Esther Feron is joining the ALEI team as a research assistant intern this summer after graduating from the Institute of Applied Agriculture with a degree in Agricultural Leadership and Communications. Esther will be using skills from the IAA, as well as from the Bachelors they are pursuing in Environmental Science and Policy with a concentration in Land Use from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Esther has been supporting data analysis of utility-scale solar development in Maryland, as well as outreach with agricultural communities about the impact of solar infrastructure on MD farmland. Esther is excited to be on the team as they believe the permitting process to be an important intervention point for issues of Environmental Justice.
Esther is supporting communication and planning efforts for the Community Centered Solar Development Project to connect University of Maryland Extension speakers with communities in Queen Anne’s so landowners and farmers can make more informed land use decisions concerning large-scale solar. Task 5 of the project, Community-Based Solutions, and Visioning, has Dr. Drew Schiavone as the Primary Investigator and Elizabeth Thilmany and Paul Goeringer of ALEI’s working group are Co-Primary Investigators. This broader project collects and shares information about community attitudes about large-scale solar, attributes that increase community engagement in solar projects, the economic impact of solar, and how solar impacts land use over time.
Esther explains the exigency of this research to friends this way: “When you close your eyes and imagine a field of solar panels, that flat bright space you picture was probably being used for agriculture historically, so what happens to our farms as demand for solar increases?” Esther hopes to use the skills they develop at ALEI to support sustainable development in Manaus, where their family lives.
Esther standing in front of the Maryland M wearing a graduation cap and gown, yellow IAA stole, and cords to commemorate their graduation from the IAA. The photo was taken by Ariana Diaz.
