Graduation Date: June 2009
Degree(s): M.S. Civil and Environmental Engineering, Atmosphere and Energy Track; B.S. Chemical Engineering

Grace helped to clarify NRDC's understanding of manufacturing financing and surveyed best practices in use by federal and state agencies for improving manufacturing competitiveness. Because the climate bill's biggest selling point was the ability to create green jobs, understanding how exactly these jobs could be created and sustained was important for determining whether certain climate bill provisions truly deserved the support of both environmentalists and labor.

She was also responsible for NRDC's understanding of the environmental benefits of the summer's Cash for Clunkers program. Grace determined a method of analysis that would accurately reflect the benefits of the program. She quantified the tonnes of carbon dioxide offsets attributed to the program and calculated the (high) cost of abatement, which led to the conclusion that the program could have found better investments for greenhouse gas emissions reductions in the transportation sector.

"I have a clearer idea of what type of career I'd like to pursue in the future, and what type of experience and training are necessary to get there."

Grace Hsu

"MAP fellowships provide the opportunity to mentor young entrants into the environmental field and to expand the capacity of our programs, if only for a brief three months, and hopefully to serve as a launching pad for careers."

Deron Lovaas, Federal Transportation Policy Director
Jim Presswood, Federal Energy Policy Director
Natural Resources Defense Council