Alexandra Kramer (M.S. '22)
Hometown: Washington, D.C.
EST&P Concentration: Engineering & Public Policy
|Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Environmental Science and Policy
University of Maryland - College Park
Alexandra (‘Alex’) Kramer graduated from the Energy Science, Technology and Policy (EST&P) program in spring 2022. Alex pursued her undergraduate degree at the University of Maryland – College Park, earning her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Policy.
Before joining Carnegie Mellon, she worked at consulting firm, Booz Allen Hamilton, for four years. There she worked on three major contracts: first as an information specialist for the Department of Transportation (DoT), then as a sustainability and energy analyst at the National Guard Bureau and finally as a project manager at the Advanced Research Project Agency for Energy (ARPA-E). During this time, she decided to get her master’s degree to pursue a comprehensive understanding of energy from an engineering focus.
EST&P’s interdisciplinary approach of solving energy problems while emphasizing fundamental engineering applications attracted Alex to apply into the program. Alex’s primary interest is the environmental and social impact of the energy transition. About EST&P, she feels that –
“The EST&P program does not stop just at the classes, there are so many research opportunities, side projects, competitions, various events which really build on your experience and your value as a professional throughout the program.”
During her time at CMU, she was an intern for the Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation. Alex had the opportunity to interview faculty, organize the Energy Week Student Research Poster Competition, and assist the Scott Institute team in a variety of professional events. She believes that this experience was incredibly enriching to her time at CMU by allowing her to see at a high level how energy innovation in an academic setting connects to the greater energy industry.
Her favorite classes were Civil Systems Investment Planning and Pricing with Destenie Nock and Sustainable Engineering Principles (SEP) with Gwen DiPietro. These classes were both challenging, but the professors’ project-based approach guided her through the concepts and provided her with the ability to internalize and apply these skills in a real-world context.
She interned with National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) during summer of 2021, in the integrated decision support group to pursue her research on barriers to solar adoption for underserved communities. She will re-join NREL in summer 2022 to continue her research.
Alex was always looking forward to participating in various energy seminars, competitions and events offered at and outside CMU. Among many, she secured the second place in US Department of Energy 2022 Solar District Cup PNNL Division, where she assessed an integrated solar and battery storage system for a district use case. She is also a division winner and finalist at the 2021 MIT Energy-Hack, where her team analyzed multi-criteria decision analysis, quantifying qualitative environmental and social metrics for renewable energy projects. She is also a 2021 Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI) Fellow and a 2021-22 GEM Fellow.
After graduation, Alex plans to continue her research journey at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and long-term envisions herself involved in organizational decision making towards improving sustainability and equity in the energy transition. She thoroughly enjoyed the vast opportunities provided at CMU, the ability to take classes in different colleges to build out skills and the work she did with researchers and professors that have all prepared her for a career as an energy industry professional.
