Meet the Executive Board

I’m currently pursuing a masters in Energy Systems with a focus on grid management and solar PV. I majored in Systems Engineering and Design with a focus on energy sustainability. I believe solar will contribute significantly to the progress towards energy sustainability and thus I’ve devoted much of my time pursuing a career related to solar. But I’d be satisfied with any job related to energy sustainability. 

jhabana2@illinois.edu 

Hello, my name is Yixuan. I'm an international student from Beijing, China. My major is Aerospace Engineering, and I'm currently doing a senior design focusing on hybrid-electric propulsion and sustainable aviation. Some of my hobbies are reading history books, CAD modeling, and watching rocket launches.

yixuanz7@illinois.edu

Hi everyone! My name is Kirsten and I’m a senior in Mechanical Engineering. Originally, I am from the suburbs outside of Chicago. In my free time I enjoy painting, hiking, and cooking. I love all things sustainability and can’t wait to work on renewable energy projects with InSPIRE. 

kpolen2@illinois.edu 

Hello, my name is Rudy Beauchesne and I am a freshman majoring in Electrical Engineering. Later in my undergraduate studies, I wish to focus in the field of power and energy systems, which I’ve gotten to experience firsthand thanks to InSPIRE. I love all things sustainability and I certainly do love talking about it. If I’m not studying, you can find me sleeping, eating delicious food, or fencing.

rudyb2@illinois.edu

Hi, my name is Saket Pochiraju and I’m a freshman majoring in Computer Science + Geography/GIS. Geography has been my favorite discipline for-what-feels-like-forever now, and beyond being able to take immense joy in satisfying and pushing my curiosity every time I learn and try to better understand how the world works, applying such a rewarding global perspective done right, to me, means working towards better realities on our planet’s greatest challenges, and that’s where I see work in the intersections of the food-energy-water nexus, including renewables and solar, coming into play and being an amazing place for progress.

saketmp2@illinois.edu

I am a freshman currently in Engineering Undeclared. I hope to transfer into an engineering major that focuses on renewable energy and sustainability.  Renewable energy is the way of the future, and I want to play a part in this initiative down the road, either in academia or working directly in the renewable energy industry.

jam19@illinois.edu