New Student Council Helps Guide Kleinman Center Programming
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October 28, 2022
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Meet the Kleinman Center Student Council. The group helps give input on the center's programming—weighing in on things from student publications to visiting scholar lectures.
This September, the Kleinman Center gathered its first student council, a group of energy-minded Penn students who are advising on the center’s programming.
Under the direction of Oscar Serpell, associate director of academic programing and student engagement, the newest group of 14 students held their first meeting in the Kleinman Center classroom where they discussed everything from a new student research anthology to this year’s visiting scholar lecture series. Students spent an hour enthusiastically batting around ideas for innovative new programming at the center and asked sophisticated questions about our target audience and long-term strategic goals.
“As the Kleinman Center continues to grow, and the value of energy and climate expertise becomes even more evident, we look forward to meeting enormous student demand for quality education, research experience, and community around topics related to the energy transition,” said Serpell, who took on the associate director role last year as part of the Kleinman Center’s ongoing commitment to expand curricular and extra-curricular student programming, and engagement with individual students and student groups across campus.
Students are selected based on their engagement with the center and proven interest in energy topics. Each student commits to a year of service, meeting three times a semester. Student council responsibilities include:
Advising on center programming—providing feedback on how events, courses, and programs can be tailored to meet student needs.
Editing a student research anthology—reviewing submissions, selecting papers to include, and editing the final volume for substance and clarity.
Serving as an ambassador to the Penn student community—creating a student outreach strategy to attract more students, partner more successfully with Penn student groups, and reach a wider audience.
Attending public Kleinman Center events—familiarizing themselves with our programming by attending events and engaging with other students.
Sage Basri is a Kleinman Center Student Advisory Council Member and an undergraduate in the School of Arts and Sciences majoring in Environmental Studies. Basri was also a 2021 Undergraduate Seminar Fellow.
Julian Brubaker is a master’s student at Penn’s School of Social Policy & Practice. He is also completing a certificate in Energy Policy and Management from the Kleinman Center and is a member of the Kleinman Center’s Student Advisory Council.
Sean Deresh is an undergraduate student in the Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research. Deresh is a 2022 Undergraduate Student Fellow and a Kleinman Center Student Advisory Council Member.
Emma Glaser is a Kleinman Center Student Advisory Council Member and an undergraduate student in the Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER) program. Glasser was also a 2020 Undergraduate Student Fellow.
Adam Goudjil is a Kleinman Center Student Advisory Council Member and an undergraduate student studying urban studies at the College of Arts and Sciences. Goudjil was also a 2021 Undergraduate Student Fellow.
Alina Ho is an undergraduate student studying systems science and engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Ho was a 2022 Undergraduate Student Fellow and is a Kleinman Center Student Advisory Council Member.
Lindsey Hover is a Master of City and Regional Planning student at the Weitzman School. She is also completing a certificate in Energy Policy and Management from the Kleinman Center and is a member of the Kleinman Center’s Student Advisory Council.
Walter Johnsen
Student Advisory Council Member
Walter Johnsen is a Ph.D. candidate in the department of chemistry and he was the 2022 Kleinman Philadelphia Energy Authority Fellow. He is also a member of the Kleinman Center’s Student Advisory Council.
Caroline Magdolen is a Kleinman Center Student Advisory Council Member and an undergraduate student studying in the Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER) program. Magdolen was also a 2021 Undergraduate Seminar Fellow.
Max Pisciotta is a Ph.D. candidate in the Clean Energy Conversions Lab at Penn’s department for chemical and biomolecular engineering. Their research focuses on carbon capture and carbon removal systems and they were the 2021 Kleinman Birol Fellow.
Katherine Vaz Gomes is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department and a graduate research assistant in the Clean Energy Conversions Lab. She is a member of the Kleinman Center’s Student Advisory Council.
Sam Wong is a third-year law student at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. He is also completing a certificate in Energy Policy and Management from the Kleinman Center and is a member of the Kleinman Center’s Student Advisory Council.
Ha-Nam Yoon is an undergraduate student studying Earth & Environmental Science and Political Science. Yoon is also a 2022 Undergraduate Student Fellow and a Kleinman Center Student Advisory Council Member.
If you are interested in serving on the Kleinman Student Advisory Council for the 2023-2024 academic year, please reach out to Oscar Serpell (serpello@upenn.edu).
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