International Changemaker Research Team with Takataka Plastics, Gulu City, Uganda
Erick Angwenyi is a sophomore from Dover, New Hampshire, studying Finance and Accounting. He has previously participated in the UNH International Changemaker Grant to work with Takataka Plastics - a social enterprise focused on enhancing a circular economy through innovation. He is highly engaged on campus as both a Paul Scholar and a Hamel Scholar. He also operates as the Business Manager of the Black Student Union. Over the summer, Erick will be joining JPMorgan Chase as a Fellow in the Global Markets division. In his free time, he enjoys music as both a multi-instrumentalist and jazz enthusiast.
Liliana Pistor
Liliana Pistor is a biology and sustainability major in the class of 2027, originally from Brookline, NH. She is interested in food systems and agriculture and loves to travel internationally, so she hopes to combine these interests into a meaningful career with a non-profit or socially-responsible organization working on global sustainable development.
Emma Davidson
Emma Davidson is a sophomore undergraduate student majoring in Environmental Conservation and Sustainability in the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture at the University of New Hampshire. She is from Northfield, New Hampshire where she found her passion for sustainable agriculture starting in the youth 4-H program and then taking CTE classes and joining the FFA program at her local high school. She is excited to work with Takataka Organics in Uganda in partnership with the UNH International Changemaker Grant to help design and create a composting system to help address food waste.
Amna Zeeshan
Amna Zeeshan is an undergraduate student from Islamabad, Pakistan, majoring in Mechanical Engineering, intending to pursue a minor in Environmental Engineering. She aims to build a career that applies engineering design to address environmental challenges. With a growing interest in sustainability and problem-solving, she is excited to further develop her technical skills and collaborate with peers to create practical, impactful solutions."
Algae Powered Building Team
Co-Lead
Felix “Skip” DeVito
Felix “Skip” DeVito is an instructor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of New Hampshire (UNH), with a strong focus on sustainable construction, green building design, and applied sustainability education. His work includes teaching Green Building Design, where students examine sustainable building practices, energy and water efficiency, materials, environmental quality, renewable energy, and LEED-related concepts. He is a licensed architect. DeVito has also been actively involved in mentoring undergraduate engineering projects, including UNH’s U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon teams and projects involving algae-powered buildings and sustainable building technologies. His academic background includes an M.S. from UNH, and his publicly listed areas of expertise include sustainable construction, green architecture, energy efficiency, and building design.
Students
Thomas Wright
Thomas Wright is a junior undergraduate student majoring in Physics at the University of New Hampshire. A recent transfer to UNH, he completed his associate degree in Mathematics at Nashua Community College. Thomas wishes to further push his expertise by learning more about agriculture and environmental engineering. Fascinated by space travel and colonization, he wishes to explore ways to produce food and energy without the need for expensive and rare materials (like precious metals or those unable to be mined efficiently and at scale in colonies). Thomas is excited about working in the collaboration lab between the Honors College and the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture in researching algae-based solar cells.
Delainey Pari
Delainey Pari is an undergraduate student from Seekonk, Massachusetts, majoring in Genetics. She aspires to attend medical school and pursue a career as a fertility geneticist. She is eager to begin research at UNH to strengthen her scientific inquiry skills and demonstrate her abilities as a capable lab assistant, taking on responsibilities beyond the classroom.
Jessamine Hui
Jessamine Hui is a freshman Bioengineering student from Bedford, New Hampshire. She aims to pursue a career in biomaterials and currently is involved in an irrigation system project partnered with the UNH MacFarlane Greenhouses. With a developing skill set in agriculture and technical design, she is excited to gain more experience through this project.
Joss Ebersole
Joss Ebersole is a freshman undergraduate student from Beverly, Massachusetts, double majoring in Mechanical Engineering and Sustainability. She plans to pursue a career integrating engineering principles with real-world environmental solutions. With this opportunity, she is excited to kickstart her research career and develop her technical and research skills while collaborating with peers to address environmental challenges through practical design
Evey Jurden
Evey Jurden is a freshman undergraduate student majoring in Biomedical Science: Medical and Veterinary Sciences in the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture at the University of New Hampshire. She aims to attend medical school and pursue a career as an orthopedic surgeon. Originally from Springfield, Virginia, she is thrilled to develop her research skills while working alongside eager peers in the Honors College. Evey competes on the University's varsity volleyball program and is passionate about sports medicine, animal welfare, strength training, and mentoring others.
Microalgae Production Enhancement Team
Madeline Eaton
Madeline is a sophomore Ocean Engineering student from Dover, NH. She is passionate about music, the environment, and creatively solving problems to real-world challenges. She is currently working as a tutor at UNH.
Sebastian Roberts
Sebastian Roberts is a freshman at the University of New Hampshire, majoring in Mechanical Engineering in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences. Originally from Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, he is excited to take advantage of this research opportunity to gain valuable experience. Sebastian is looking forward to extending his knowledge about environmental engineering and research.
Vivian Oliver
Vivian Oliver is a freshman majoring in wildlife and conservation biology, originally from Middletown, New Jersey. She aims to pursue a career in wildlife biology with a focus in education. She has experience in education and restoration work from interning with the American Littoral Society over the summer. She is very excited to gain new experience through this project.
Edward Evans
Edward Evans is a freshman undergraduate student at UNH majoring in Civil Engineering. He is from Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. Edward is looking forward to his time at UNH and plans to broaden his knowledge as much as possible before hopefully entering the mining field, with the ultimate goal of achieving self-employment.
Ashlyn Duplessis
Maggie Shepherd
Sonya Witkoskie