Alumni
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Amelia Bergbower
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Amelia Bergbower served as a researcher with the Michaud Energy Policy Research Group as an undergraduate student at Loyola University Chicago while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Engineering with an environmental specialization. Previously, Amelia received an associate’s degree from Joliet Junior College, where she participated in canvassing for the Clean Energy and Jobs Act (CEJA), chaired the Sustainability Union, and acted as the Student Sustainability Intern on campus. At Loyola, she was concurrently the president of Engineers for Social Justice, the marketing chair for Women in Science and Mathematics, and had a research fellowship studying the behavior of anaerobic digesters in an urban campus setting. She now works for Ridgeline Energy Analytics as an engineer where she supports the Illinois Power Agency in expanding solar projects throughout the state. She has an accreditation to inspect photovoltaic sites, and further works to calculate energy savings with heat pumps and lighting.
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Sampson Hao
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Sampson Hao was a graduate student at the School of Environmental Sustainability at Loyola University Chicago, earning his master’s degree in Environmental Science & Sustainability. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology from the University of Rochester where he demonstrated proficiency in analyzing quantitative data through R and GIS. At Loyola, Sampson completed his masters thesis on the property value impacts of utility-scale solar projects in the Midwest. Prior to moving to Chicago, Sampson worked on many applied, energy related research projects for partners such as Pattern Energy, the Sustainable Ohio Public Energy Council (SOPEC), and The Nature Conservancy. Sampson now works as an Associate Project Manager at Pine Gate Renewables in North Carolina, and he received the John and Barbara Yellott Award from the American Solar Energy Society in 2023.
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Dottie Nesbitt
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Dottie Nesbitt served as a researcher with the Michaud Energy Policy Research Group as a graduate student in the School of Environmental Sustainability at Loyola University Chicago, where she earned a master’s degree in Environmental Science & Sustainability with a concentration in law and policy. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in Conservation Biology and Environmental Studies from Illinois State University, at which Dottie worked in a lab studying parent-offspring interactions between house sparrows and poison dart frogs. Dottie has also worked on several wind energy facilities, studying the effects that turbines have on local species of bats and birds. Her research interests include the effects that environmental policy changes have on local wildlife and the transition from the use of fossil fuels to renewable energy.
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Olivia Rodriguez
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Olivia Rodriguez graduated from the School of Environmental Sustainability at Loyola University Chicago with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science: Food Systems and Sustainable Agriculture. Her research interests at Loyola included sustainable infrastructure, solving food scarcity issues for underserved populations, and the energy-agriculture nexus. Currently, Olivia travels around the Midwest as an associate utility-scale solar energy developer for the Chicago-based company Ranger Power, where she helps with site selection, land acquisition, permitting, and community outreach. Olivia has been serving in the U.S. Army as a combat medic since 2017, where she’s won awards for her leadership.