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People
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Mark S. Avnet
Engineering Systems Division, PhD Candidate
avnet “@” mit.edu |
Mark
S. Avnet is
a Ph.D. student in the Engineering Systems Division at
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He holds an
S.B. (2001) in Physics with a minor in Spanish from MIT
and an M.A. (2005) in Science, Technology, and Public
Policy from The George Washington University. He also
received a Graduate Certificate (2004) in Applied Science,
Space Studies from the University of South Australia.
Prior
to returning to MIT to pursue his Ph.D., Mark worked as
a Program Specialist for Centennial Challenges in the
Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters.
In this role, he was responsible for planning and developing
the rules for several technology demonstration competitions.
Mark also has served as a Research Assistant at The George
Washington University's Space Policy Institute and as
a visiting researcher at NASA Ames Research Center. In
addition, he spent two years working as a software developer
for Rocket Software, Inc. in Newton, MA.
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Jason Black
jwblack
"@" mit.edu |
Jason
Black
received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and
a B.A. in Government from the University of Notre Dame.
He is currently a PhD candidate in the Engineering Systems
Division at MIT. His research consists of developing integrated
technical, economic, and regulatory frameworks for electric
power systems which induce demand-side responsiveness
through the adoption of enabling technologies. His research
involves developing simulation models to study the effects
of various feedbacks (physical, informational, financial)
on the system to analyze potential policies to create,
enhance, or weaken such feedbacks. Jason is also currently
a member of the Massachusetts Army National Guard. His
studies were interrupted for over a year due to his deployment
to Iraq in 2003. Prior to attending MIT, Jason was a consultant
for Accenture where he developed simulation tools for
implementing strategic change in large corporations. He
also spent 3 years serving as an active duty army officer,
including 6 months deployed to Haiti with the United Nations
peacekeeping forces.
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Hanna
Breetz
Department of Political Science, PhD Candidate
hbreetz “@”
mit.edu |
Hanna
Breetz is
a Political Science PhD candidate. Her research interests
include climate policy, diffusion of environmentally sound
technologies, technology and international development,
and biotechnology. Hanna received her BA from Dartmouth
College in Comparative Government with minors in Environmental
Science and Japanese. She has worked as a Research Assistant
on the topic of water quality trading, farmers participation
in trading and interactions between environmental regulation
and market incentives. She also served as an intern with
the Texas Department of Agriculture, researching rural
impacts of a USAF bomber training initiative.
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Shirley Hung
Department of Political Science, PhD Candidate
shirley "@"
mit.edu |
Shirley
Hung is
a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science.
She is researching export controls on dual-use technologies,
focusing on encryption, computing technologies, and biotechnology.
Her other research interests include international relations
of Greater China/ Northeast Asia and technological innovation
and adaptation in government and large organizations.
Shirley received her AB in Government from Harvard University
and her MS in Political Science from MIT. She also served
as a research scholar at Peking University.
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Spencer L. Lewis
Engineering Systems Division, PhD Candidate
spencell “@”
mit.edu |
Spencer
L. Lewis
received his Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical
and Astronautical Engineering from MIT in 1993 and two
Master of Science degrees from MIT’s Aeronautical
& Astronautical Engineering department and Technology
Public Policy in 2000. Spencer’s masters research
for the MIT Lean Sustainment Initiative involved analyzing
how improvements in the US Air Force’s design practices
and policies impacted the overall maintainability and
sustainability of its fighter jet engines. The work culminated
in his thesis, "Designing for Sustainability &
Upgradeability in an Aerospace System" and the published
research paper "Sustainment Measures for Fighter
Jet Engines." Since obtaining his Masters degrees,
Spencer has worked as a Systems Engineer at Raytheon Integrated
Defense Systems in Tewksbury, MA where he has contributed
to many radar and system integration efforts. In fall
2004, Spencer will be returning to MIT to obtain his PhD
in the Engineering Systems Division where he intends to
study aerospace policy and research development. Spencer’s
outside interests include biking, cooking, and the youth
ministry of his local church.
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Aleksandra Mozdzanowska
Engineering Systems Division, PhD Candidate
alexm “@” mit.edu |
Aleksandra
Mozdzanowska
received her undergraduate degrees in Aeronautics and
Astronautics, and in Literature, from MIT in 2002. She
completed her Master's degree at the MIT International
Center for Air Transportation in 2004. Her thesis focused
on the impact of regional jet growth on the national airspace
system. The thesis provides a detailed analysis of aircraft
operating patterns, economics and performance. Through
the course of this research, she became interested in
policy issues surrounding technology, particularly as
related to transportation. She will be starting her doctorate
studies in the Technology, Management and Policy program
as part of the MIT Engineering Systems Division in the
Fall of 2004.
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Christine Ng
Engineering Systems Division, PhD Candidate
chrisng "@"
alum.mit.edu |
Christine
Ng
Christine Ng received her undergraduate degree in Civil
and Environmental Engineering from UC Berkeley. While
working in the areas of civil infrastructure design and
construction, she found that many of the most challenging
problems are not the technical ones. Seeking to broaden
her understanding of the interaction between societal
and technology issues, she enrolled in the MIT Technology
and Policy Program. After completing dual master's degrees
in Technology & Policy and Civil & Environmental
Engineering, she enrolled in the Technology, Management,
and Policy Program for the Ph.D. degree. Her research
focused on environmental regulation and firm competitiveness
in the diesel vehicle industry. She investigated ways
that firm managers and regulators can make decisions given
the large uncertainties about future technology development
and human health impacts of vehicle emissions. Her thesis
is titled, "Shaping the Terms of Competition: Environmental
Regulation and Corporate Strategies to Reduce Diesel Vehicle
Emissions." Her PoET work included studying the health
and environmental impacts of ubiquitous computing, early
societal concerns about the automobile in the 1900s, and
emerging energy technologies. After graduating in June
2006, she will be working at ENVIRON, an environmental
consulting firm, in Groton, MA. She is eager to gain exposure
to different industries and learn how environmental regulations
are implemented in practice.
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Sara
Wylie
Program in History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology
and Society, PhD Candidate
sawylie “@”
mit.edu |
Sara
Wylie is
enrolled in the History and Social Study of Science and
Technology program. Her research focuses on the anthropology
of modern biological research. In particular,
Sara studies human intervention, intentional and unintentional,
into biological systems, as in the cases of endocrine
disruption and the production of model organisms in biology
laboratories. Her study of endocrine disruption
and model organisms concerns the impact of manmade chemicals,
artificial selection, and laboratory practices on organisms
and ecosystems, as well as how the structure of scientific
knowledge shapes the ways scientists think about artificially
produced organisms and systems. She is also interested
in the laboratory as an environments designed to produce,
maintain and contain particular forms of life. She
is interested in following how knowledge, people and artifacts
travel between the laboratory and other environments.
Looking historically she is interested in the disciplinary
separation between biology and chemistry and the development
of the petrochemical industry.
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