The Alvarado Sustainability Scholars is a cohort of ECE undergraduate students conducting research projects focused on the intersection of energy and sustainability. Students accepted to the program work closely with faculty and PhD students to achieve defined research goals over the course of a semester (with possible extension).
Projects: The research projects that are pursued through this project all focus on energy and sustainability, but the specific topics and number of available projects will vary by semester. To match students with available opportunities, students are asked to indicate their interest in one or more of the following areas on the application form:
- Optimization of electric grid operations
- Control of power electronic devices
- Data analytics for the electric grid
- Risk assessment and statistical modeling for the energy sector
- Power electronics hardware for renewable integration
- Managing extreme weather impacts on the grid
- Enabling an electric grid with lots of renewable energy
Students may also indicate any faculty or graduate students they are particularly interested in working with. It is also possible for students to submit their own research ideas, but the acceptance of such projects depend on fit with the program and whether an appropriate advisor can be identified.
Time Commitment: The expected time commitment from participating students is 9 hours/week. Positions are formalized as either a 3 credit independent study or a 9 hours/week student hourly appointment, depending on student and advisor preference.
Additional Expectations: In addition to their research tasks, Alvarado Sustainability Scholars are expected to present their research at the Undergraduate Research Symposium (yearly in April). Students also have to produce a 1-2 page executive summary report to be shared with the Alvarado family, and participate in an end-of-semester event with other Alvarado Sustainability Scholars.
Application Process: Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis, so students are encouraged to submit applications as soon as possible, but at the latest by Tuesday, January 7. Applications must be submitted by filling in this form. Finalist students will be interviewed by faculty and/or graduate students in the following weeks, and offers for participation will be made by the first week of the semester.
The Alvarado Sustainability Scholars program is made possible through the generous support of Fernando and Carla Alvarado. Fernando Alvarado is an emeritus professor of the ECE department, who made significant contributions in nearly every area of electric power systems research over the course of his 30 years as a faculty member at UW Madison. Important aspects of his work include computational methods for large-scale systems, the interaction between power systems and markets, the use of prices for the management of power systems congestion, and the impact of distributed energy storage.