Grad Student Wins MIT Contest

Howard presented his work in the headquarters of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

Nov. 12, 2015 - Environmental engineering graduate student Daniel Howard won MIT’s Energy Solutions for Latin America contest, hosted by MIT’s Center for Collective Intelligence, with a project that analyzes which mix of energy sources provides the lowest total commercial, environmental and health costs for society. This approach allows countries to focus on development while minimizing climate change, air pollution and health impacts.

Howard presented his work, “Electricity at the lowest societal cost,” in August in Santiago, Chile, at a sustainability conference sponsored by MIT’s Sloan Latin America Office, in partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. Before his presentation, he was hosted at the home of the U.S. Ambassador to Chile, and afterward, Chile’s Minister of Energy invited Howard to his office to further discuss the project.

Howard also presented the work at MIT in October during the “Crowds and Climate” and “Solve” conferences. He says his passion “is helping people who are struggling to survive in developing countries and securing a stable planet for future generations.”

Learn more about Howard’s project here.