DEC Lunch: Students in the Field – Irving Institute Mini-Grant Reports
As Dartmouth’s energy and society basecamp to the world, the Irving Institute supports real-world, hands-on experiences for students in any major or program.
Students in the Field – Irving Institute Mini-Grant Reports
Thursday, February 7th
12:15pm-1:15pm
Fahey First Floor Commons
As Dartmouth’s energy and society basecamp to the world, the Irving Institute supports real-world, hands-on experiences for students in any major or program. Mini-grant recipients Jordan Swett ’19 (ENVS, ECON) and Zachary Berzolla TH leveraged Irving support to connect with national networks of renewable energy industry leaders (Jordan) and work intensively with a local non-profit seeking to address housing needs with maximum energy efficiency (Zach). Join us to learn about the recent adventures of these emerging energy leaders – and get inspired to submit for the next round of student mini-grants, due May 1! Read more below!
Jordan Swett will present: Building a Foundation in the Energy Space with the Irving Institute
With support from the Irving Institute, Jordan had the privilege of attending two global energy conferences. Both have contributed uniquely to his academic and extracurricular experience in studying energy systems.
About Jordan:
Jordan is majoring in Environmental Studies and minoring in Development Economics with a focus in Energy Systems. He is conducting a Senior Honors Thesis to study the viability of installing solar power in rural areas of South Africa. He is also working with the Irving Institute to create an undergraduate energy club.
Zachary Berzolla will present: A Zero Energy Modular Housing Pop-Up Factory. The design, assembly, and process optimization used to bring high-quality, high-efficiency, renewable-energy-powered homes to communities at an affordable price.
Over winterim Zach worked with VerMod, a Wilder, VT-based Zero Energy Modular housing builder. Working with partners from Efficiency Vermont and the Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center, Zach created a document and 3-D models to introduce the ideas and benefits of Zero Energy Modular buildings, VerMod’s factory process, and lessons learned from VerMod’s first five years of operation. This document will be shared with other builders across the country that might be interested in opening their own Zero Energy Modular factory to encourage faster adoption.
About Zach:
Zach is a fifth-year BE student at Thayer studying energy systems engineering. He graduated from Middlebury College in 2018 with a degree in physics. At Middlebury, Zach led a team of students that designed the winning school entry in the Department of Energy’s 2018 Race to Zero competition. Zach spent two off-terms at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, CO where he worked on several projects related to Zero Energy buildings.
