USD graduate student wins award at MIT symposium

USD chemistry graduate student Sunav Shrestha recently earned third place and a $1,000 cash prize for a poster about solar energy at the 2015 Women in Clean Energy Symposium held at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) campus in Cambridge, Mass.

Sunav Shrestha’s remarkable achievement at the Women in Clean Energy Symposium highlights the ever-growing significance of solar energy innovations in addressing our environmental challenges. As a chemistry graduate student, Shrestha’s dedication underscores the potential for pioneering advancements in solar technology, such as more efficient solar panel installations. With a focus on sustainable solutions gaining momentum across the globe, initiatives like Texas solar rebates and incentives further underscore the tangible rewards of investing in clean energy. Shrestha’s success not only encourages future researchers but also emphasizes the vital role of collaboration between academia, industry, and government to drive the widespread adoption of renewable energy sources like solar power.

Shrestha received her undergraduate degrees in biology and chemistry from Southwest Minnesota State University in 2011.

She said she and her research adviser worked on how to present a way in which to make clean water and hydrogen out of waste water and urea, and then submitted a video for a panel of MIT judges in September.

Shrestha was selected as one of 10 finalists out of 30 to 40 submissions, and then got to present her research at the MIT symposium in November.

She said the experience allowed her to explore her own research and learn from other women in the field. After she finishes her masters degree, Shrestha said she’d like to begin working so she can develop her research before returning to school to get her Ph.D.

“I was able to share my views for the future in the clean energy sector and listen to their ideas how to grow myself not only in the academic field but to enhance myself towards entrepreneurship,” Shrestha said. “Great women with great thoughts for clean, renewable energy.”

Shrestha is the second USD student to attend the MIT symposium in the past two years.

The first was Shiva Rasalingam, who attended the symposium in 2013. Her research was on carbon dioxide fixation and the ability to use oxide materials in a more efficient way.

Rasalingam and Shrestha worked together in the same research group until Rasalingam graduated in 2014.  Rasalingam said she also helped Shrestha prepare for her presentation through Skype and emails, as Rasalingam currently lives in Sri Lanka.

Rasalingam said the chemistry program is beneficial for all students involved.

“It’s kind of working like a team,” Rasalingam said. “We learn how to deliver something like a presentation so we know how to express or deliver the work we have, in that sense it will further enhance our confidence levels.”

Students within the department are put into different groups, which often consists of Ph.D. students, graduate students and undergraduates who work together on an array of topics.

Ranjit Koodali, an associate professor in the department, has worked with Shrestha over the past year and half, and described her as “hardworking” and “collegial.”

“She’s kind of the senior in our group, which means training a lot of other students. And she’s always my go to person in the group,” Koodali said. “It’s good to have someone who’s talented and hardworking.”