From the Andes to Hong Kong: Irving Institute Student Grant Recipients Drive the Energy Transition

In the Andean and Amazon regions of Peru, rural electrification rates are among the lowest in the country, leaving many isolated communities without reliable access to power. As a native Peruvian, Engineering major Leonela Espinoza Campomanes '27 felt a personal connection to that challenge. Last summer, with the support of an Irving Institute Student Grant, she worked with WindAid to help address it. The organization manufactures and installs wind turbines in remote areas of the Andes near Trujillo.

Over three months, Campomanes contributed to every stage of turbine construction. She learned to apply fiberglass and carbon fiber to hand-craft turbine blades, then trained in welding and metal cutting to build the structural components.

"The process of building turbines is really an artisanal one," she explained. "At the beginning, it was a scary activity, but with my team always there to support me, I became really good at it."

Each month, the team also traveled to communities to install the turbines they had built. For Campomanes, those visits were as meaningful as the engineering work.

"I had the opportunity to interact with the mom of a family," she recounted. "She was describing to me how their lives were before WindAid and how much they struggled to see during the nights, and the difficulties that her children had because they could not study as much as they wanted."

The experience deepened Campomanes's sense of purpose as an engineer.

"Being part of the whole process and looking at the before and after of the projects motivated me to continue using my engineering skills to create social and environmental impact," she reflected. She also encouraged others to seek out similar experiences: "It may give you a different perspective on how energy transition is being done in a developing country."

Students impacting the energy transition

The energy transition demands engineers, scientists, policymakers, investors, and advocates. Irving Institute Student Grant recipients are becoming all of the above — hand-crafting wind turbines in the Andes, building solar cells at a national lab, modeling critical materials supply chains, investigating carbon markets, funding clean energy startups, researching coastal carbon cycling, and reimagining the economic systems that underpin it all.

Modeling the clean energy supply chain

The clean energy transition depends not just on deploying new technologies, but on securing the raw materials they require. Engineering Sciences major Paul Griffiths '26 spent a term contributing to the Materials Demand Project, a research effort led by the Sustainable Transitions Lab that examines the critical materials required to meet U.S. clean energy goals under the Inflation Reduction Act. 

Griffiths developed a modeling framework to estimate material demand for technologies like offshore wind, utility-scale solar, and electric vehicles under different scenarios, helping policymakers anticipate supply chain risks before they become bottlenecks.

"This project gave me a concrete way to apply my background in systems modeling and data analysis to a pressing societal challenge: ensuring that the materials supply chain can keep pace with ambitious climate goals," he noted.

The project also pushed Griffiths beyond the classroom, confronting him with messy, real-world data.

"I learned how important it is to document assumptions, justify statistical choices, and clearly communicate limitations," he reported. "At the same time, I saw how probabilistic modeling can transform limited data into actionable insight."

The experience reinforced a core conviction: "Effective energy policy must be informed by robust, transparent modeling, and engineers have a critical role to play in this space."

Building solar cells and modules with the NLR

Manufacturing a single cell of a solar panel involves dozens of precise steps — and mastering them takes hands-on training. Smitakshi Goswami, Physics and Astronomy PhD candidate at the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies, got exactly that at the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) Hands-on Photovoltaics Workshop (HOPE), where she was immersed in every stage of the research and development pipeline.

Over five intensive days, Goswami trained in NLR's state-of-the-art fabrication bay, tracing the entire device journey from thin-film deposition to finished cells, and helping to build small solar modules.

"We learned firsthand how reliability is as crucial as efficiency," Goswami said. "Collaborating with postdocs, I also learned practical tips for ensuring reliable contacts and maintaining rigorous safety protocols."

Beyond the lab, Goswami came away with a deeper appreciation for the collaborative nature of solar energy innovation.

"The real value of these workshops lies in the people you meet," she reflected. "It was a transformative professional experience. I returned not only with a toolkit of practical PV skills, but with a network of mentors and peers, and a renewed sense of purpose in advancing sustainable energy." 

Funding climate tech in Hong Kong

Government and Environmental Studies double-major FT Chiu '26 worked with the investment team at Gobi Partners, a venture capital firm based in Hong Kong that invests in early-stage startups across the Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and North Africa regions.

