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Current and Past Intern Profiles |
Current Interns in Haiti (in order of arrival)
Kyrea Njuguna
(University of Cambridge, U.K., M. Phil Engineering for Sustainable Development) Originally trained as a Mechanical Engineer which included an exchange year in Lyon, France, Kyrea worked for 5 years in the oil & gas industry with multinational contractors and became a chartered engineer. With the desire to expand his skills and scope from a purely technical point of view, he pursued an MPhil in Engineering for Sustainable Development where he focused on renewable energy project implementation and policy making. During his studies, Kyrea also spent time in Nepal as a volunteer teacher and Ecuador studying Spanish where he was introduced to other developing countries, in addition to his native Kenya. Through these experiences and while working as a sustainability consultant at Arup, Kyrea realized that a key factor missing in the equation to break the vicious cycle of poverty is self-sustenance; particularly within local enterprise and appropriate technology transfer. Therefore, Kyrea has embarked on a 7 month internship in Cap Haitien, Haiti with the AIDG Haiti team on biodigestor technology, pico-hydroelectric power, waste management and sanitation, and local business development.
(Arrived: September '09)
Current Interns in Guatemala (in order of arrival)
Will Ston e (University
of Adelaide, B.E.
Mechanical Engineering/Science) After graduating
in 2003, Will spent five years working in the wind farm industry in various windy
places around Australia, New Zealand and Scotland. Longing to see more of
the world, he set off across the Pacific in early 2008 to travel around Central America. He kept finding himself returning to the
beautiful country of Guatemala
where he also found out about the fantastic work being done by AIDG. Will
joined AIDG as an engineering intern in March 2009 and has made the transition
from large scale wind to small scale hydro. He is currently working on the modification
of an existing 8kW micro-hydro system and assisting with the development of a pico-hydro
generator.
(Arrived: February '08)
Work at AIDG: Micro and pico-hydro systems
 Ben Dana
(Manchester Metropolitan University, Msc Environment, Management and Sustainable Development) Four long years after leaving this amazing country, Ben’s
return to Guatemala
is a dream come true. His work on preparing technical manuals will help the
world to benefit from years of AIDG expertise on appropriate technology. He is
charged with producing epic cinematic footage, combining step-by-step
technology manufacture and installation with the cream of Parque Bolivar’s
unsung skater talent. After three years’ work as a Solar thermal and PV engineer
in Spain and England there’s
nothing like stripped-to-the-bones Guatemalan renewable energy to give you a
fresh outlook. Ben is blown away by the beauty of biodigesters, rocked by the Rocket
Box stoves, stoked by the sublime Serpentine Solar Collectors and howling the
praises of the Hummingbird Load Controller for Micro-Hydro. On Saturdays he can be found soaking up the knowledge of
master welders in the hope of increasing the added value he brings to AIDG
projects and the street furniture for skaters in Xela.
(Arrived: March '08)
Work at AIDG: Technical documentation, Solar Water Heaters
Annie Keel After graduating in 2007 Annie travelled in
Latin America for a year. While on the road,
she realised that her future career would need to offer: opportunities to
travel; the rewards of being part of something socially useful; and the chance
to work with and learn from like-minded people…international development was
the perfect choice. On returning to the UK she worked as a policy assistant
and programme administrator for the international development agency CAFOD.
While there, she came across the work of AIDG and was impressed by the
innovative and sustainable model the organisation uses in addressing the causes
of poverty. She arrived in October 2009 and plans to spend a year supporting
AIDG’s Guatemala
programme through grant writing and management.
(Arrived: Oct '09)
Work at AIDG: Grant development and management
Daniel Buchbinder (Imperial College London, Msc Environmental Technology). After studying business in 2003, Daniel worked for 5 years in the cosmetics industry as a brand manager first in Mexico and later in Spain. Simultaniously, he studied a Masters course in environmental geography at the National Autonomous University in Mexico (UNAM) as he decided to blend his passion for sustainable living and his professional expertise as a marketer. In 2008 he made a defiant career shift, leaving aside facial creams and shampoo, by joining an Environmental Technology course where he specialized in business and environment. Aside from formal marketing experience, Daniel has been involved in various consultancy projects in different countries and is also a strategic advisor for a Mexican NGO promoting the UN Millennium development goals. Daniel is deeply interested in working for systemic solutions where environmental and social considerations will be naturally inherent in successful business strategy and decisions. As a Market Analyst at AIDG, Daniel will incoroporate this idea into the product development process while also providing strategic marketing support.
(Arrived: Feb '10)
Work at AIDG: Tech R & D product development process; marketing research
Past InternsOur Intern Program started in the summer of 2006, and has expanded significantly since then. AIDG is extremely gracious for the following people's support and dedication:
- Christopher Salam Biodigestor, biogas & vermicompost
July '09 - December '09 (University
of California at Davis, M.S., Biological
Systems Engineering)
- Carol Chan Business plan competition, Earned income strategy June '09 - December '09 (IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain, M.B.A.)
- Lori Flynn Business plan competition, grants, & research February '09 - November '09
(University of California at Santa
Cruz – Ph.D. Computer Science)
- Daniel Moncayo Business plan competition, Tech R&D feasibility template May '09 - August '09 (University of Colorado
at Boulder, M.B.A.
