nanoparticle catalyst development for hydrogen fuel cells. Her current research focuses on inorganic nanomaterial synthesis development and dopant design for lighting technology applications. More explicitly, her project presently centers around the development of hydrofluoric acid (HF)-free syntheses of colloidal A2BF6 nanocrystals. This material is a host lattice that upon being doped with Mn4+ ions can be utilized as the red-light component of high-efficiency white light-emitting diodes. Eden’s long-standing career goal is to develop and optimize optically active inorganic nanomaterials and study their light-matter interactions to evolve the renewable energy device market. Outside of research, Eden is motivated by renewable energy volunteer work and avenues of scientific mentorship across all ages and backgrounds. She is involved in K-12 outreach with UW’s Clean Energy Institute and is an active member of the Chemistry Women Mentorship Network. She strongly advocates for the multidisciplinary collaboration of sciences and policy work to enact substantial and sustainable changes in global energy infrastructure.
Sophia Votava
2023 Undergraduate Winner
Daimler Scholar
Sophia will be graduating from the University of Washington in Spring 2023 with a degree in Electrical Engineering, concentrating in Sustainable Power Systems. She is a Washington native from Spokane, and growing up in the Pacific Northwest inspired her to become an engineer in the fight against climate change. She has harnessed a variety of experiences in the energy industry through summer internships during her college career. She worked in the Energy Efficiency department at Avista Utilities, participated in undergraduate summer research through the UW Clean Energy Institute to size a solar and battery storage microgrid for a library in rural Ghana, and spent 2 summers in the field with Mortenson Construction supporting the building of 2 different utility scale battery storage projects in southern California. In her industry experiences, she opens dialogue about and advocates for inclusive company culture strategies to help support the growing number of women and underrepresented gender minorities pursuing careers in engineering and construction. She is thrilled to be entering the industry working in renewable energy, as she is joining Mortenson's engineering services full time in the fall to support and perform electrical design for Energy Storage projects.
Faith Wells is a member of Cold Lake First Nations and an undergraduate student currently attending the University of Montana. She will spend her senior year at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry before applying to their graduate school after graduation. She is particularly interested in the conjunction of Indigenous ways of knowing and Western STEM, especially in relation to earth sciences. She hopes to specialize in researching rare earth elements on tribal lands. Faith is Senior Operations Intern at Backcountry Hunters & Anglers and plans to spend her summer teaching science at the American Indians in Math and Science camp for the third year in a row.
Faith Wells
2023 Undergraduate Winner
Honorable Jeff Morris Scholar
Sarah Beaudoin
2022 Undergraduate Winner
Sarah is currently a third-year student at the University of Oregon on the path to earning a B.S. in Chemistry with minors in Biology and Mathematics. For the last two years, she has been working as an undergraduate researcher in Dr. Shannon Boettcher’s lab, an electrochemistry lab that focuses on developing renewable energy technology and creating hydrogen fuel from water in a reaction termed electrolysis. Sarah works closely with her mentor Grace Lindquist on multiple projects, most recently collecting data on non-precious group metal catalysts for the oxygen evolution in pure-water electrolysis. Having grown up in rural Northeastern Oregon, Sarah has a deep respect for the natural world and hopes to protect it in any way she can throughout her life.
Naseeha Cardwell
2022 Graduate Winner
Nas Cardwell is a third year PhD candidate in Chemical Engineering at Washington State University. Her research aims to mitigate the effect of climbing greenhouse gas emissions by upgrading existing biofuel to allow it to be competitive with petroleum-based fuel. Her work uses density functional theory to capture the lateral interactions of hydrodeoxygenation reactions for phenolics on a plethora of metal catalyst surfaces using a mean-field model. She is working to further develop these models to predict the lateral interactions and adsorption energies of aromatic-catalyst systems under various realistic conditions. After obtaining her degree, Nas' goal is to continue her sustainable energy work at a national lab; she is currently living her dream as a graduate researcher at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory under the Distinguished Graduate Research Program fellowship.
Besides her research, Nas is an active member in her institution's chapter of the Graduate Society of Women Engineers (GradSWE) as the current Secretary and is passionate about increasing representation and involvement for women of color in STEM spaces.
