Arianna’s primary research project was a study comparison on the expected costs of electricity.  She considered technologies such as coal, nuclear, and wind power, and compiled vast amounts of data on current and future cost projections.  Her white paper summarizes and analyzes this data so that energy analysts at the Union of Concerned Scientists can make informed cost estimates. An example of Arianna’s findings is that wind power is economically competitive with coal and will be less expensive than coal power in the near future.  Thus the Union of Concerned Scientists will use her report to promote wind power investment over new coal development. Her research will be valuable for a major upcoming research project UCS is doing to quantify potential reductions in global warming emissions at the national level.

Arianna also attended two conferences during her MAP.  At a coal power conference in Chicago, she discussed power development decisions with prominent industry leaders and investors.  At a Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative conference in New York, she learned about carbon trading auctions and interacted with other environmental non-profit organization representatives about this unprecedented interstate carbon trading program. She is currently continuing her studies at Stanford University and plans to return to a non-profit organization or other energy-related work upon graduation.

“It keeps me thinking about what I want to do and how I can contribute to local and global problems.  Compared to some of the pessimistic science that we learn in school, working at the UCS inundated me with positive action that is being proposed all the time.  I was impressed to see how new policies and campaigns are attacking energy issues and making a difference, even if in small steps.  That positive experience is keeping me motivated to keep the progress going in whatever I end up doing in the future.”

- Arianna Lambie

“…the MAP fellows have produced high quality research reports that have been useful in advancing our program’s and organization’s goals. They have been helpful in advancing research on issues that are critically important to our work, but are not necessarily as time sensitive.”

- Steve Clemmer, Research Director