Meet Our 2021 Summer Interns!

by Rebecca Sauer, Andrew Rasetti, and Kat Soltany

CleanAIRE NC is excited to welcome our 2021 summer interns! Rebecca Sauer and Andrew Rasetti join us from Duke University’s Stanback Fellowship Program as an Environmental Health Associate and Environmental Policy Associate, respectively. And Kat Soltany is working with us as a Citizen Science Innovation Associate from the Davidson Sustainability Scholar program.

Rebecca, Andrew, and Kat will be working with us all summer long creating educational materials, mapping out environmental justice concerns in North Carolina, conducting research on environmental health and policy, and working with healthcare systems to improve institutional sustainability.

Get to know our 2021 interns:

Rebecca Sauer

I am a Master of Environmental Management student at Duke University with a concentration in Environmental Economics and Policy. I previously earned my bachelor’s in Environmental Studies from the University of Southern California (USC) where I worked as an Environmental Health Research Assistant at the USC Keck School of Medicine. During my time at USC, I also conducted research on the opportunities for education and employment for individuals with disabilities in Nicaragua.

Upon completing my undergraduate education, I worked at Sony Pictures Television and the UCLA Sustainable LA Grand Challenge. My passion for environmental health, climate policy, urban sustainability, and climate resilience can be seen in my most recent role as a student researcher with the Duke University Bass Connection: North Carolina Wildfire Risk and Public Trust.

I am beyond thrilled to spend the summer working with CleanAIRE NC and am so excited to tackle issues surrounding healthcare sustainability and the impacts of air pollution and the urban heat index. In my free time, I can be found cycling through the RTP, hiking along the Eno River, or reading as much as possible.

Andrew Rasetti

I’m a rising senior at Duke University majoring in Environmental Science and Policy with a minor in Economics and a certificate in Energy and the Environment. Having grown up in Salt Lake City, I am an avid outdoorsman who loves to stay active; in my free time I can be found skiing, mountain biking, pitching my hammock, or just relaxing and playing Risk or Catan with friends. Throughout my experience at Duke, I’ve developed a passion for renewable energy and emerging technologies, sustainability, and the overlap between our environmental and economic systems.

My professional background reflects this shared interest in management consulting, energy markets and technology, and environmental policy. Last fall, while taking a gap semester to travel out west with friends and explore the Rockies, I got involved in two internships — one as a consultant for a biomedical devices company, and another researching business models and tariff structures for an organization in the renewable-dominated microgrid space. I am also a co-director of Duke’s undergraduate Consulting Club and will oversee the club’s pro-bono Community Consulting program this year.

I’m excited to join CleanAIRE NC as an Environmental Policy Associate and support the Policy Team in its broad programmatic efforts; in particular, I’m looking forward to the opportunity to create educational materials related to environmental policy in North Carolina. I am thrilled to be joining a team that prides itself on its mission-based work and making a measurable difference for its surrounding communities, and I look forward to working intimately with, and learning closely from, my equally passionate CleanAIRE NC colleagues.

Kat Soltany

I am a rising senior at Davidson College majoring in Environmental Studies on the Humanities Track and minoring in Art History. I grew up around the DC area in McLean, VA, and developed a passion for the environment throughout seventh grade, motivating me to apply for environment-based internships in high school. Since ninth grade, I’ve had the opportunity to work in many different sectors of green efforts including solar panel installation, green-roofing, recyclable materials, urban farming, and environmental justice course planning. Davidson’s Environmental Studies department has only expanded my interest in environmental justice and policy, and I look forward to strengthening the relationships with those professors before I graduate. During my final year at Davidson, I will serve as the Chair of the Honor Council, continuing my passion for integrity and justice and motivating my plan of attending law school. After earning my law degree, I will focus on bolstering environmental justice protections within US policy. As an Iranian-American woman, environmental racism is extremely devastating to me and I am determined to fight against systemic oppression to ensure all Americans, no matter their race, can breathe clean air and drink clean water.

Outside of the environment, I love spending time with my close friends and family and finding ways to stay creative. My Art History minor provides me with a deep appreciation for art and architecture, and at Davidson I sing in an acapella group, the Davidson Delilahs.

I am very grateful to be working with CleanAIRE NC as a Citizen Science Innovation Associate and look forward to working with Maria Sharova this summer. This opportunity is an immense privilege and I am excited to work with a group where everyone shares a passion for health and sustainability.

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