UAlbany Students Intern in Sustainability Roles Through SUNY Climate Corps Program
ALBANY, N.Y. (July 2, 2024) — Seventeen UAlbany students are among the inaugural class of the SUNY Climate Corps Internship Program, SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. announced last week.
The paid summer internships, which include 36 students from eight SUNY campuses, offer immersive work experience in research and policy at state agencies with environmental and sustainability missions. Selection was based on applicants' demonstrated interest in sustainability careers and potential for leadership and innovation, with a preference for students from disadvantaged communities as designated by the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, and students facing related barriers to obtaining an internship experience. At UAlbany, the Office of Sustainability promoted the internships to students with an interest in sustainability.
Climate Corps interns will work with the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the Department of Public Services (DPS), the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the Office of General Services (OGS), the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP), or SUNY System Administration. Empire State Development is funding the $500,000 program.
Brian Diaz, a UAlbany business administration student who will be a senior in the fall, will be interning with NYSERDA's Human Resources Department, assisting with recruitment processes and employee engagement projects, and working with other departments on strategies that work to promote a positive work environment.
“This opportunity is important to me because it allows me to apply my academic knowledge in a real-world setting and develop practical skills that are essential for a successful career in HR,” said Diaz, who grew up in Kingston. “Being part of NYSERDA, an organization committed to advancing clean energy solutions and combating climate change, aligns with my personal values and career aspirations. It’s inspiring to contribute to an organization that is making a significant impact on sustainability and environmental stewardship in the state where I have lived my whole life so far.”
Chiara Calicchia, a UAlbany master’s student in geography who received her bachelor’s from the University in 2023, is interning this summer in the Sustainability Office at SUNY Administration.
“I am working with a lot of data, and overseeing and collecting data from 30 SUNY campuses related to energy, renewables, waste, biodiversity, EVs and green projects,” Calicchia, an Albany native, said. “This internship is a great opportunity to start on my career goals in green and sustainable initiatives. I want to use my knowledge from the classroom in the real world for action.”
Last week the students met with Chancellor King, assemblymembers Patricia Fahy and John McDonald, OGS Commissioner Jeanette Moy, NYSERDA Executive Vice President of Policy and Regulatory Affairs John Williams, and Deputy Commissioner for Environmental Stewardship Ron Rausch.
"Across SUNY we are opening up opportunities for paid internships and college credit, and in doing so, expanding our students' exposure to meaningful hands-on experiential learning outside the classroom," King said. "The SUNY Climate Corps Internship Program puts students in positions that contribute to data analysis, environmental justice, waste reduction and recycling, and everything in between, and we are thankful to our state agency partners and campuses across the state for making the experience enriching and bringing each student closer to pursuing work in environmental and sustainability-related fields."
King explained that the goal of the Climate Corps is to offer students the experience, knowledge and skills necessary to excel in the clean technology, energy, circular economy, conservation and environmental regulation sectors of the sustainability field. In addition to working with agency staff, students will be mentored by professionals in the field.
Providing paid internships enables students from low-income households, in particular, to take advantage of applied-learning opportunities, which have a high impact on student success and completion. In turn, student interns from disadvantaged frontline communities, who are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and understand related challenges, may contribute to solutions.
UAlbany has by far the largest group of students in the internship program, followed by six from the University at Buffalo; four from Binghamton University; two each from Stony Brook University and SUNY Oswego; and one each from SUNY ESF and SUNY Morrisville.
UAlbany Climate Corps interns, listed with their majors and the agency they will intern with, are:
- Tasnim Ahmed, Master's Program in Environmental Health, DEC
- Ahmed Al Balushi, Environmental & Sustainable Engineering, DEC
- Gianna Archibald, Environmental Engineering, DEC
- Chiara Calicchia, Master's Program in Geography, SUNY System Administration
- Cailla Cruz, Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security & Cybersecurity, NYSERDA
- Brian Diaz, Business Administration, NYSERDA
- Jithin Reddy Kommidi, Master's Program in Data Science, DPS
- Emily Ophardt, Mathematics, OGS
- Neha Pattan, Informatics and Data Analytics, DEC
- Shan Prevatt, Master's Program in Urban & Regional Planning, DEC
- Hope Savercool, Environmental Science & Sustainability, DEC
- Lindsay Solomon, Environmental Science, SUNY System Administration
- Zainab Thaleb Al Sallami, Communication, NYSERDA
- Sergey Tkachenko, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering, OPRHP
- Charles Van Ness, Geography, DEC
- John Vidunas, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering, OPRHP
- Allen Pronith Reddy Yeddula, Master's Program in Environmental and Sustainable Engineering, DPS