Miguel Gonzalez
2022 Graduate Winner
Born in the beautiful Arecibo, Puerto Rico, Miguel earned a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez (UPRM) and a master’s degree in Structural Engineering from the University of Washington (UW). Currently, he is working towards a PhD in structural engineering at UW, with an estimated graduation date of 2024. While at UPRM, he participated in STEM outreach in public schools and engaged in several student competitions; and at UW he has served in his department’s graduate student advisory board, where he works in the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion committee. Professionally, Miguel had an internship at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, where he performed structural analysis tasks on the TIRS-2 instrument, and a long-term internship at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, where he has supported the “Powering the Blue Economy” initiative in various roles. Miguel became interested in structural engineering and clean energy after Hurricane Maria decimated his hometown in 2017, which started him down a path of learning how to improve existing infrastructures. He shares his research at professional conferences and in peer-reviewed publications, has been awarded several academic fellowships, and hopes these efforts and blessings will serve him to ultimately become a research professor. In his free time, he enjoys watching football (soccer) matches and playing his Fender American Stratocaster electric guitar. Miguel says, “by following my curiosity and my passion for research, I hope to contribute to the development of more resilient structures that support the ever-pressing race towards a clean energy future”.
Amitav Kamani
2022 Graduate Winner
Stoel Rives Scholarship Winner
Amitav is a first-year law student at Lewis & Clark Law School hoping to pursue a career focused on green energy policy and an expansion of renewable energy in urban areas. Prior to coming to law school, Amitav studied Environmental Sciences (B.S.) and Political Philosophy, Policy, and Law (B.A.) at the University of Virginia, and then obtained his Master of Education from Rhode Island College. For a couple years, he taught biology and AP Environmental Science to high schoolers through Teach For America, an experience which pushed him to go to law school. This summer he will be working at Nike, with a goal of developing critical legal skills and taking them to the field of environmental law in aims of effecting change through government policies that will help tackle climate change and more localized pollution issues in dense, urban areas. Given the worsening outcomes forecasted by the IPCC, Amitav hopes to be an environmental law advocate that focuses on large-scale governmental change, perhaps by working at the EPA or state level positions that have a clear focus on expanding renewable energy. Amitav is also a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion and wants to work towards creating work environments that are accepting and welcoming of our differences.
Reuben Martinez
2022 Winner
Honorable Jeff Morris Scholarship Winner
Reuben Martinez is a member of the Makah Nation, a recent graduate of Western Washington University with a bachelor’s in economics, and alumnus of Peninsula College, who spent his final year at WWU focusing primarily on renewable energy. At Spark Northwest, Reuben supports Tribes throughout the Northwest as a Tribal Liaison. Notably, Reuben works to identify each Tribes self-determined interests in renewable energy and works to connect Tribes with funding opportunities; such as applications for programs such as the Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP), or the Washington State Commerce Grant. Reuben is also preparing to begin a Masters at the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs at the University of Washington, where he plans to focus on the nexus of marine law & policy, renewable energies, and sovereignty as means to support Indigenous Nations on a regional and international level as they plan for future generations.
Melissa Ong
2022 Undergraduate Winner
School: University of Washington – Seattle (Junior year)
Major: B.S. Chemical Engineering
Minor: Materials Science & Engineering
Undergraduate Research: My project in the Bergsman research group focuses on modifying commercial membranes to produce membranes with greater chemical stability. These could be used to replace energy-intensive thermal distillation processes currently used in industry. Current commercial membranes are either organic, which are low in cost but have low chemical and thermal stability, or inorganic, which are chemical and thermally stable but are expensive to produce. My research project aims to create hybrid membranes with high chemical stability and low production cost using a technique called vapor phase infiltration, which uses reactive vapors to modify polymeric materials. By replacing thermal distillation, these resilient membranes could save up to 90% of the energy currently used in these chemical separations.
