Meet Andrew Shi '26. As a skilled high school debater, he eagerly tackled topics related to environmental policy. Building those arguments prepared him well, he says, for a more quantitative approach to problem-solving.
"In a debate, you have something you really want to understand and prove. That maps perfectly onto computer coding, where you have to answer big questions about how systems work," he says.
Shi, whose father is an engineer and whose mother works in software systems for a bank, blends his interest in computer science with a deep respect for the natural world. Before moving to Toronto, Canada, the family lived in Kingston, Ontario, where they enjoyed spending summers on the water. "So I really had that connection with nature," Shi recalls. "It's been prominent in my thinking, the idea of a sense of place and a sense of responsibility coming together."
At Dartmouth, he says, "I've found my calling, which is thinking about power and sustainability through a computational lens, using analytical, data, math, and computer science skills to advance my passion for sustainability and energy transition."
Soon after enrolling, Shi became involved in a wide variety of initiatives fostered by Dartmouth NEXT. Although he enjoys taking humanities courses, Shi decided to major in computer science and environmental studies, with a minor in sustainable energy.
"Andrew is an example of one of the best students Dartmouth has to offer," says Ansley Booker, the inaugural Penny and Jim Coulter 1982 Executive Director of Dartmouth NEXT. "His dedication to interdisciplinary STEM education is outstanding, and he is a true bridge builder and role model. Andrew was also a part of a student-based focus group that helped cultivate ideas detailing integration strategies for Dartmouth NEXT's STEM ecosystem."
Booker says she met Shi last year during Technigala, the quarterly showcase for science and technology projects sponsored by Dartmouth's DALI Lab. "His compassion and leadership were woven throughout the gala as he showcased the illuminating research, applications and projects of his peers and professors," she says.
The next Technigala is being held June 4 in the Class of 1982 Engineering and Computer Science Center.
Andrew Shi '26, who is majoring in computer science and environmental studies, says that at Dartmouth, "I've found my calling, which is thinking about power and sustainability through a computational lens." (Photo By Robert Gill)
Shi made his initial dive into scientific research through a summer program funded by the E.E. Just Program, named for Ernest Everett Just, the pioneering African American biologist who was a Dartmouth valedictorian in 1907.
As a residential intern, Shi engaged in full-time research with Erin Mayfield, the Hodgson Family Assistant Professor of Engineering, and participated in a professional development workshop, A Hitchhiker's Guide to Research, Academia, and Beyond.
"Andrew expressed a deep commitment to the idea that advances in STEM should be in service to one's community, and he had an established track record of creating opportunity and community, including his work with the NAACP Executive Board and Queer History Month," says E.E. Just Director Craig Sutton, an associate professor of mathematics.
Sutton says Shi was instrumental in building an important bridge to the DALI Lab, where he constructs websites based on user interface and experience.
"As a direct result of Andrew's efforts, the E.E. Just DALI Internship is supporting six undergraduates in the lab. The E.E. Just Program offers a number of interesting research and internship opportunities, but the DALI Lab internship holds a special place as our first undergraduate-initiated internship opportunity."
Under the auspices of the Arthur L. Irving Center for Energy and Society, Shi is also researching the impact of intermittent resources on the volatility of power prices within regional grid systems.
"By developing a simplified optimization model, the study aims to assess how the adoption of these resources affects the price of power and ramping capabilities during peak demand periods," Shi says. "Think about solar panels. The more people are putting them on roofs, the more people are shutting off the grid for half the day or taking their power off the grid or potentially selling it back to the grid. So you have solar, which is pretty easy to install, but this creates potential volatility on your grid."
Shi is also interested in raising questions about equity, because not every homeowner can afford to make the transition to solar power.
"Energy is such an interdisciplinary topic," he says. "You have policy junkies on one side thinking about the way we subsidize and build. You have people, especially in engineering disciplines, thinking about grid reliability and looking at models and trying to understand the larger systems dynamics. Everyday consumers have an active stake in how much energy they're consuming, and more importantly, whether to make investments into things like rooftop solar or battery storage for themselves. Ideally, my research would serve to inform all these stakeholders."
Shi's leadership skills shine in the outdoors, as well. He chairs the environmental stewardship division of the Dartmouth Outing Club, which plans to convert some cabins to solar power. Shi says he has been working with Dartmouth finance officials to identify possible tax credits for the conversions.
This has been an ideal time to attend Dartmouth, says Shi, as the Dartmouth Climate Collaborative is turning the campus into a real-world laboratory for sustainable living and learning.
“I've had the privilege of being a part of the student advisory committee for the Climate Futures Initiative, which is part of Dartmouth's reimagining of the way curriculum, research, and scholarship intersect with climate,” Shi says.
"I think we're in a really special time when Dartmouth is taking climate change seriously, not only in its own operations, but in nurturing a generation of leaders that can take up the mantle, especially in STEM. Whether researching new textiles made from biofuels or building systems modeling, as I'm doing, there are many ways to make a positive impact, now and in the future."