2022 Student Poster Session: Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)

The Energy Transition Institute (ETI) sponsored a Research Experience for Undergraduates program (REU) providing 8-week long intensive research experiences for undergraduates from June 6 to July 29, 2022. Each student worked on a project at the intersection of energy technology and social equity, in a wide range of disciplines from computer science and engineering through economics and history.

2022 Students and Projects

Microgrid Community Engagement

Authors: Sebastien Alouidor, Nicholas Caverly

This poster examines publicly-funded microgrid planning in Massachusetts. Doing so shows possibilities for building community support for microgrid development by engaging the needs of end-users.

Solar powered community fridge design recommendations for Dwight

St. Garden in Holyoke, MA

Authors: Caitlyn Carter, Lydia D’Ambrosio, Anushree Patil, Paola Pimentel Furlanetto, Stephen Fernandez, Krista Harper

Several community fridge design options were compiled and compared to each other, with the community and their opinions in mind.

Fishing for food security in the dammed Connecticut River

Authors: Raul Vera, Eve Vogel, Vicente Pereira Roa

This poster seeks answers to the question of how would an increased reliance on hydropower affect rivers, and the communities that use rivers for sustenance?

Electrifying Heat and Grid Integration

Authors: Emma Soto, Erin Baker

This project looks at optimizing the use of hydronic heat pumps and hot water buffer tanks to shift the demand of electricity to more closely match renewable energy’s availability and reduce peaks and ramps in demand.

Hydrologic Analysis of Water Basins in South America

Authors: Fernando Corano Garcia, Sarah McKnight, David F. Boutt

Utilizing lithium has become vital in this new era of sustainability, specifically for batteries. The question is if the extraction of lithium in itself is sustainable? The majority is in South America, specifically Salars in Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile.

How forest environment affects soil, tree moisture and sap flow

Authors: Chengzhi Wu Li, XingJian Chen, Paul Siqueira

The project aims to understand how the amount of soil, tree moisture, and sap flow inside trees are being affected by the environment in the forest (I.e rain, diurnal patterns, seasons, etc…)

An Empirical Analysis of Data-Driven Carbon Forecasting

Authors: Lavina Ngo, Noman Bhasir, David Irwin

This project attempts to predict how carbon intensity fluctuates in pre-determined regions across different times, temperatures, and demands.

Debates Over Large-Scale Solar in News Media

Authors: Gabriel Somers, Juniper Katz

To understand debates over large-scale solar siting, we coded statements from articles on solar siting to capture actors’ position, framing, and behaviors. The actors were largely town council or planning board members, local residents, and general project advocates.

About ETI

The Energy Transition Institute (ETI) leads stakeholder-engaged research and education at the intersection of energy technology and social equity. Our network of researchers spans 50+ departments and programs across UMass Amherst, including Engineering, Humanities and Fine Arts, Management, Natural Sciences, and Social and Behavioral Sciences. ETI research activities include the NSF-funded ELEVATE program, which offers fellowships to PhD students doing convergence research across disciplines on clean energy, equity and climate resilience. 

A scene from the REU student poster session
Photo credit: Angie Gregory, ETI