Sam Bliss

The coolest thing about being in the first round of students to take courses through the Institute for Energy Studies is seeing all my peers' success working in the field so soon after graduation. Even as the program's "guinea pig" class, we were given tools not offered in other universities to become competent professionals in clean energy and energy efficiency, two important sectors in the face of potentially catastrophic climate change. For me, as an aspiring academic, receiving an undergraduate energy education that combines the natural and social sciences has set me up wonderfully to pursue a doctorate in ecological economics. I'll spend this upcoming school year in Barcelona as a Fulbright fellow studying economic inequality from an environmental perspective, thanks in large part to the preparation and guidance I've received from Western professors.