Tag Archives: alumni

Alumni, Uncategorized

Middlebury Solar Decathalon Team Finishes Fourth!

Congratulations to Katie Romanov (F’05) and the rest of Team Middlebury College for their impressive finish in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Decathalon 2011!

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Solar Decathlon is a biennial competition that challenges twenty collegiate teams from around the world to design and build net zero energy houses that are attractive, affordable and entirely solar-powered. Team Middlebury College’s entry, Self-Reliance, received 1st place in three of the ten decathlon contests: communications, home entertainment and market appeal.

As the first undergraduate liberal arts team ever to make it into the finals on their own, Team Middlebury College is extremely proud to have performed as a top contender amongst teams from technical architecture and engineering institutions. Right before the final results announcement in West Potomac Park on Saturday Oct. 1st, the team’s Communications Coordinator Katie Romanov ’11 commented, “If we could finish in the top five, and be the little engine that could, we’d be thrilled!”

 

Read the full press release here!

Uncategorized

Spot the Alumna!

Down here on Cape Eleuthera, we don’t get too many TV commercials, but we did come across this on Youtube.  Can you spot the IS alum in this Febreze commercial?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zlw-ypNat7Q

Erica Stine (S05), if you’re not too busy in Hollywood, we could use some Febreze down here—K3 and K4 returned from 3-day and the Boathouse is starting to smell…

Alumni, Alumni Spotlight, Uncategorized

Alumni Spotlight: Dustin Kloempken F04!

After six straight years of perseverance, Fall 2004 alum, Dustin Kloempken has finally succeeded in getting six small solar panels installed at his high school!  Ever since Dustin returned from his semester at The Island School in 2004, he has been trying to get his school, Hopkins High School in Minnesota, to consider more eco-friendly practices, like using solar panels.  This feat is just the beginning of what Dustin hopes is a long line of sustainable efforts at Hopkins High School and the surrounding areas.  It is this determination and execution of The Island School’s mission of “leadership effecting change” that we like to see in our alumni after they leave campus.  You can read more about the process Dustin went through to get the solar panels here!  Congratulations, Dustin!

Alumni Spotlight

Alumni on Campus: Mikala Cooper

Another of the many alums currently on campus, Mikala (Mik) Cooper (F07) joins team CEI for the summer frmo Bowdoin College in Maine. Though her major is undecided at the moment, Mik is leaning towards a studio art degree in photography. As a studio arts scholar, Mik does not get much opportunity to get her hands dirty in the world of the sciences, particularly not in the marine sciences. Her summer at CEI is giving her a chance to reconnect with the sciences the marine environment that she grew so fond of during her semester at The Islands School.

This is Mik’s second trip back to Eleuthera since leaving her semester, as she was on island for the 10th year celebration. Mik confesses that she loves both fish and lettuce, so it’s not a stretch to see her working alongside Josh Shultz in the aquaponics system at CEI. As an intern she enjoys seeing the “other side” of campus than she was used to as a student. As is the case with many alumni who return as CEI interns, Mik also relishes the freedom she has to explore the Cape beyond campus, and Eleuthera beyond the Cape.

Mik is a leo, and naturally her spirit animal is a lion, so if you see her around campus, be sure to give her a roar and say hello!

Alumni Spotlight

Alumni Spotlight: Carter Brown

Carter Houston Brown returned to Cape Eleuthera this summer to work as an intern in CEI’s flats program after graduating high school. He attended The Island School in Spring of 2009 and came back because he “really fell in love with this place.” Originally from Bryn Mawr, PA, Carter will be attending Hobart-William Smith College in Geneva, NY where he hopes to study environmental sciences this fall.

As a student at The Island School Carter’s research was archaeology , so this time back he was eager to do anything in the water, and the flats program sees that he gets his wish. Working alongside Justin and Luke, he spends much of his day walking the creeks catching and tagging bonefish. Although the days are long he doesn’t seem to mind the work, as long as it’s in the field. “Cubicles are scary” says Carter, adding “the idea of a desk job is just not appealing to me.”

This time around Carter has enjoyed seeing the other side of campus—the research side. He’s also impressed with the amount of building that has gone on here in the short time he’s been away from campus, with additions like the bike shed, the resource area, and the new construction at Hallig Hall.

Carter encourages alumni and friends and anyone else reading to do two things: jump at an opportunity to come back to the Cape, and SEND MAIL! Apparently mail can really make interns’ days, so if you’ve got something to say to Carter or any of the interns or alumni down here, why not write it down and put it in the mailbox.

Carter can be reached at:

℅ Twin Air Calypso
750 SW 34th St
Suite 111B
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
33315

Alumni Spotlight

Alumni On Campus: Hannah Druckenmiller

Hannah Druckenmiller (F07) is back on Eleuthera, this time as an intern at CEI. She joins the aquaculture team this summer in between semesters at The Leland Stanford Junior University, where she is a rising sophomore. There she studies earthsystems, which is an interdisciplinary major encompassing environmental science, economics and politics. Following her semester at The Island School, Hannah knew she wanted to return, and decided on an aquaculture internship after hearing a lecture on the subject.

This is not her first trip back since she was a student, as she was on island for the 10-year reunion. The difference this time is that she’s getting her hands dirty. She’s also gotten close to some sharks since she’s been back, including watching a lemon shark rip a carcass off of a bait cage and spotting a hammerhead.

Her work here gives her a new appreciation for the Cape, and she’s enjoying being down here with the freedom to explore more than she could as a student. In the work she does, she’s also been given quite a bit of freedom to figure things out independently, “I didn’t know the first thing about oxygen generation equipment, but now I’m making recommendations on which systems to buy,” remarked Hannah.

When Hannah leaves in August, she’ll be headed back to California. She is looking forward to a 3-week camping trip to learn about the natural history of Monterey, before going back to class.

Alumni Spotlight

Alumni Spotlight–Evan Lutvak S10!

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After concentrating on the production of biodiesel for his final Human Ecology project last semester, Evan Lutvak returned home and continued working toward his goal: to run his own car off of biodiesel.  Recently, we received this update from Evan:

“I have made a large, ten liter batch using the small processor I made out of a 25 gallon rainwater collegting jug and a paint mixer. I put a nozzle on the bottom for easy draining, and it worked like a charm. I am now looking into ways to make the process even more efficient. The fuel is working very well in the car, and it reminds me of The Island School vans every morning when I smell the exhaust.”

Evan is a great example of The Island School’s vision of “Leadership effecting change.”  Way to go Evan!  We are so proud to have you as part of our alumni community!