Shultz Previous Cohorts
2021 Cohort
Folasade Ayoola is a PhD student in Energy Resources Engineering (ERE) at the Stanford School of Earth, Energy and Environmental Sciences. Folasade’s research is focused on the deep decarbonization of large-scale energy systems, exploring low-carbon transition pathway alternatives for oil-dependent countries, specifically emerging economies. Folasade is also co-Founder oaf ElectricFish Energy Inc., an energy storage company providing grid resilience and EV ultrafast charging. Active within the Stanford community, Folasade is co-President of the Black Engineering Graduate Student Association (BEGSA), Wellness Liaison for ERE and a member of the e-board of Women in Earth Sciences (WES). She holds her MS in Energy Resources Engineering from Stanford, and BS in Chemical Engineering from University of Lagos. Folasade is excited to join the 2021 Shultz Fellowship cohort and work at the Hawai’i Public Utilities Commission.
Carlos Ciudad-Real is a coterminal master’s student in the Atmosphere/Energy program within the Civil and Environmental Engineering department. He graduated last year with a BSH in Environmental Systems Engineering. His honors thesis focused on statistical simulations of the revenue potential for tidal and wave energy projects in California’s wholesale market. During the summer of 2018, he was a Shultz Energy Fellow at the California ISO where he studied the efficiency of the ancillary services market. He has also participated in research with the Energy Business Innovations group at the Graduate School of Business that modelled the life-cycle costs of clean energy vehicles like battery-electric transit buses. This summer, Carlos will be interning at the California Public Utilities Commission in Commissioner Genevieve Shiroma's Office where he will help design financing opportunities for energy customers to invest in clean energy technologies.
Tony Cruz is a third year undergraduate pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Chemical Engineering. His interests are in environmental conservation, renewable energy, and social/economic justice. California's recent wildfires have motivated him to work to improve air quality and greenhouse emissions so that his home state is habitable for future generations. He is excited to work with the California Air Resources Board to help the state pursue it's ambitious zero emissions goals. Tony is a proud member of Toyon Hall's residential staff and you can find him shooting (socially distanced) hoops with his residents and helping them navigate their frosh experience.
Devin Hagan is a senior in Earth Systems on the Biosphere track, who is currently pursuing a coterminal master's of science in Earth Systems. During his coterm, he will be focusing on renewable energy, and he hopes to continue working in the field of renewable energy after Stanford. Since being at Stanford, he has done ecology research related to marine species responses to ocean warming and is currently part of a research group that is investigating the potential and feasability of solar development on Bay Area rangelands. Through this research, he has been working with geospatial data in QGIS to identify solar arrays located on rangelands, and he has also explored the policies affecting solar development in the Bay Area. He is extremely excited to now join the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) where he will be working with the Regulatory Affairs and Grid Assets teams to asses the organization's use of GIS data and make recommendations to improve the overall GIS capability and efficiency.
Kaitlin Highstreet is a first year MS student focusing on energy efficient buildings in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department’s Sustainable Design & Construction program. She received BAs in Business Economics and Global Studies at UCLA. After UCLA, she spent a year traveling. She then worked for several years in operations at software companies before pivoting her career to align with her interest in energy and environmental sustainability.
Kaitlin is excited to spend the summer with the Western Electricity Coordinating Council. She’s looking forward to applying software integrations process knowledge and experience to issues of reliability and energy forecasting.
Lauren Illa is a first-year undergraduate student majoring in Energy Resources Engineering with an emphasis on Renewable and Clean Energy. She first discovered her interest in improving materials used in renewable energy technologies through volunteering with environmental advocacy groups in her home state of Maryland. Her previous work focused on local legislation concerning the integration of wind energy into electrical grids and their impact on grid reliability, as well as monitoring local water quality. Lauren is also interested in the environmental effects of resource extraction and how tax incentives influence the use of renewable energy. She is excited to spend this summer learning about and working on energy policy and infrastructure, building decarbonization, and lithium extraction and use at the California Energy Commission, Office of Chair David Hochschild. She is eager to better understand energy issues in California and how the CEC collaborates with energy stakeholders and other state agencies to develop policies.
Shoja Jahangard is a first year Masters student in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Sustainable Design and Construction Program with a focus in Energy Systems at Stanford. He received his BS in Civil and Environmental Engineering and Minor in Energy Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. In his graduate studies he is focusing on sustainable, carbon neutral buildings and systems, integrative design, and energy efficiency. In his free time, he loves to hike, play ultimate frisbee, and go bouldering. Shoja is excited for the opportunity to work at the City of Palo Alto Utilities this summer as the Karl Knapp Energy Fellow in City Government and help with decarbonizing its energy footprint.