Dave Ramsay
2022 Winner
Dave is currently a licensed High School Teacher who has returned to school himself in order to learn more about Renewable Energy. Specifically, Dave is seeking to develop a Career and Tech Education curriculum that will enable high school graduates to step directly into a career in renewable energy here in the Pacific Northwest. His hope is to establish something more relevant and applicable than just a brief unit in a Science or CTE curriculum. With a working-world background in Electronics, Dave plans to supplement his knowledge to create a full-fledged program enabling students to become industry-ready upon earning their diploma, or to pursue a post-secondary education in renewables if they choose.
Duncan Reece
2022 Graduate Winner
Association of Energy Engineers Scholarship Winner
Duncan is a second-year Ph.D. student in Chemical Engineering at the University of Washington. Duncan completed his undergraduate at the University of Edinburgh and a Master's in Sustainable Energy Futures at Imperial College London before working at the ITER nuclear fusion project in France. His current research at the University of Washington focuses on material discovery for catalysts to improve water electrolysis for hydrogen production as an alternative fuel. Using Molecular layer Deposition, a technique that uses self-limiting surface reactions, hybrid organic-inorganic thin films with a controlled thickness and properties are produced. These thin films can then be altered to make metal oxides with exact porosity and pore diameter allowing for improved activity.
Apart from his research, Duncan is involved with the Clean Energy Institute, undertaking K-12 outreach initiatives to aid in renewable and alternative energy education. In addition, he is currently the VP of Finance for the Science and Engineering Business Association, which aims to help bridge the gap between Engineering students and business development. After his studies, Duncan aims to continue advancing the implementation of novel techniques and materials for alternative energy sources to help reduce energy poverty and improve energy security.
Sean Sandstrom
2022 Graduate Winner
Pacific Power Scholarship Winner
Sean Sandstrom is a materials chemistry Ph.D. student in Prof. Xiulei (David) Ji’s lab at Oregon State University. His research focuses on aqueous electrochemical energy storage systems for grid-scale applications. Specifically, he is working on novel aqueous batteries that employ unique ions, such as halide anions and transition metal cations, as charge carriers. He hopes that he can help to develop the next generation battery chemistries that are inexpensive and more environmentally benign than the current technologies that are on the market today.
Sean is passionate about helping people and making the world a better place through science. He hopes that his future career can work to address the devastating effects of climate change and come up with new solutions to the significant problems we face as a species. His goal is to continue researching new chemistries for renewable energy storage after he graduates, either at a national laboratory or in the battery industry.
Matthew Shenton
2022 Graduate Winner
Daimler Scholarship Winner
Matthew Shenton is currently a PhD Student in the Hydrogen Properties for Energy Research (HYPER) Laboratory at Washington State University. One of the major issues with utilizing cryogenic hydrogen as an alternative fuel source stems from the losses in fuel due to boil-off. His primary research focuses on developing accurate hydrogen boiling heat transfer correlations to mitigate this boil-off from novel storage vessels. Matthew’s passion is to transform the agricultural sector into a new state of energy independency and research the fundamentals required to achieve this vision. His future plans after completing his PhD are to implement cryogenic hydrogen technologies onto farms and to mentor students and farmers on how to utilize this technology effectively.
Hossain Taufiq
2022 Graduate Winner
Sir Fraser Stoddart Scholarship Winner
Hossain is a Public Policy PhD student at the Oregon State University. He was born and raised in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Currently, Hossain is working on the “Marine Renewable Energy Beyond the Grid” project, with a focus on the wave and offshore wind energy user applications and community outreach in the Oregon coast. Hossain completed his undergrad studies in International Relations from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, and MSc degree in Development Practice from the Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. During his master's program, he was awarded the MacArthur MDP Fellowship. Also, Hossain interned with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UN-ESCWA) and National University of Rwanda (NUR) as partial fulfillments of the MSc program. From 2012-2020, he worked with Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB), University of Dhaka, UNDP, Population Council, USAID, Trocaire, Save the Children, Plan International, Planning Commission Bangladesh, Family Planning Association of Bangladesh (FPAB), International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), University of Guelph- Canada, IDS of University of Sussex-UK and BRAC University at various capacities.
