Recipients begin internships in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala this summer 

The AIDG announced the selection of eleven undergraduate and graduate students that will participate in the first year of its Internship Program.

The AIDG's Internships are designed to give students direct hands on experience in international development and appropriate technology implementation in developing countries. Peter Haas, the AIDG's Executive Director stated that "The program also provides an opportunity for the transfer of technical knowledge between workers in our incubated business and university students".

The following is a partial list of activities that the interns will be involved in this summer and fall:

• Installation and documentation for the 16 kW hydroelectric project at Finca Nueva Alianza
• Design, construction and testing of several 1 kW axial flux windmills
• Design, construction and testing  of ceramic and slow sand filtration units as well as UV and solar water pasteurization units
• Design and field testing of low cost home-lighting kits (LED and solar photovoltaic)
• Expansion of biodigester at Casa Guatemala in Rio Dulce and updated training of CG staff in maintenance
• Construction of biodiesel reactor with Whitman Direct Action
• Search, identification, and writing grant applications
• Creating a system of sharing technical documents and construction of appropriate technology slide/video manuals
• Marketing and sales facilitation for XelaTeco
• Refinement of ecotourism project

2006 AIDG Summer Interns

James Russell (Stanford University, California - Civil and Environmental Engineering)

James Russell obtained a B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Stanford University.  In 2002, he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to work with Chilean farmers on improving management of natural resources on small farms. In fall of 2006, Russell will return to Stanford to study sustainable energy systems in the Atmosphere/Energy program in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department.

Cameron Pratt (Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy, Tufts University)

Cameron Pratt is a dual Master's candidate in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning, and Law and Diplomacy at the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University.  He is also a certificate candidate in the interdisciplinary Water: Systems, Science, and Society (WSSS) graduate program.  His studies are focused on environmental policy and business relations, with a particular interest in microfinance and decentralized water and energy services.  Prior to graduate school, he spent four years in financial markets in varied capacities.  He obtained a B.A. in Economics from Hobart College.

Kelli Horner (Stanford University, California - Environmental Engineering and Science)

After receiving her BS in Civil Engineering from California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, Kelli worked for 2.5 years as an environmental staff engineer with Kleinfelder, Inc. This past June, she completed her Master's in Environmental Engineering and Science at Stanford University.

  Megan Brewster (MIT, Massachusetts - Material Science and Engineering)

A recent graduate from the University of Washington in the Materials Science and Engineering Program, Megan Brewster will be starting graduate school at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the Fall.

Chris Brooks (Murdoch University, Perth, Australia - Renewable Energy Program)

Chris Brooks graduated from the University of Puget Sound (Tacoma, WA) with a degree in Conservation Biology and English. He spent the following year conducting meteorological / surface heat budget research in the Arctic.  He then worked for several years in Alaska, alternatively as a project leader with Americorps and as a crewleader with Young Alaskans Building Affordable Housing (YABAH). From 2001, he spent three years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador managing small scale, sustainable agriculture, as well as infrastructure and community development projects. He is currently a graduate student in Renewable Energy at Murdoch University in Perth, Australia.

Mollie Chapman (Stanford University - Anthropology, Population and the Environment)

A recent graduate from Stanford University, Mollie Chapman is an accomplished photographer. In 2005, she worked with the Center on Ecotourism and Sustainable Development in Washington, DC.

Erick Zielke (Humboldt University, CA - Environmental Resources Engineering)

Erick Zielke is currently an undergraduate student at Humboldt University studying Environmental Resources Engineering, with an emphasis on Energy. For the past two summers, he has served as an environmental engineering intern with the Indian Health Services Program in the Department of Human Health and Services.

Jesse Engel (University of California, Berkeley - Physics)

Jesse Engel recently graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in Physics. Since 2004, he has been working on the Mars Global Surveyor Project at the Space Sciences Laboratory. He will be starting graduate school at UC Berkeley in Material Science in the fall of 2007.

Erin Fried (Tufts University, Massachusetts - Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning)

Erin Fried's academic and professional background is rooted in professional writing - grantwriting, marketing, journalism, and technical writing. She graduate from Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in Professional and Creative Writing in 2002. She worked as a technical/writer and Curriculum Developer for Carnegie Mellon's IrYdium Project.  From 2003-2005, she was a Marketing Presentation Specialist with T Rowe Price. She is currently pursuing a Master's Degree in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University.

Leslie Kersey (Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy, Tufts University)

Leslie Kersey graduated from Northwestern University Summa Cum Laude in 2002. She is currently a Master's student at the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University. In 2006, she was a Delegate to 44th Session of the United Nations Commission for Social Development.