Four Ph.D. candidates studying Engineering & Public Policy and Civil & Environmental Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University took first-place in an open letter writing competition sponsored by Johnson Controls. Dubbed Tomorrow’s Energy Ambassadors, Managers and Scholars (TEAMS), the competition urged college seniors and graduate students to demonstrate an awareness of important issues related to energy and sustainability through an open letter that challenged the field of presidential candidates to clarify their positions on topics such as energy independence, climate change, and renewable energy. Students at more than 200 member schools of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education were invited to participate.
The students’ winning letter appeared as a full page ad in the Pittsburgh and Washington, DC regional editions of USA Today. In addition to publishing the winning letter and recognizing the students at the 2008 Energy Efficiency Forum, Johnson Controls presented Carnegie Mellon University’s Steinbrenner Institute for Environmental Education and Research with a check for $10,000 and supplied the student team with a $2,500 grant. Editors from Newsweek, IndustryWeek, Environmental Design + Construction, Sustainable Facility, Mission Critical (formerly Energy & Power Management) and Greener World Media judged the top 10 entries which came from Boston University, Carnegie Mellon, Duke University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Purdue University, University of South Carolina, University of Arkansas, University of Cincinnati, University of Montana, and University of Nevada – Las Vegas.
Pictured (l-r) are first-place TEAM challenge winners: Carnegie Mellon University engineering graduate students Benjamin Flath, Constantine Samaras, Shahzeen Attari, Inês Margarida Lima de Azevedo, and Professor David Dzombak.
Benjamin Flath, of Scotch Plains, New Jersey, is a PhD candidate at Carnegie Mellon University. His area of study is in Civil & Environmental Engineering. He is in the class of 2008.
Constantine Samaras, of Annapolis, Maryland, is a Ph.D. candidate at Carnegie Mellon University. His areas of study are Engineering and Public Policy, and Civil & Environmental Engineering. He is in the class of 2008.
Shahzeen Attari, of Dubai, UAE, is a Ph.D. candidate at Carnegie Mellon University. Her areas of study are Engineering and Public Policy, and Civil & Environmental Engineering. She is in the class of 2009.
Inês Margarida Lima de Azevedo, of Lisbon, Portugal, is a Ph.D. candidate at Carnegie Mellon University. Her area of study is in Engineering and Public Policy. She is in the class of 2009.
Professor David Dzombak is a Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. He is also Faculty Director of the Steinbrenner Institute for Environmental Education and Research.
The Energy Leadership Awards were established in 1991 to recognize public officials who have provided exemplary leadership in instituting and advancing energy efficiency in the United States and abroad. The awards are presented at the annual United States Energy Association/Johnson Controls Energy Efficiency Forum; therefore, the winner must be present to receive it.
A person must be nominated by a peer or self-nominated. A subcommittee of the Forum Planning Committee will review the nomination forms and make recommendations. Members of the Forum Planning Committee will vote on the final award winners, who will be notified before the event.