Xianghui Zhang
2022 Graduate Winner
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Xianghui Zhang is a graduate student co-advised by Dr. Di Wu and Dr. Su Ha in Voiland School of Engineering and Agriculture at Washington State University. His research interest is to employ experimental thermodynamic strategies to enhance our fundamental understanding on the “Energetics of Interfacial Interactions and Stability of Nanostructured Materials”. Specifically, His research focus is applying the surface technologies in the following three fields: 1) defining the thermodynamics, structure, and performance of electrochemical energy storage devices for renewable energy such as wind and solar energy; 2) mapping the energetic landscape of carbon supported ruthenium for biomass conversion using water vapor as probing molecules; 3) elucidating the confinement phenomena within zeolite catalysts. The fundamentals obtained from his research will deepen our understanding of materials essential for the harvesting of renewable energy and facilitate the transfer research from lab to industry.
Other than his research, he is active in different science outreach events. He was a judge of Imagine Tomorrow event in Pullman, one of the organizers of both solar cell demonstration in Pullman High School and Washington State Reginal K-12 Science Olympiad in Spokane.
Katie DeSpain
2021 Undergraduate Scholarship Winner
Daimler Scholarship Winner
Katie graduated Magna Cum Laude from Rice University in May 2021 with a bachelor's in Civil and Environmental Engineering and a Certificate in Engineering Leadership. She is currently a Senior Analyst in the Renewable Development department at Invenergy, where she works to develop large-scale solar and battery storage projects. Katie grew up in Portland, OR and has always had a love of the outdoors and a respect for nature. Her goal when she decided to pursue engineering was to have a positive impact on the planet and the people who live here, which is something she finds purpose and meaning in through her career in the renewable energy industry. She is proud that her scholarship from RESF allowed her to pursue her passions and help create a clean energy future.
Mia Hocking
2021 Undergraduate Scholarship Winner
Mia Hocking is a student at Lane Community College (LCC) pursuing an A.A. degree in Energy Management. Mia has accumulated an eclectic portfolio of knowledge and experiences along her career path including a B.S. in Business Management and accreditation in the visual arts. In retrospect, each of these endeavors led to her current position as Resource Conservation Manager (RCM) with the Hillsboro School District. In a non-traditional model, she enrolled in the LCC Energy Management after accepting the RCM with the school district knowing her new education would prove invaluable to the district and the community it serves.
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Mia plans to continue her RCM work with the Hillsboro School District with a focus on improving the district’s energy profile, affecting long-lasting improvements to our energy policy. As a government organization, the school district seeks to be a leader in environmental stewardship. School Districts need energy champions! Opportunities such as investing in renewable energy is key towards reducing the impact on our climate and the sustainability of a healthy Earth.
Nathan Stovall
2021 Undergraduate Scholarship Winner
Nathan is a third-year undergraduate at the University of Oregon, pursuing a B.S. in Chemistry with a minor in Legal Studies. During his time at UO he has worked in Prof. Shannon Boettcher’s lab, studying renewable energy technologies. Specifically, he has worked to optimize water electrolysis, a process in which renewable energy can be used to evolve hydrogen gas, which can subsequently be pressurized and stored for later use as a clean energy source. The development of this technology will be critical in the widescale implementation of wind and solar power devices, which are currently limited due to their intermittent energy production and lack of energy storage mechanism. His research has primarily worked to decrease the costs of the catalyst material in proton-exchange-membrane water electrolyzers. Additionally, he is now working to understand the failure mechanisms in anion-exchange-membrane water electrolyzers, a competing electrolyzer technology. Upon completing his undergraduate degree, Nathan plans to pursue a doctoral degree in inorganic/materials chemistry where he can continue studying renewable energy technologies. Additionally, he hopes to become an advocate for environmentally friendly, and science-based public policy.
Courtney Beringer
2021 Graduate Scholarship Winner
Courtney is a PhD student in Coastal and Ocean Engineering at Oregon State University. She is passionate about developing marine renewable energy to mitigate climate change through environmentally and socially just means. Her current work is developing a laboratory scaled wave energy converter (WEC) to lower cost barriers to experimental testing and increase access to well-characterized models and data. Courtney believes K-12 outreach is important for engaging the next generation of students in renewable energy. She is currently a science communication fellow at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry and you can find her presenting her WEC made out of legos at a "Meet a Scientist" day there. Courtney hopes to continue work in marine renewable energy after her PhD through a tenure track faculty position where she can do research, teach, and mentor students.
