Class V
Holden palmer
Hailing from Pinehurst, North Carolina, Holden has great interests in the far-reaching benefits of nuclear energy. He intends to research why the linear no-threshold hypothesis only inhibits progress towards a greener future by creating fear and overregulation.
He is an Eagle Scout recipient, as well as a recipient of the William T. Hornaday Badge for distinguished service in natural resource conservation. This commitment required the complete removal of invasive species across an acre of land, followed by mulching and then replanting the area with endemic flora, as well as the construction of an informational kiosk. He is also a sophomore at Hillsdale College, majoring in Political Economy. His post-graduation goals focus on pursuing law school.
Micah vanderkooi
Micah VanderKooi is a sophomore at Hillsdale College. He is majoring in economics and minoring in both math and politics. At Hillsdale, he is a member of the track and cross country teams, the Federalist Society, and Praxis, Hillsdale College’s political economy club. After completing his undergraduate degree, Micah hopes to attend law school and eventually practice law. In his free time, Micah enjoys running and backpacking with friends in Michigan over the summer.
Class IV
Ramit Debnath
Dr Ramit Debnath is the inaugural Cambridge Zero Fellow at the University of Cambridge, a visiting faculty associate in Computational Social Science at Caltech, and a sustainability fellow at Churchill College, University of Cambridge.
Ramit seeks to understand what is desirable machine intelligence for climate action. He uses design thinking, large language models, machine learning and AI to reduce misinformation, recover trust and remove skepticism to improve public understanding of climate change. He is the recipient of the 2022 Google Cloud Climate Innovation Challenge and the Postdoctoral Alan Turing Enrichment Award. Dr Debnath has a background in electrical engineering and sustainable development and a PhD as a Gates scholar from the University of Cambridge.
Ramit has attracted over £400,000 in research grants and prestigious fellowships. And published extensively on solving society's wicked problems, which can be found here: Google Scholar.
Class III
James Bebarski
Bebarski, a former resident of Watertown, Connecticut graduated from Michigan State University (MSU) in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in public policy and a minor in entrepreneurship and innovation. During his time at MSU Bebarski was an active member of the Michigan Federation of College Republicans and the Michigan Republican Party. He worked as a legislative aide for State Representative Joseph Bellino (R-Monroe), Chair of the Michigan House Energy Committee. During his time as a MICEF Fellow, he researched the cost benefit of electric vehicles (EVs) vs. standard gas or diesel fueled vehicles.
Karina Allen
Karina graduated in the spring of 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies and Sustainability and a minor in Environmental Economics from Michigan State University. She will be pursuing a graduate degree in Environmental and Resource Economics in the future. When she interned for the State Senate Majority Policy Office, Ms. Allen created a comprehensive data tracking tool tracking all statewide electricity generating technologies and assets for the Michigan Senate Energy and Technology Committee. As a MICEF Fellow, Karina will be researched the environmental and economic benefits of pumped storage hydropower to generate electricity.
Kate Nachazel
Nachazel is a 2020 U of M graduate with a double major in political science and Spanish. She was the 2018-2019 vice president of the College Republicans at the University of Michigan, and she was the 2019-2020 Vice President of Operations for WeListen, a non-partisan political group on campus that focuses on understanding all sides of a political topic. As a result of her engagement in the political sphere at the University of Michigan, she specifically became interested in energy and environmental policy. Over the course of her fellowship with MICEF, Nachazel researched the use of Michigan’s dams as sources of hydroelectricity.
Class II
Michael Anderson
Michael is a 2020 U of M Graduate with a Bachelor of Business Administration. He served on the executive board of the College Republicans at the University of Michigan as Treasurer while also serving as the founding Vice President of the Yooper Club. In his research project, Anderson focused on the effects that the Presque Isle Power Plant’s retirement will have on the citizens of the U.P. After speaking with members of his community, Anderson recalls that, “Many Upper Peninsula Power Company consumers worry about the PIPP closure and what it will mean for their electricity bill at the end of the month. Energy has been and continues to be a hot topic in our community and I believe it is important to make the public aware of the changes scheduled to take place over the coming months and how the U.P. can benefit from them.”
Susannah Barnes
Susannah Barnes is a graduate of Grove City College, with a degree in economics and minor in communications. She was an active member of the debate team at GCC. For her research project, Susannah researched the regulations that impact baseload capacity. “An ‘All of the Above’ approach to energy policy ensures reliable and affordable energy for all,” Barnes said. “Unfortunately, certain regulations make it difficult to have a diverse energy grid. It’s important that Michigan’s energy industry works for the people to provide Michigan residents with dependable electricity. I’m excited to be working with MCEF to educate Michigan ratepayers about the benefits of a manifold energy system.”
Loren King
King is an MSU graduate with a dual major in non-formal agricultural education and environmental systems & sustainability. He is also pursued minors in sustainable agriculture & food systems and environmental economics. King served as the public relations chair of the Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resource Education Club, and a member of the MSU College Republicans. His research focused on the application of renewable energy in agricultural settings and culminated into a mini-documentary.
Zachary Serzo
Zach Serzo is a graduate of Albion College, with a degree in political science and minor in history. He was a member of the Albion College Division III football team, as well as a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. For his project, he explored the different uses and applications of battery storage by hosting and producing a podcast series that features guests who have different and varying expertise on the subject.
