Schatz Energy Research Center

SERC Engineer Richard Engel Headed to El Salvador as Fulbright Scholar

Richard at Universidad Don Bosco
Richard Engel shows his class how to measure angles for designing solar energy systems. Gina Navas, the woman holding the device, is a technical advisor to the president of El Salvador. (Photo courtesy Universidad Don Bosco.)

As Humboldt County settles into another rainy winter, SERC senior research engineer Richard Engel is headed for a sunnier locale. Richard has been awarded a Fulbright grant to help Don Bosco University in El Salvador develop a degree program in renewable energy and energy efficiency. During his semester at Don Bosco, Richard will:

• teach a seminar course on energy topics directed at graduate students and energy industry professionals;
• consult with faculty on renewable energy program development;
• assist the university in creating a sustainable energy institute;
• explore opportunities to install a renewable energy demonstration project at the Don Bosco campus.

Richard is excited to return to Central America, where he served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras a decade ago. He will be accompanied by his wife Basilia, whom he first met in Honduras. “I look forward to working on a project where I can merge my career interest in energy and my continuing fascination with Latin American culture,” says Richard.

Richard hopes to bring home valuable lessons about energy education and the use of clean energy in developing countries when he returns to SERC in July.

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