Partner: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Members: Matthew Kotarbinski & Amy Sedlak
Amy Sedlak and Matthew Kotarbinski will be working on two specialized projects in partnership with the National Renewable Energy Lab. “NREL advances the science and engineering of energy efficiency, sustainable transportation, and renewable power technologies and provides the knowledge to integrate and optimize energy systems.” Amy Sedlak will be focusing on marine hydrokinetic (MHK) power education and workforce assessment. The purpose of this project is to understand and inform workforce development focused on MHK by assessing the availability of US degree programs and curricula and recommending STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) curricula development needs. Matthew Kotarbinski will be focusing on analyzing economic development from wind energy. The purpose of this project is to analyze potential economic impacts from wind energy during the development, construction, and operations phase. By engaging with communities, NREL will better understand community-level impacts and share findings with decision makers. Although the team members will be specializing in their designated projects, both students will be knowledgeable in each project.