June 2, 2023

Student Assistants Strengthen Nicholas Institute’s Energy and Environmental Work

Sally Jernigan-Smith (MEM ’24) and Lambert Ngenzi (MEM ’23) talk with Jonathan Phillips, director of the James E. Rogers Energy Access Project at Duke, during a lunch celebrating the Nicholas Institute's 2022-2023 student assistants. Visit @nichinstitute on Instagram to see more photos from the lunch.

Over the just-completed academic year, 18 student assistants advanced energy and environmental solutions while working with the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability.

The interdisciplinary group of students brought considerable and diverse skills, honed in six different degree programs across four Duke schools, to bolster the Nicholas Institute’s research, engagement and educational endeavors. Their contributions included:

Conducting research on energy data analytics, ocean and coastal policy, ecosystem services, global energy access and more.
Supporting the institute’s engagement with organizational partners, decision-makers, stakeholders and the surrounding community.
Providing fresh perspectives on educational programs and student-facing initiatives like Energy Week at Duke and Bass Connections in Energy and Environment.

“Working at the Nicholas Institute is a fantastic opportunity for students to get hands-on experience that will help them drive progress on sustainable solutions after they have graduated from Duke,” said Brian Murray, interim director of the Nicholas Institute. “But the learning goes both ways. These students bring novel perspectives to our work, sharing ideas and asking astute questions that refine our approach to tackling thorny issues.”

This year’s cohort included students pursuing a master of environmental management degree (MEM), master of public policy degree (MPP), master of international development policy degree (MIDP), master of interdisciplinary data science degree (MIDS), bachelor of science degree in engineering (E), juris doctorate (JD), and a doctorate in electrical and computer engineering (PhD).

Thank you to the Nicholas Institute’s 2022–2023 student assistants:

Natalie Dixon (MEM ’23)

Jibikeoluwa Faborode (MIDP ’23)

Bryan Graybill (MEM ’24)

Sally Jernigan-Smith (MEM ’24)

Dhruv Jhaveri (MEM ’23)

Saad Lahrichi (E ’23)

Juan Merlo Romero (MPP ’24)

Lambert Ngenzi (MEM ’23)

Jide Olutoke (MPP ’23)

Sai Powar (MEM ’24)

Ben Ren (PhD ’23)