First Two Students Graduate From Master’s Program in Sustainable Energy
June Convocation is on the horizon but two master’s students expedited their studies to graduate in February. Diana Ioan and Beat Riedener are the first two people to graduate from Carleton’s master’s program in Sustainable Energy.
“This program offers a unique experience which allows you to explore topics not covered in typical engineering programs,” says Riedener.
Adds Ioan: “I remember reading the brochure for the MA in Sustainable Energy and I thought: Wow! This department is serious about coming up with real-world solutions, having the courage to tackle the big questions surrounding national energy policy and to co-ordinate with engineers to improve the economics of sustainable energy. I had never heard of such a unique and innovative program.”
Like most of Carleton’s new graduate programs, the SE program is interdisciplinary. Students focus on either the policy or engineering side of sustainable energy while also learning about the other discipline and working collaboratively with students from both areas.
Riedener chose to specialize in engineering while Ioan focused on public policy.
Says Ioan: “I don’t think it’s realistic to operate in unique disciplines any longer, simply because real-world problems are increasingly complex and multi-dimensional. I feel that through the MA, I acquired not only specific skill sets, but also the ability to communicate across disciplinary boundaries – each which has its own lingo.”
Riedener also liked the interdisciplinarity of the program. “Working with people from non-technical background really emphasized the soft skills such as communication. Furthermore, it enabled me to work on some unique projects. For example, my group and I did a case study looking at optimizing energy efficiencies in northern Canada.”
Ioan pursued several research projects that ranged from studying appropriate energy systems for remote communities to researching the economics of plug-in electric vehicles and policies to introduce them into the mainstream.
She also did a co-op placement where she worked on assisting rural communities in conducting feasibility assessments for wind and solar energy, depending on the potential for such energy in their region. “I found it enabled me to test the theories I learned in the classroom and see how they work in the real world.”
The program deals with issues of the day.
“During our seminars, there was always an “expert” at the table to add to fruitful discussions that were very current,” shares Ioan. “I enjoyed this aspect of being at the edge of change, literally as the latest news stories on energy unravelled, finding out how policy advisers address new issues and opportunities – it’s a very exciting process and also very fulfilling to know you are helping many generations to come.”
Riedener is currently working as a Quality Assurance Site Representative for a mechanical contractor. “The project I am working on is a Leed-certified hospital expansion in Markham Ontario so I get to see first-hand some of the mechanical systems required for the future operation of a high performance green building.”
For more information about the master’s program in Sustainable Energy, please visit: carleton.ca/sustainable-energy/.