Weston, MA - February 11, 2007 - The Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group (AIDG) today announced the selection of ten exceptional undergraduate and graduate students for its spring and summer internship programs in Guatemala.

The mission of the internship program is 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 "The program also provides an opportunity for the transfer of technical knowledge between workers in our incubated business and university students".

The interns will primarily be developing prototypes of appropriate technologies. Successful and locally demanded technologies will then be manufactured and sold by AIDG's incubated business, XelaTeco.

Alia Whitney-Johnson (MIT, Cambidge - Environmental Engineering)

Alia Whitney-Johnson is a junior at MIT pursuing a BS in Environmental Engineering. In 2005, she founded Emerge, a program that provides economic opportunity and personal empowerment to teenage mothers in Sri Lanka. Whitney-Johnson has worked on tsunami relief in Sri Lanka, helped refine a process for converting agricultural waste into charcoal for use in Haiti, and has interned in the World Bank's Finance, Private Sector, and Infrastructure unit for the Latin America and Caribbean region. Her current research quantifies the degree to which mangroves and corals protected Sri Lanka's coast in the 2005 tsunami with the aim of helping establish a more effective coastal protection policy.

Nick Bianchi (University of Illinois, Chicago - Urban Planning and Policy)
Nick Bianchi received his Bachelor's Degree in Latin American History from Georgetown University and a Master's in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois in Chicago. Bianchi has five years experience working in the field of community-based economic development managing a small business development program and a workforce development project. In this work, he has counseled emerging small businesses in business planning, marketing, and basic finance. He also managed a micro-loan fund and successfully carried out grant research, proposal writing, and reporting to funding agencies.

Corrado Di Dio (University of Bologna, Italy - International Studies and Diplomacy)
Corrado Di Dio graduated from the University of Bologna, Italy where he completed a course in International Studies and Diplomacy with a special focus on Development Policy. He has volunteered in international workcamps in Thailand and Mexico, helping provide aid and support services. He has also worked within indigenous communities as an International Observer in Chiapas, Mexico. Di Dio has a strong interest in social and economic development, human rights, the promotion of participatory democracy as well as conflict resolution.

Jesse Engel (University of California, Berkeley - Physics)
Jesse Engel recently completed his undergraduate studies in Physics at the University of California in Berkeley. Since 2004, he has been working on the Mars Global Surveyor Project at the Space Sciences Laboratory. He will be returning to UC Berkeley next fall to pursue a Master's Degree in Materials Science and Engineering.

Peter Guellnitz (James Madison University, Harrisonburg - Environmental Studies)
Peter Guellnitz graduated from James Madison University in 2001 with a degree in Environmental Studies. He was commissioned as an officer in the U.S Army and served four years with tours in Kosovo and Iraq. Since completing his military commitment, he has worked as an environmental consultant. He is planning on attending law school in the fall to study environmental law.

Corrina Grace (University of New South Wales, Sydney - Mechanical Engineering)
Corrina obtained her Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of New South Wales in Sydney in 2003. She has since worked in the commercial property industry as a service consultant and engineering projects manager. Grace has been involved in projects in Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom. Her passion is for sustainable engineering solutions that will be embraced by the market. Her recent projects have focused on the adoption of green building solutions in the commercial property sector.

Alissa Johnson (University of California, Berkeley - Material Science and Engineering)
Alissa Johnson, a graduate of University of Wisconsin-Madison, will obtain a Master's degree in Material Science and Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 2007. Her research focuses on the use of 'dirty' - cheaper silicon that the electronics industry cannot use - for photovoltaic applications. Her interests outside solar energy and sustainability include hiking, travel, futbol, and skiing.

Elena Krieger (Harvard University, Cambridge - Physics and Astronomy & Astrophysics)
Elena recently graduated from Harvard University with a joint degree in Physics and Astronomy & Astrophysics. She has worked in Eritrea and Brazil on improved biomass stoves, indoor air quality and a range of renewable energy technologies. Her research includes the use of femtosecond lasers to create highly absorptive silicon, and analysis of X-rays from cataclysmic variables. Elena is originally from Berkeley, California, and enjoys capoeira and rugby.

Kristen Radecsky (Humboldt State University, Arcata - Environmental Resource Engineering) Kristen Radecsky is in her first year of a Master's program in Environmental Resource Engineering at Humboldt State University. In 2004, she obtained a BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Lafayette College. Her volunteer experiences include work with Engineers Without Borders on a drinking water project in Honduras and teaching environmental issues in public schools as an Americorps volunteer.  Before entering graduate school, Radecsky spent a year with Sun First designing and installing photovoltaic and solar hot water systems for both residential and commercial projects. Her interests lie with clean energy systems and she fosters a secret passion for mycoremediation.

Chris Tostado (MIT, Cambridge - Biology and Chemical Engineering)
Chris Tostado is a recent graduate from MIT with degrees in Biology and Chemical Engineering. He has conducted service work in Costa Rica involving the development of a waste management program as well as research in China on solid-liquid extraction separation processes. This past year, he has also gained experience with designing and testing biogas systems for use in developing countries. Tostado is a coordinator for the MIT IDEAS Competition.