2016 Georgia Innovation Interns Explore Impact of Renewable Energy Co-ops, Rural Transit Services

Posted September 7, 2016

Three graduate students in Georgia Tech’s Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts discussed emerging trends and issues concerning local economic development during Georgia Innovation Internship presentations on August 30.

The 2016 Georgia Innovation Intern class included Renee Shelby, a Ph.D. student in the School of History and Sociology; Dorraine Duncan, a master’s student in the School of Public Policy and School of City and Regional Planning; and Saudnya Patil, a master’s student in the School of Economics.

Shelby developed case studies regarding four distinct models of peer-to-peer transit that have direct implications for leveraging rural-specific transit apps as a mode of economic development in Georgia. She enjoyed receiving guidance from both academics and economic developers during her internship.

“It’s nice to have that balance and get lots of iterative feedback along the way,” Shelby said.

Duncan assembled and analyzed a database of renewable energy co-ops around the world in order to devise a list of best practices for community and local government leaders. She was surprised to learn through her research about the role of churches, schools, and other community institutions in the creation and maintenance of renewable energy co-ops.

Patil built an econometric model to forecast water demand over the next decade in the Metro Atlanta region. During her internship, one of her main goals was to examine the notion that the city of Atlanta is an aggressive user of water.

“The good news is that Atlanta is not really using much more water than it ideally should be,” Patil said. “It’s right on track.”

The Georgia Innovation Internship program has provided graduate students in University System of Georgia schools opportunities for hands-on experiences linking science, technology, and innovation to economic development since 2005. The program is sponsored by the Program in Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy, the Enterprise Innovation Institute, and the School of Public Policy.