’10)
- Vergil Mueller Solar Hot Water Project, Ram Pump Project Management, Biodigestors October '08 - June '09
(University of Colorado at Boulder, M.S., Civil Engineering)
- David Goosen Micro-Hydro, Solar Water Heaters & Data Acquisition June '08 - April '09 (B.A.Sc. Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia)
- James Gabriel Duncan Biodigestors/Biogas October '08 - March '09 (University of Florida, BS Environmental Science)
- Dan Hepler Micro & Pico-Hydroelectric Systems, July '08 -December '08 (University of British Columbia, B.A.Sc. Electrical Engineering)
- Natalie Bonilla Maldonado Community Outreach and Facilitation,
April '08 - December '08 (The Brussels School of International Studies,
M.A., International Relations)[Profile]
- Katherine Metzelaar Marketing and Business Development, August '08 - December '08 (La Salle University, BA Communication & Leadership and Global Understanding)
- Kyle Farmer TecoTours and Education Center, April '08 - October '08
- Kate Simpson Water Project Management, April '08 - September '08 (Sydney University, Australia – B. Chemical Engineering/ B. Arts [French, Spanish])
- Meg Harper UC Berkeley Batch Solar Hot Water Heaters, June '08 - August '08 (Warren Wilson College, BS Environmental Studies)
- Sunny Pereira Haiti biodigestors & composting latrines, February '08 - July '08 (Michigan Technological University - Environmental Engineering)[Profile]
- Gordon Schweitzer: Ram Pumps, May '08 - July '08 (University of Dayton, Mechanical Engineering)
- Alexandra Surasky-Ysasi: Micro-Hydroelectricity Production, September '07 - June '08 (Brown University, Mechanical Engineering) [Profile]
- Chase Nelson: Dome Biodigesters, October '07 - June '08 (Michigan Technological University, Environmental Engineering) [Profile]
- Carlos Poza: TecoTours & Education Center, January '08 - June '08 (Yale University, Literature and International Studies)
- Katie Bliss: Community Outreach, August '07 - May '08 (University of Sussex, UK, BA, Environmental and Development Studies) [Profile]
- Corinna Grace: Intern Coordinator, June '07 - May '08 (U. of New South Wales, Sydney - Mechanical Engineering) [Profile]
- Emily Freeh: Accounting, XelaTeco Business Development, September '07 - April '08 (Northwestern University, International Development)
- Liakos Ariston: Ram Pumps, September '07 - March '08 (Johns Hopkins, BS Civil Engineering)
- Beau Baldock: High Efficiency Stoves, Serpentine Solar Hot Water Heater, October '07 - March '08 (Middlebury College, Vermont - History of Art and Architectural Design)
- Anne Romeo: Micro-Hydroelectricity Circuitry, August - December '07 (Cambridge University, Masters in Electrical and Information Engineering)
- Alissa Johnson, Low Cost Solar Hot Water Heater, June - November '07 (U. of California, Berkeley - Material Science and Engineering)
- Blaze Starkey Community Outreach, Eco-building, Summer '07 (Lewis and Clark College)
- Alia Whitney-Johnson, TecoTours, Summer '07 (MIT, Cambidge - Environmental Engineering)
- Kristen Radecsky, Windmills, Summer '07 (Humboldt State University, Arcata - Environmental Resource Engineering)
- Maarten Graveland, Plug Flow Biodigestors and Serpentine Solar Hot Water Heater, September '06- May '07 (Randmeer College, The Netherlands - Electrical Engineering/Physics)
- Elena Krieger, High Efficiency Stoves, February-June '07 (Harvard University, Cambridge - Physics and Astronomy & Astrophysics)
- Corrado Di Dio, Community Outreach and Assessment, February-June '07 (University of Bologna, Italy - International Studies and Diplomacy)
- Nick Bianchi, XelaTeco Business Development, February-June '07 (MA University of Illinois, Chicago - Urban Planning and Policy)
- Jochen Schloesser, XelaTeco Sales Training & AIDG Customs and Legal Issues, March-May '07 (BS University of Texas at Austin - Dual degree in Finance and Communication Studies)
- Jesse Engel, April-June '07 (University of California, Berkeley - Physics)
- Megan Brewster, Plastic Recycling, Summer '06 (PhD Material Science and Engineering, MIT)
- Chris Brooks, Hydroelectricity, Summer & Fall '06 (MA Renewable Energy, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia)
- Mollie Chapman, Community Outreach, Fall '06 (BA Anthropology, Stanford University)
- Erin Fried, TecoTours, Summer '06 (MA Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning, Tufts University)
- Kelli Horner, Hydroelectricity, Summer '06 (MA Environmental Engineering and Science, Stanford University)
- Ana Maria Madison, Accounting, Summer '06 (MBA, University of Michigan)
- Jeff Miller, Hydroelectricity (BA Mechanical Engineering, University of Technology, Sydney)
- Sylvia Smullin, Plastics Recycling (PhD Physics, Stanford University)
- Margot Rode, Solar Hot Water (BS Civil Engineering, University of Colorado)
- James Russell, Water Filters & Ram Pump (MA Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University)
- Erick Zielke, Hydroelectricity (BS Environmental Resources Engineering, Humboldt University)
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AIDG's original content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
