Connecting with Students in Green Academia

By Cherie Ching, Advocacy Fellow

Article contribution made by Renan C. Mingrone

Renan (far right) diligently taking notes during Zapotec's presentation on net metering, one of the Chapter's priorities

August 8, 2015

Our Chapter is constantly creating opportunities for our members to stay up-to-date on their green education and informed about the news affecting the green community and our state. From Webinars to Green Breakfast Forums and BBQs, there are always exciting events available for our members of all professions to enjoy! Through our website, we also offer educational resources for all to know about our Chapter's priorities and engagements. From professionals to emerging professionals and university students, our website is a useful resource for all to browse and indulge in. A fifth year civil engineering student at the Federal Technological University of Paraná, Brazil, Renan Mingrone contacted our Chapter searching for information on Sustainable Development and its Certifications and Technologies, the topic of his final thesis. We were able to arrange his participation in our Summer BBQ Picnic and Webinar session in July! Below is his reflection of his experience with USGBC MA:

Regarding my visit to Boston and the USGBC MA Chapter events I've attended, I can say they made my long trip from São Paulo more than worthwhile and rewarding. The first was on July 22nd, Fun in the Sun, a picnic at the North Point Park with some members of the green community of Boston. In this reunion, I learned a lot about the Chapter activities in progress and some of their accomplishments. This helped me situate myself in the subject as a future civil engineer on Green Buildings. It was very enriching to talk with professionals of the community and make valuable connections with Chapter members such as with David Bliss, Matthew Smith, James Jones and Paul Lyons. The event was very casual and pleasant and we had delicious drinks and food. The weather was very nice, even with a refreshing light rain. Some members made important announcements about issues like the Net Metering by Zapotec, issues I was able to be aware of and bring back to Brazil with other general acquired knowledges. 

The second event was the Webinar about The Critical Juncture Where Sustainability Meets Building Structure & Commissioning and Integrative Design hosted by the SMMA Sustainability Coordinator, Steven Burke who was very kind and attentive to me. At this event I was able to better understand and learn some specific concepts of green buildings and sustainability like the relation between embodied carbon and structural materials, commissioning in the civil construction and its importance, and the hole of a commissioning agent.

Summarizing my experience, everything was extremely positive and I'm very grateful to all the USGBC MA Chapter crew, specially to Cherie with whom I had the first contact and who made possible my participation in those events. Also, Celis who helped me situate myself and was very kind to me by making my time in Boston more pleasant. I'm definitely going back to Brazil with valuable knowledge and connections and a huge amount of information and references for my thesis. This experience has been priceless.

We hope to welcome Renan back to Boston in the near future, as well as more students interested in taking advantage of our Chapter's exciting and educational events and resources!