David Evitt
2021 Graduate Scholarship Winner
AEE Scholarship Winner
David is a first-year graduate student in Mechanical Engineering in Dr. Nordica MacCarty’s Humanitarian Engineering Lab at Oregon State University. His research focus is optimizing fan-driven jets of air in the combustion chambers of wood cooking and heating stoves to reduce particulate (smoke) emissions and fuel use for families around the world. This builds on his work for the Aprovecho Research Center supporting the development of the Jet-Flame forced-air cookstove accessory that can reduce particulate emissions by as much as 94% in lab tests. David’s interest in biomass stoves began when he lived in Guatemala and co-founded the Estufa Doña Dora clean-cookstove business. He thinks of biomass as the original solar-energy-storage solution. For billions of people around the world it is the only local, renewable, climate-friendly energy source available. In advanced economies household-scale clean-burning biomass can complement solar and wind with sustainable heating or combined heat and power in the winter. His professional goal is to continue inventing and innovating to realize the potential of a sustainable biomass economy and build a future without smoke in the home.
Khoa Le
2021 Graduate Scholarship Winner
Khoa N. Le is a PhD candidate in Dr. Christopher Hendon’s lab at the University of Oregon. Khoa’s research focuses on using Density Functional Theory (DFT) to study the electronic properties of conductive metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). These materials are known to have large surface area due to their porous structure. The high surface area could increase the storage capacity and efficiency of energy devices. His study focuses on understanding the fundamental principles that allow these materials to be conductive and invokes design principles to enhance these materials’ conductivity so that they can be used in energy storage applications. His findings will aid the development and design of MOF-based electronics.
Other than his research, he is an Executive Board Member of
LGBT+inSTEM and DuckREFs working to advocate for increasing diversity.
Liam Twight
2021 Graduate Scholarship Winner
Sir Fraser Stoddart Scholarship Winner
Liam is a PhD student in Prof. Shannon Boettcher’s research group at University of Oregon. He studies metal oxides used in the production of environmentally friendly hydrogen fuels using renewable electricity. These materials act as catalysts; they lower the energy requirement and therefore increase the efficiency of hydrogen production. While initially prepared as crystalline, highly ordered materials, they display a tendency to transform at their surface to disordered structures when electrified. Liam’s research aims to fully characterize the microscopic details of this surface restructuring and correlate them to the catalytic ability of the metal oxides to guide intelligent design of hydrogen producing devices. After earning his PhD, Liam’s goal is to continue renewable energy research in the private sector. He is active in promoting science outreach as a classroom aid at the Eugene Science Center and a mentor for undergraduate researchers at UO as well as a multi-university collaboration aimed at increasing participation of underrepresented students in STEM graduate programs.
Reece Carpenter
2020 Undergraduate Scholarship Winner
Reece graduated from Western Washington University with a degree in Energy Science and Technology and Energy Policy minor, as well as a degree in German. During her time at Western, she was the coordinator for her university's "Women+ In Energy Mentoring Network" club, which helps connect women and other underrepresented individuals with professionals and opportunities in the energy field. With experience in the policy side of environmentalism through an internship with the Oregon League of Conservation Voters, as well as a study abroad year in Austria with Rotary Youth Exchange, Reece is determined to find global solutions in this energy transition and fight against climate change. After graduating, Reece spent another year abroad as a teaching assistant with USTA Fulbright Austria where she taught English at an Austrian high school specializing in agriculture. Upon her return, she got a job with the Department of Energy in the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations under the Industrial Demonstrations Program. In her current position, she works with industrial companies to demonstrate innovative and transformative clean energy projects with the goal of decarbonizing hard-to-abate industrial sectors. In her free time, she volunteers with Rotary Youth Exchange and current/future exchange students. Reece hopes to get a Master's degree in the energy field to further her knowledge of clean energy topics and apply it in an impactful way to continue to provide promise in this energy transition.