Chiu sourced and evaluated deals in climate-tech, reviewing more than 100 startups and conducting due diligence on early-stage companies working on satellite-based environmental monitoring, low-cost sulfur batteries, and other emerging clean energy solutions.

"I discovered the challenges and opportunities in funding climate-tech, such as navigating regulatory landscapes in APAC and MENA, assessing technological viability, and balancing financial returns with societal impact," Chiu said.
Chiu came away with both a sharper skillset and a clearer sense of how he wants to apply it.

"I learned the importance of mentorship from seasoned VCs [venture capitalists], collaborating with partners and analysts, and the creative problem-solving required in deal structuring—skills that inspired me to think innovatively about scaling sustainable solutions," he reported. "This experience empowered my initiative to bridge academia and industry in energy transitions."

Researching carbon cycling with the USGS

Coastal wetlands do more than buffer shorelines — they quietly store large amounts of carbon, which is critical in keeping it out of the atmosphere and slowing the pace of climate change. Earth Sciences major Hannah Clark '26 studied the processes controlling carbon cycling in wetlands with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center.

"Understanding how carbon is stored and transported in wetlands betters our understanding of the ecosystem services they provide," Clark noted. "This can inform policy regarding wetland conservation and restoration."

Clark collected field data and analyzed water samples in the lab to track the movement of carbon dioxide and methane from Cape Cod salt marshes. She also taught herself to code along the way.

"By the end of the summer, I was building my own models to interpret and present the data I had collected," she recounted. "I was also able to practice my scientific communication skills by building a final presentation to present in front of the entire USGS center."

The research carried personal meaning for Clark, who grew up on Cape Cod and has long felt a deep connection to coastal environments.

"Environmental research, particularly concerning marine climate science, is important to me because of my connection to the coastal environment and my passion for sustainability," she shared. "The Irving Institute has shown me how tying my research back to its greater purpose is how I best motivate myself to solve meaningful problems."

Closing the gaps in California's carbon market

California's cap-and-trade program is one of the most ambitious climate policies in the U.S., but it has gaps. Environmental Studies and Biological Sciences double-major Levi Konrad-Shankland '26 investigated what it would take to close them.

Konrad-Shankland began by mapping the policy's existing exemptions, then designed and ran an economic model to analyze what would happen if those gaps were closed and emissions were fully internalized across California's economy. The project also broadened his understanding of how climate policy actually works in practice.

"I got the opportunity to learn more than I expected to about the institutions involved in climate policy in California and elsewhere," he shared. "I was always excited to read about how different market-based and command-and-control emission regulations interact with each other."

By the end of the term, Konrad-Shankland had completed a manuscript and was preparing to submit it for publication.

"I generated original data and analysis about the potential effectiveness of extending the California cap-and-trade," he reported. "I hope it can contribute to the academic discussion of market-based climate policies, and just maybe spur discussion on improving the program, particularly as the current phase is due to end in 2030."

Exploring new economic futures in Lyon

What would an economy look like if it were designed around human and environmental wellbeing rather than profit? That question brought History major Ben Stevenson '27 to Lyon, France, for the New Economies: Hope in a Time of Collapse gathering, hosted by the European organization Partners for a New Economy.

The gathering deepened Stevenson's understanding of global inequality and its ties to energy and climate — particularly the concept of 'unequal exchange,' the way wealthy nations extract labor and natural resources from the Global South.
"The way to address poverty and consumption-driven fossil fuel expansion is a rebalance of global economic and political power," he noted.

Stevenson also brought a critical eye to the gathering itself, noting that its predominantly European focus raised important questions about who gets to define a "new economy" — and for whom. 

"These sticky questions can only be addressed through collaboration and leadership by scholars, policymakers, and activists from the Global South working on building a fair economy," he observed.

Irving Institute Student Grants

Throughout the year, the Irving Institute offers grants to enrolled undergraduate and graduate students pursuing projects that transform our understanding of energy, climate, and society issues, and drive the creation of ideas, technologies, and policies that benefit all people.

We invite the next generation of engineers, scientists, policymakers, investors, and advocates to apply — and to discover the role they can play in the energy transition. 

Application Deadline for Winter Term 2026: Wednesday, October 14

Learn more about Irving Institute Student Grants