Empowering rural development in Nepal: New study abroad course focuses on renewable energy

Posted on November 25, 2024 by Leslie Wells

A woman wearing safety gear carries a solar panel, with mountains in the background. — The O’Neill School is offering a new summer study abroad course centered on solar microgrids in Nepal.

Written by: Amber Greaney, O’Neill alumna and associate faculty member

Imagine going about your life when suddenly a 7.3 magnitude earthquake strikes. Your school is destroyed, social upheaval ensues, and landslides leave your village isolated from the rest of the country. The energy infrastructure is down, and it could take more than a decade to restore power. This is not a fictional tragedy; it reflects the urgent reality that has unfolded in Nepal.

Following the 2015 earthquake, 30% of Nepal lost access to electricity. While most disaster relief efforts around the world rely on gasoline and diesel generators, those are both expensive solutions. In response to these challenges, solar power has become a beacon of hope for recovery in Nepal. Microgrids—small, decentralized energy systems that generate and distribute electricity—have emerged as a viable solution for electrification in remote areas. Distributed energy systems like microgrids offer a realistic and resilient approach to addressing the challenges of energy infrastructure.

The O’Neill School is now offering a new study abroad course that will not only help install a new microgrid in one of the Nepalese communities still without power but will also provide real-life lessons for students.

The course

From May 10–20, 2025, students can join associate faculty member Amber Greaney for this unique study abroad experience. The intensive 10-day course will take students on a transformative journey where they’ll engage in hands-on learning and make a tangible impact in local communities. Participation is not just a learning experience but a crucial part of the solution.

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Estorcien named Emerging Scholar Fund recipient

Posted on November 18, 2024 by Leslie Wells

A woman in a red blazer and black shirt stands in a bright hallways smiling. — O’Neill Assistant Professor Vernise Estorcien was named one of ARNOVA’s Emerging Scholar Fund recipients for 2024.

O’Neill Assistant Professor Vernise Estorcien wants to make community services better by promoting fairness, efficiency, and responsiveness in programs and organizations. Her research looks at how public and nonprofit organizations work, with a focus on racial issues, social equity, and programs designed to connect everyday people with government services that feel accessible and relevant.

That work caught the attention of ARNOVA, a national organization focused on supporting and advancing nonprofit and philanthropic research.

Estorcien has been selected as one of the organization’s Emerging Scholar Fund recipients for 2024. Each year, the award recognizes 10 promising nonprofit scholars and practitioners and supports their research efforts.

“Receiving the ARNOVA Emerging Scholar Award is a tremendous honor that validates my commitment to studying public and nonprofit management, particularly in the realm of minority youth development,” Estorcien says. “This recognition will establish my reputation as a rising academic in the field, support the advancement of my research on minority youth, and enable me to advocate for community initiatives that are crucial for underserved populations.”

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Sanghee Park: Advancing public services and equity through policy and management

Posted on November 11, 2024 by Leslie Wells

A woman wears a black blazer and white collar shirt and stands in a well-lit breezeway. — O’Neill Associate Professor Sanghee Park

It’s been 15 years since Associate Professor Sanghee Park completed her Ph.D. in Seoul, South Korea. In that time, she’s built a career out of trying to help public managers and leaders make the world a better place.

“The field of public affairs sits at the nexus of public policy, management, and governance,” she explains. “We need all kinds of different tools and perspectives on the table to figure out what the current problems look like and how to find effective and equitable solutions.”

Park has always been fascinated by public affairs and how it can help drive the decisions that govern our everyday lives and impact outcomes—positive and negative, alike—that can last a lifetime.

“My ultimate hope is to help shape a society in which public needs are better understood and met, and all members have fair access to opportunities, thereby fostering a more inclusive and resilient community,” Park says.

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O’Neill student pushes for young voter involvement in elections

Posted on November 4, 2024 by Leslie Wells

A man stands in front of a sign that says Indiana with a city skyline in the background. — O’Neill Public Policy major Connor Elliott served as a delegate to the national convention.

Nineteen-year-old O’Neill Public Policy major Connor Elliott has already been on the frontline of elections.

In spring 2023, he served on the reelection campaign for Indianapolis’ mayor. That opportunity led to another—campaign manager for a state representative—which led to another.

“Every two years the state party holds a state convention, so you can run for state delegate,” he says.

He earned a state delegate seat in his home district but had bigger plans. Elliott wanted a seat at the national convention table.

“The norm had been that most of the national delegate positions were held by people who were middle-age and older,” he explains.

Elliott wanted to serve not only as a voice for young people but as an example as well.

“I’m just some 19-year-old kid from Shelbyville, Indiana—middle of nowhere,” he says. “But I had the opportunity to go to the national convention. That’s not common.”

Not common but also not impossible.

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Indiana to be focus of upcoming national climate change, carbon dioxide removal conference

Posted on October 28, 2024 by Leslie Wells

Pic of combine withe the text Roads to Removal Indiana. Options for carbon dioxide removal in the United States.

National and local experts are convening at Indiana University Indianapolis to explore how Indiana and the Midwest can help the United States become a net-zero greenhouse gas economy by 2050.

The Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are hosting the Roads to Removal Indiana Symposium, a two-day conference examining the opportunities, benefits, and costs of carbon dioxide removal in Indiana and the Midwest. O’Neill Professor Jerome Dumortier—one of the authors on the nationwide Roads to Removal report upon which the event is based—has been leading IU Indianapolis’ efforts and planning for the symposium.

Federal, state, and local government leaders are joining national and regional climate researchers and local experts on Indiana agriculture and farming to discuss how climate change solutions could impact farmers, Hoosiers, Indiana, and the rest of the nation. Panel topics include:

Soil-based practices for carbon dioxide removal, such as cover cropping and perennial crops.
Opportunities and challenges with Biomass Carbon Removal and Storage, known as BiCRS.
The future of renewable energy sources like ethanol, bio-based diesel, and sustainable aviation fuels.
How carbon pricing, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the Farm Bill are shaping climate policy.
Opportunities and concerns with carbon removal, storage, and transportation.
The impact carbon renewal and renewable energy strategies can have on Indiana’s workforce, economy, and policies.

Former Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Janet McCabe will serve as the symposium’s keynote speaker. State Rep. Carey Hamilton (D-87) and former U.S. Ambassador and seventh-generation farmer Kip Tom will address Indiana-specific policy, workforce, and economic opportunities. Mark Elless with the U.S. Department of Energy and Alyssa Charney with the U.S. Department of Agriculture will also join discussions during the event.

Additional panelists include Andy Tauer and Caitlin Smith from the Indiana Farm Bureau and Courtney Kingery with the Indiana Soybean Alliance, as well as regional leaders and experts from Indiana University, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and other key organizations and academic institutions.

The symposium builds on the Roads to Removal report, a nationwide analysis that identifies opportunities for every region in the United States to contribute to the national goal of reducing carbon dioxide removal in soils, croplands and forest management, biomass conversion as well as direct air capture, geological storage and transportation. The report identifies regional, community, and labor considerations, weighing alternatives and local benefits. The report concludes that removing 1 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide per year will cost $130 billion annually in 2050 or about 0.5% of the nation’s current GDP.