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20th Anniversary Alum Spotlight: Kathleen Robertson, 2002 Solar Decathlete

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The first Solar Decathlon collegiate competition was held 20 years ago in the fall of 2002. Back then, teams had to convince the public that solar panels could even power a home. Today, the Solar Decathlon has grown to include more than 25,000 alumni, hundreds of zero energy buildings, and high-performance, low-carbon designs that go far beyond solar.  screenshot from the 20th Anniversary Alum Spotlight: Kathleen Robertson, 2002 Solar Decathlete

To celebrate the 20th anniversary, we talked with Kathleen Robertson, director of policy, government affairs, and markets at Sol Systems, about her experience on the University of Virginia team during the inaugural competition.

Gracelyn Attablayo is #SDLivingTheDream: Studying the evolving complexity of building design

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Name: Gracelyn Attablayo

Year participated in Solar Decathlon : 2020

University team : Illinois Institute of Technology

Organization/ employer: Socotec Inc.

Role: Building Envelope Inspector

Jeremy Blum is #SDLivingTheDream: Igniting an Interest in Carpentry and More

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Name: Jeremy Blum

Year participated in Solar Decathlon: 2009 Solar Decathlon

University Team: Cornell University Silo House Team

Current Employer: Shaper - https://shapertools.com

Current Role: Senior Vice-President of Engineering and Principal Electrical Engineer

Andrea Lin is #SDLivingTheDream: Learning the Collaborative Nature of Sustainable Design

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Name: Andrea Lin

Year participated in Solar Decathlon: 2021

University team: Northwestern University

Current organization / employer: Kipnis Architecture + Planning

Current role: Architectural Intern

How did participation in the Solar Decathlon affect the trajectory of your career?

My experience in Solar Decathlon brought me the confidence in changing my career path towards one that interests me. In my third year of university, I was exploring architecture classes and began learning about the design process and high-performance buildings. However, most of the work for these classes was done as individuals so the scope of work was focused mostly on the architectural function and aesthetic. Solar Decathlon exposed me to the interdisciplinary and collaborative nature of sustainable design, which has helped me adapt my experiences to my interests.

Louisy Spak is #SDLivingtheDream:Putting her Design Challenge experience to use in Brazil

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She learned a lot in the 2017 Design Challenge, and now she helps design condos in Brazil. Hear more about Louisy Spak's experience in our continuing series.

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Name: Louisy Spak

Year participated in Solar Decathlon: 2017 Design Challenge (formerly Race to Zero)

University team: Sobrado Solar - Universidade Federal do Paraná

Current organization / employer: Multipla Arquitetura, Nova Arquitetura

Current role: Architect, owner and BIM specialist

Heather Greene is #SDLivingtheDream:A Project Engineer Who is Hands-On, Too

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A lot of hard work goes into putting up a large commercial building, as Heather Greene has learned! In this edition of #SDLivingtheDream, we hear about Heather's path from the 2015 Solar Decathlon to a rewarding career as a project engineer.

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Name: Heather Greene

Year participated: 2015

University team: Casa Del Sol (Orange County)

Current organization/employer: Hensel Phelps

Current role: Project Engineer

Zach Berzolla is #SDLivingtheDream:Using a Multidisciplinary Approach for Effective Building Design

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For this edition of #SDLivingtheDream we learn about Zach Berzolla, a 2018 Middlebury College team alumnus. He shares with us the work he is doing at MIT, along with key concepts that he has learned for successful building design, from Solar Decathlon. How about that for a doer designer!

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Name: Zach Berzolla

Year participated in Solar Decathlon: 2018 Design Challenge

University team: Middlebury College

Current organization / employer: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sustainable Design Lab

Brett Horin is #SDLivingtheDream:Seeing the Impacts in the Real World

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This month in our #SDLivingtheDream series, you'll meet Brett Horin, who competed with Illinois Tech in the 2018 Design Challenge and who has gone on to work in energy modeling in the architecture industry, fueled by his experience in the Solar Decathlon.

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Name: Brett Horin

Year participated in Solar Decathlon: 2018

University team: Illinois Institute of Technology

Current organization / employer: Lamar Johnson Collaborative/Clayco

Current role: Energy Modeler

Sean Copeland is #SDLivingtheDream:Revolutionizing Energy-Efficient Commercial Building Through Design!

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Meet 2017-2018 Design Challenge alumnus Sean Copeland. From Penn State to Solar Decathlon, this two-time SD veteran has always worked with a passion for building design and environmental preservation. With his current position at Arup, he is able to intersect the two through working on carbon-free building construction in Massachusetts. Learn more about how Sean puts his skills to the test toward the green-building industry.

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Name: Sean Copeland

Year participated in Solar Decathlon: 2017 and 2018

University team: Penn State University (2017 -- Full Circle, 2018 -- Ripple)

Current organization / employer: Arup

Current role: Graduate Sustainability Consultant

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