Alexi Overland
2020 Undergraduate Scholarship Winner
Alexi attends the University of Oregon and is pursuing a B.S. in chemistry and environmental science. She has been involved in undergraduate research since her freshman year and currently works in the Brozek lab researching metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and their potential applications for renewable and sustainable energy. Specifically, she works with titanium-based MOFs, atomically precise alternatives to titanium dioxide, as catalysts for solar-driven sustainable transformations. They envision these MOFs playing a crucial part in decreasing the cost and environmental hazards of conventional catalysts. Additionally, understanding the photooxidative reactivity of their materials could pave a way for their use in degrading and recycling plastics that pollute our oceans and the environment. Alexi hopes to pursue a career that will allow her to continue to create and research materials that have the potential to mitigate our carbon footprint and create greener and more sustainable processes.
Ali Trueworthy
2020 Graduate Scholarship Winner
Sir Fraser Stoddart Scholar
Ali is a PhD student in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters student in the Environmental Arts and Humanities program at Oregon State University. She does design engineering research and science communication within the Pacific Marine Energy Center. As a researcher in the Design Engineering Lab, Ali researches how designers can develop better systems, specifically, wave energy devices. In the coming years of her PhD, Ali hopes to do research that increases our understanding of how marine renewable energy can address climate change, and how designers of marine renewable energy systems can approach the technology such that it emerges as something nourishing to all. Inspired by the ways of thinking and creating that she learns from the arts and humanities and motivated by the possibilities of blending disciplines, Ali strives to understand the whole picture of how renewable energy could impact our climate, environment, and culture.
Grace Lindquist
2020 Graduate Scholarship Winner
Grace Lindquist is a Chemistry PhD candidate Prof. Shannon Boettcher’s lab at the University of Oregon. Her research focuses on anion exchange membrane water electrolysis technology. She is working to identify and understand key degradation pathways during electrolyzer operation with pure and dirty water feed. In addition to her research, Grace leads the UO’s Mad Duck Science Day, a program that provides lab-based science education to local middle school students, and is a part of the UO Summer Academy to Inspire Learning (SAIL). Grace’s goal after earning her PhD is to work in science policy advising on renewable energy technology implementation at a state or national level.
Ishaan Bhimani
2019 Undergraduate Scholarship Winner
Ishaan is a combined BS/MS student at the University of Washington studying electrical engineering with a concentration in power electronics. He has been involved with the EcoCar Mobility Challenge competition, and has interned at Tesla, working to test and validate solar energy products. In addition to his engineering activities, Ishaan has engaged in activism for renewable energy. He was part of a campus-wide movement to encourage the UW to convert to 100% renewable energy, and he even helped organize and spoke at 2 press conferences supporting statewide renewable energy legislation. Ishaan hopes to use his engineering talents to help integrate renewables into the grid and combat climate change.
Kathryn Corp
2019 Scholarship Winner
Co-Sir Fraser Stoddart Scholar
Kathryn graduated with her PhD in chemistry from the University of Washington in the fall of 2019 and moved to Berkeley, CA to start her career as a Senior Engineer at Opus 12. Opus 12 is a spin-out from research done at Stanford University and was grown at Cyclotron Road (a business accelerator at Berkeley National Lab). Opus 12 converts CO2 into commodity chemicals – turning pollution and waste into a profit stream and cleaner air. Kathryn is thrilled to be putting her chemistry degree to use in a field that will have a huge impact on the climate for future generations.
Michael Enright
2019 Scholarship Winner
Co-Sir Fraser Stoddart Scholar
Michael Enright is an assistant professor of chemistry at San Francisco State University. He leads a research team working to synthesize nanomaterials for sustainable solutions through energy solar energy conversion. Previously, Michael was a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign working with Prof. Ralph Nuzzo on the development of luminescent solar concentrators. He earned his doctorate in chemistry with Prof. Brandi Cossairt at the University of Washington in June 2019 for his work on the Synthesis of Colloidal Semiconductor Heterostructures. Michael first developed his interests in renewable energy research and chemistry as an undergraduate at Ripon College in Wisconsin.
