UMass Lowell
Summary
A new
honors seminar, The Science of Energy, is inspiring students from a wide range of majors to get involved in research into renewable energy, in Haiti and on campus.
Now, he’s putting his business skills to good use on a project for the university’s
Haiti Development Studies Center, which was founded and is directed by Giles: installing a small solar farm, or “micro-grid,” in the tiny, rural community of Simone, which currently has no electricity. Aylaian is trying to figure out needs and costs – including how much the community can afford to pay to maintain the system.
“There are a lot of people in the world who don’t have access to even the most basic levels of electricity, or if they do, it’s extremely erratic,” Aylaian says. “Being part of a team that is focused on delivering energy to people who don’t have it just seems like a really good thing to do.”
Giles created the class to help students understand the costs and benefits of different energy sources and policies in the context of global warming. Offered for the first time in spring 2020 and again over the summer, the course has proved so popular that Giles plans to teach it every year.
Several students have asked Giles how they can get involved in renewable energy research initiatives. Those projects will become their honors and other capstone research.
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