As the exciting potential of biofuels and renewable power such as solar, wind and waste-to-energy are explored around the world, an undergraduate at Florida International University (FIU) spent six weeks this summer researching alternative energy in the Dominican Republic.
Renzon Mora, a senior majoring in international business and marketing in the College of Business Administration, was awarded the “Alternative Energy Markets in the Dominican Republic: A Study Abroad” internship. The new internship, sponsored by U.S. Department of Education, was offered through the Global Energy Security Forum (GESF) within FIU’s School of International and Public Affairs.
“Mora competed with students from engineering, environmental studies and other fields for this internship,” said GESF co-director Ed Glab. “It shows that the business school at FIU attracts top quality students.”
Intern explores alternative energy’s potential.
“I learned so many things I didn’t know about the energy sectors, especially wind power and biofuels,” Mora said. “I especially learned about what the Dominican Republic has to offer Florida in terms of developing these alternative energies.”
He spent his time researching the potential for small Florida businesses to export alternative energy products and services in the Dominican Republic. He is now preparing a report of his findings.
“Florida and other U.S. areas have the technology edge and the Caribbean and Latin America have the natural resources,” said George Philippidis, energy director of the Applied Research Center and co-director of GESF at FIU. “Combining these assets we can help Florida and The Americas evolve into the global leader in clean energy.”
Mora’s internship was at the National Commission of Energy in the capital city of Santo Domingo and afforded him the opportunity to explore some of the Dominican Republic in addition to conducting his research.
A second FIU student, Bradley Porter (MA ’10), who focused on international business in his graduate program in Latin American and Caribbean Studies, had the same internship in Panama.