Michael Nellist
2018 Scholarship Winner
Sir Fraser Stoddart Scholar
Michael earned his PhD in Chemistry at the University of Oregon in 2018. He is motivated by the need to generate cleaner energy from renewable sources, as well as finding new ways to store that energy. His dissertation focused on photoelectrochemical water splitting as one promising route for capturing the energy from the sun and converting it into hydrogen fuel. His research investigated these systems using novel microscopy approaches that provided insight into the mechanisms by which water splitting takes place. Michael completed a Postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Münster where his research focused on solid electrolyte materials for more energy dense batteries. He is currently a Cell Development Engineer at Solid Power Battery, where he is developing next generation batteries for electric vehicles.
Teresa Wang
2018 Undergraduate Scholarship Winner
Teresa graduated from the University of Washington in 2018 with a B.S. in Environmental Science and Resource Management, and minor in Architecture and a minor in Urban Ecological Design. At UW, she was heavily involved with UW Solar, a student group which promotes solar energy installations on UW campus and in the greater Seattle area. She was also involved with the International Forestry Students’ Association, which works to promote the practice and education of sustainable natural resource use in both the local and international community. Additionally, she was a part of the Hydro-biogeochemistry Research Group at UW. Teresa now works as a Sustainability Consultant at Rushing Company, a MEP engineering consulting firm in Seattle.
Forrest Laskowski
2017 Scholarship Winner
Forrest received the award during his PhD at the University of Oregon, working in Shannon Boettcher's lab. His research focused on understanding the junction dynamics of photoelectrochemical cells for hydrogen evolution. He examined the semiconductor-catalyst junction of various photoanodes (i.e. n-Si, BiVO , Fe O ), both through experiment and computation, to identify key junction properties which produce efficient solar cells. Forrest's research ultimately revealed novel design principles for producing highly efficient photoelectrochemical energy storage cells (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41563-019-0488-z). After completing his PhD, Forrest accepted a postdoctoral research position at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) where he currently works on next generation batteries in Kimberly See's research lab.
Dustin Welch García
2017 Scholarship Winner
Dustin finished his PhD at the Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington. His research asked when and why NGO-led electrification programs catalyzed innovation in large-scale, public/private solar energy projects. Dustin now leads a consultancy, Ghost Grid | Consulting. This new venture builds upon his 10+ years of experience in the clean energy and development space. The services provided by his interdisciplinary consulting team include: research and programmatic evaluations, ethnographic fieldwork, data management, visualization, and analysis, as well as special projects that fall outside these areas.
Carolyn Virca
2016 Scholarship Winner
Carolyn received her bachelor of science from the University of Portland in 2013. She went on to graduate school at Portland State University where she joined the lab of Dr. Theresa McCormick studying artificial photosynthesis. During her time at PSU she founded the Portland State Women in STEM group and served as its President for three years. Carolyn earned her PhD in 2018 and moved to the University of British Columbia, where she worked in Dr. Curtis Burlinguette’s lab as a Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute Fellow studying machine learning. Her research interests include transition metal chemistry, catalysis, computational chemistry and photochemistry. She is currently employed at Intel.
John Todd
2009 Scholarship Winner
John received his Master of Science in Forestry from the University of Montana in 2010. During his time at UM's College of Forestry and Conservation, John studied the social acceptance of biomass energy in Montana at a time when its utility in Big Sky Country was under close public scrutiny. Today, John is the Executive Director for Wild Montana, where he puts his background in policy and public opinion to work leading an organization that protects Montana's public lands for future generations. When he's not working to protect the backcountry, you can find John, his family, and their faithful bird dog in some of Montana's last, best places.
Oisik Das
2008 Scholarship Winner
Oisik earned his PhD from the Centre for Advanced Composite Materials (CACM) at The University of Auckland, New Zealand. His research was focused on the utilization of biochar (obtained from pyrolysis/thermo-chemical conversion of lignocellulosic wastes) in areas of biocomposite development. Oisik did his postdoc at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, where he researched bio-based polymers and means to enhance their performance properties. Oisik received a master degree from Washington State University. He served MMU University, Ambala, India as Assistant Professor.
Oisik is an Assistant Professor at Luleå University of Technology in Sweden and his research interests pertain to the development of high-value carbon materials for biocomposite applications.
