Seven Ford School students honored with 2016 Dow Sustainability Fellowships

February 3, 2016
(left to right) Giorgi Tsimintia, Kenny Fennell, Diego Garcia Montufar, Maureen Lackner, Arman Golrokhian, Benjamin Morse, Harry Wolberg

Last month, seven accomplished Ford School students were awarded 2016 Dow Sustainability Fellowships, out of 39 total fellows at U-M.

The Dow Fellowship brings together students from many disciplines who are committed to finding sustainability solutions on a global or local scale. The students, who have diverse interests from green chemistry to environmental law, receive funding to engage in cross cohort collaborations and co-curricular activites.

To foster high-impact collaborations across the university, the fellows program also includes a distinguished awards competition for applied sustainability projects that cut across disciplines and academic levels.

Join us in congratulating the Ford School’s 2016 Dow Fellows:

Kenny Fennell graduated from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts with a bachelor of science in civil engineering. He has been actively involved in international development throughout his career as a civil engineer. Kenny's interests include improving socioeconomic mobility through strategic infrastructure planning as well as engaging and empowering communities.

Diego Garcia Montufar graduated from Swarthmore College in 2010 with a major in philosophy. While at Swarthmore, he worked on a project to develop a waste management system in an indigenous community in the Amazon region of Peru, his come country. He is interested in international development, particularly issues relating to indigenous communities.

Arman Golrokhian graduated from the Sharif University of Technology in Tehran with a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering. Arman is currently pursuing a dual MPP and MS degree between Ford School and the School of Natural Resources and Environment. His areas of interest are climate change, renewable energy, corporate sustainability, and environmental regulation.

Maureen Lackner graduated in 2013 from Columbia University with a dual major in political science and statistics. She spent two years working in grants and database management at the Commonwealth Fund, a healthcare-oriented nonprofit in New York City. She also helped her home community gain recognition for its past and planned improvements in energy efficiency.

Benjamin Morse graduated from Colorado State University with a bachelor’s degree in natural resources, recreation and tourism and a minor in business administration, he served in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia as an environment volunteer. He is passionate about shaping and reshaping international development policy centered on ecotourism.

Giorgi Tsimintia holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Tbilisi State University, a master’s certificate in project management from George Washington University, and a master’s degree in European studies from Ilia State University. He worked on development projects in Georgia for nine years, and led a non-governmental organization working on economic development issues.

Harry Wolberg graduated from NYU with degrees in politics and history, and a minor in Africana studies. Upon graduation, he served in the Peace Corps in Madagascar where he worked as an English teacher and public health volunteer. His interests include social policy, education policy, and international development.

 

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