In February 2026, Sarah Kelly, PhD, Head of Dartmouth's Energy Justice Clinic and lecturer in Geography, was presented with the Powershift Award from the Association of American Geographers (AAG) Energy & Environment Specialty Group (EESG).
The award celebrates geographers who combine rigorous scholarship with a clear commitment to social justice, especially through community‑based projects that empower groups disproportionately affected by energy and climate inequities. Dr. Kelly's citation praised her for "advancing a powershift that equitably transforms social systems."
The AAG's annual conference is the discipline's premier gathering; the 2025 meeting in Detroit attracted more than 5,600 participants. The Powershift Award is highly competitive, and Dr. Kelly's nomination was prompted by the powerful model she has developed with Dartmouth's Energy Justice Clinic (EJC)—a student‑centered, trans‑hemispheric learning laboratory that links local energy‑justice work in New England with projects across South America.
In March 2025 Dr. Kelly brought three honors‑thesis students—Solange Acosta Rodríguez '24, Adamari Benavidez '25, and Nadine Lorini Formiga '25—to the AAG's Detroit conference. The trio presented during a special EESG session on teaching energy systems in higher education. Although they were the only undergraduate voices in the session, their reflections on trans‑hemispheric research sparked lively discussion among faculty from across the United States and internationally. By the session's close, Dartmouth's EJC had become a focal point of conversation.
"The students showed up like stars. Their insights and eloquence describing their energy‑justice work in Chile and the United States really stood out—to me and the other faculty," Dr. Kelly recalled. "Their performance resulted in my fielding numerous questions about how we run the clinic and how other institutions might replicate our approach."
Benavidez has since joined the EJC as a Program Specialist, a testament to the clinic's ability to cultivate the next generation of energy justice leaders.
Geography's interdisciplinary nature makes it uniquely suited to interrogate the nexus of social, technical, and environmental processes. Dr. Kelly summarizes this perspective:
"Geographers must examine how social, technical, and environmental realities intersect to produce impacts and injustices. Community‑based, participatory research is especially powerful because it lets us bridge those intersections in tangible ways."
The EJC's methodology reflects this ethos. Instead of fitting projects into semester‑long course schedules, the clinic operates on a flexible, multi‑term timeline that allows researchers to cultivate long‑term relationships with community partners—relationships that are essential when working with historically marginalized groups.
"Many faculty are constrained by term‑based teaching cycles, but community‑justice work requires continuity. Our model lets us stay engaged across terms and breaks, fostering deeper trust and more meaningful outcomes. Students, in turn, develop leadership and critical‑thinking skills that evolve over several years—leadership that was on full display at the AAG conference."
Each year the clinic involves roughly 60 students through several academic channels:
Through these entry points, students can remain active with the clinic well beyond a single class, gaining experience in field research, policy analysis, and community facilitation.
Dartmouth graduate Kenny Mok '25 credits Dr. Kelly and the EJC as pivotal influences on his career trajectory. Upon graduating Dartmouth, he earned a prestigious Yenching Scholarship to study Politics and International Relations in China, with a goal to focus his career on sustainable infrastructure in low‑ and middle‑income nations.
"Dr. Kelly really helped me gain perspective. I wrote a paper on resource extraction in the lithium triangle. There are so many conversations relating to minerals needed for the energy transition—from lithium to nickel, to cobalt. Every time I found an article on the lithium triangle, I found articles about Chinese investments," says Mok.
Mok's experience illustrates how the clinic's global lens equips students to navigate complex geopolitical supply‑chain debates that sit at the heart of today's energy transition.
Dr. Kelly emphasizes two hallmarks of a Dartmouth education—rigorous liberal‑arts training and leadership development—as essential to the clinic's success.
"Our liberal‑arts curriculum nurtures interdisciplinary thinking, ethical awareness, and clear communication. At any moment I am collaborating with students from eight or more majors—engineering, the arts, environmental studies, and more. This breadth prepares them to tackle multifaceted energy challenges alongside diverse community stakeholders."
The EJC was launched in 2020 with the support of Maron Greenleaf, Assistant Professor of Anthropology. They modeled the clinic after law‑school clinics, blending applied anthropology, popular education, and community‑based participatory research into a single, scalable structure.
"The clinic model suited my training perfectly," said Dr. Kelly. " Participatory research moves at the pace of trust‑building; you can't rush meaningful outcomes. Our long-term engagement underpins our success."
Clinic projects span the Upper Valley of New England to South America. This geographic breadth cultivates a trans‑hemispheric mindset that students routinely apply across contexts.
"One group working on community solar in the U.S. recently submitted a grant application for a community‑solar project in southern Chile," said Dr. Kelly. "Another group of students studying energy insecurity in New England have a more global understanding of energy justice based on exchange with students and community partners in South America. Seeing local exposure applied to global contexts is incredibly rewarding."
Clinic participants also co‑author peer‑reviewed papers with faculty, extending the clinic's impact into scholarly journals.
"By equipping policymakers with real data and human stories, we aim to protect vital assistance programs," Arshi explained.
Dr. Kelly believes the EJC's framework is transferable to other institutions, provided it remains anchored in academic rigor.
"Any analogue should be rooted in a scholarly tradition. We teach rigorous community‑based research methods, then give students the space to lead, facilitate, and—crucially—step back and listen," said Dr. Kelly. " Understanding the politics of knowledge—who is counted and who is not—cultivates humility, a trait essential for effective leadership."
Her emphasis on deep listening highlights a central skill: the ability to translate community narratives into research questions, policy briefs, and, ultimately, equitable solutions.
When asked to sum up the clinic's impact, Dr. Kelly returns to a single word:
"The powershift comes from relationships—between Dartmouth and New England, and between our team and communities in the Global South. Through those bonds we co‑produce scholarship that can reshape social systems toward justice."
The award, the conference buzz, and the thriving relationship network all attest to the fact that the Energy Justice Clinic is more than a pedagogical experiment; it is a living laboratory that equips the next generation of geographers, engineers, and policymakers to co-create solutions to the energy challenges of the 21st century.
The AAG Energy & Environment Specialty Group's Powershift Award recognizes individuals whose work shifts power toward marginalized communities through rigorous scholarship, public engagement, and transformative teaching.