Honorable Mentions
2024 Honorable Mentions
All 2024 Honorable Mentions receive a check for $1000, plus an autographed copy of Beyond Carbon Neutral, donated by author Samuel Goodman.
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<------- Nadia Barnard, Undergraduate Student, University of Oregon
Herminio Cabiya Ruiz, Undergraduate Student, University of Washington ------>
<------- Jack Geary, Graduate Student, University of Washington
Justin Jessop, Graduate Student, Washington State University ------->
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<-------- Nicholas Jones, Graduate Student, Washington State University
Doran Pennington, Graduate Student, University of Oregon ----->
<-------- Achyuth Ravilla, Graduate Student, Portland State University
Sophie Song, Graduate Student, University of Washington ------->
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<-------- Yiming Sui, Graduate Student, Oregon State University
Kassandra Vogel, Undergraduate Student, Washington State University ------->
2023 Honorable Mentions
All 2023 Honorable Mentions receive a check for $500, plus autographed copies of Regeneration: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation, donated by author Paul Hawken; and Bewilderment, donated by author Richard Powers.
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<------- Grace Bryan, Undergraduate Student, University of Nevada, Reno
Jeanne Currie, Graduate Student, University of Washington ------>
<------- Kiyava Deville, Graduate Student, UO Law School
Andrei Draguicevic, Graduate Student, University of Washington ------->
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<-------- Mahmood Muttaqee, Graduate Student, Oregon State University
Sierra Rothlisberger, Undergraduate Student, Washington State University ----->
<-------- Zengran Sun, Graduate Student, Washington State University
Xinyi Zhao, Graduate Student, University of Washington ------->
2022 Honorable Mentions
All 2022 Honorable Mentions received a check for $200, plus autographed copies of The Grid, donated by author Gretchen Bakke; A Cubic Mile of Oil, donated by co-author Ripudaman Malhotra; Regeneration: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation, donated by author Paul Hawken; and From Knowledge to Power: The Comprehensive Handbook for Climate Science and Advocacy, donated by author John Perona.​
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<------- Kevin Fabrizio, Graduate Student, University of Oregon
Inhwan Ko, Graduate Student, University of Washington ------>
<------- Raina Krivina, Graduate Student, University of Oregon
Noah Leibnitz -------------->
<-------- Kyle Martini, Undergraduate Student, University of Oregon
Jules Mermelstein, Undergraduate Student, University of Alaska/Fairbanks --->
<-------- Yohan Min, Graduate Student, University of Washington
Alejandra Montano, Graduate Student, University of Minnesota ------->
<-------- Jezella Peraza, Graduate Student, University of Washington
Ariel Whitten, Graduate Student, Washington State University -------->
2021 Honorable Mentions
All 2021 Honorable Mentions received a check for $200, plus autographed copies of All-Electric America, donated by co-author and Board Member Leah Parks, and Losing Earth: A Recent History, donated by author Nathaniel Rich.
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<------ Eddie Kelinsky, Lewis and Clark Law School
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Paris Myers, Undergraduate Student, Oregon State University ----->
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<----- Duncan Reece, Graduate Student, University of Washington
2020 Honorable Mentions
<------ Raina Krivina, Graduate Student, University of Oregon
Heather Miller, Graduate Student, Oregon State University ------>
<------ Walid Mouss, Undergraduate Student, University of Washington
Jordan Raymond, Graduate Student, Washington State University ------>
<------ Irving Rettig, Graduate Student, Portland State University​
​2019 Honorable Mentions
<------- Ashley Berninghausen, Graduate Student, Oregon State University
Ryan Hagmann, Undergraduate Student, Western Washington University ------>
Daniel Kelly, Undergraduate Student, Southern Oregon University
<-------- Erin Peiffer, Graduate Student, Oregon State University
Brian Pinkard, Graduate Student, University of Washington ------->
<-------- Elizabeth Rasmussen, Graduate Student, University of Washington
Anton Resing, Undergraduate Student, University of Washington
Eden Rivers, Undergraduate Student, University of Washington ------->
<-------- Zachary Taie, Graduate Student, Oregon State University
Ali Trueworthy, Graduate Student, Oregon State University -------->
