University of Pittsburgh mechanical engineering student Phoebe Esser Katz will be recognized later this week for her work on a rural solar energy project co-led by School of Public and International Affairs Professor Shanti Gamper-Rabindran. 
Awarded by the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation (MCSI) and the Office of Sustainability, the Pitt Sustainability Awards honor students, faculty, staff, and campus groups who have made an extraordinary impact on sustainability at Pitt.
Phoebe, who served as research manager for the team of eight graduate and undergraduate students, was nominated for the award by Dr. Gamper-Rabindran and Dr. Tony Kurzmann, associate professor of mechanical engineering and materials science at Pitt and co-lead of the solar energy project. Designed to better inform environmental policy, the project seeks to identify how people in rural communities around Pennsylvania view and use solar power.
“I’m proud of the work that the members of this team and I have done to collect data and to find ways to reach people in rural communities. It’s been great to work with so many students,” said Phoebe in an article published by Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering earlier this month. “And I’m so honored that Dr. Kerzmann and Dr. Gamper-Rabindran nominated me.”
Dr. Gamper-Rabindran hopes that Phoebe’s story will inspire other undergraduate students interested in environmental policy and sustainability to get involved- no matter their school or major.
“Juniors and seniors who are interested in exploring graduate school have taken my graduate courses in Climate Policy, Environmental Policy, Health Policy, and Political Economy of Development, and done well in them.”
Curious about environmental and climate policy graduate programs in the School of Public and International Affairs? Explore the Energy & Environment Concentration or Certificate in Sustainable Development. Undergraduate students interested in learning more about crafting policies that make a tangible impact on issues like sustainability should explore the Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy or request more information about our programs.