Schneider Summer Fellowships: US Green Building Council (USGBC) 2023
A- LEED Technical Development Fellow (2 positions available)
Washington, D.C.
The U.S. Green Building Council is a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit organization focused on proving better buildings equals better lives. USGBC established the LEED rating system to certify buildings that support this vision. LEED stands for “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design” and it is the most widely used green building certification program and is helping transform buildings, communities, and cities around the world. Today, people know that if they are in a LEED-certified building they are using less energy and water, avoiding waste, saving on maintenance costs, improving indoor air quality, offering comfort to their occupants, and creating less environmental burden on their community. They also know that they are in a building that enhances their health and wellness. USGBC focuses on our relevant and reimagined vision that Healthy people in healthy places equal a healthy economy.
What you’ll be doing
Leveraging excellent communication and project management skills as well as a passion for green building, this position reports to the LEED Technical Development Team. This Intern collects, analyzes, synthesizes, and presents data and research related to innovative green building strategies to support technical development of the LEED rating systems. The Intern will work with bright, motivated LEED Technical Development staff and experts to create presentations and reports for internal teams and external USGBC clients. The Fellow will have the opportunity to collaborate with esteemed green building professionals on diverse projects with the ultimate goal of continuous, sustainable market transformation.
Program support (technical development)
· Research new market sectors and industries to help inform new LEED offerings, such as new design methods, best management practices, building performance monitoring strategies, or carbon accounting technology.
· Develop and execute independent research projects to support technical development of various topics addressed in the LEED credit categories, e.g., innovative building design policies and performance metrics, climate impacts on buildings and material supply chains, equitable design, decarbonization, resilience to natural hazards, healthy indoor environments, and more.
· Support rating system development by managing credit category research projects related to the reference guide, education, documentation, pilot credits, etc.
· Support LEED system goal development and alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development goals and other global frameworks.
· Serve as support for the LEED SMEs by researching and analyzing performance data relevant to the future development of LEED.
· Examine the integration of resilience, health and wellness, and social equity in LEED.
· Audit pilot credit survey response data and analyze credit uptake to identify opportunities for further development.
What you bring:
· Enjoys working with a dynamic team of change-makers in a fast-paced environment.
· Confidence when responding to and prioritizing multiple requests from external experts and senior managers.
· Superior verbal and written communication skills; able to produce brief, clear, and persuasive written communications.
· Familiarity with green building generally or the LEED rating system specifically; LEED Green Associate credential preferred (but not required).
· Commitment to USGBC mission.
· Research, presentation, visualization, and Microsoft Excel skills.
B- Performance-Based Green Building Fellow
Washington, D.C./Remote
Project: Driving green building market transformation with real world performance measurement and scoring
Summary: USGBC is committed to making real-world, operational performance the foundation for the future of the green building industry. This is reflected in LEED version 4.1 O+M -- the first performance-based, holistic green building rating system. LEED version 4.1 is powered by the Arc platform. Today, LEED and Arc are used in more than 180 countries by more than 10 billion square feet of property. The Arc platform collects, manages, and scores operational performance data related to energy, water, waste, transportation, and human experience.
For this project, the Fellow will work closely with the LEED and Arc teams to develop and evaluate new approaches to measuring and scoring the real-world performance of spaces, buildings, and places around the world. This means working with the team to create new and improved ways to recognize and celebrate leadership. The Fellow will do this by taking on targeted research projects and other tasks. The Fellow will use a variety of analytical tools, including Excel, Python, SQL, and GIS for mapping, modeling, regression, clustering, and multivariate exploratory data analysis.
The Fellow will have the opportunity to work with Arc’s global team and industry leaders. This includes major centers of activity in Europe, India, Mexico, and Brazil. Their work will contribute directly to infographics, whitepapers, and social media (e.g., blogs). The Fellow’s effort will help make Arc and LEED a more powerful and effective tool for market transformation around the world.
Relevant backgrounds: Engineering, energy, environmental science, computer science, design, scientific visualization
General Eligibility Requirements: Appropriate backgrounds/fields of study: Engineering, energy, public policy/government, computer science, mathematics, product design, real estate, finance, business, management, building science, technical communication.
Eligibility:
For complete eligibility requirements, please review our program policies in its entirety.
Undergraduates and graduate students from all academic disciplines are encouraged to apply, and applicants may vary in academic interests, public service involvement, and experience. Priority will be given to students who have completed fewer than two previous Cardinal Quarter opportunities.
Requirements:
Selected Fellows are expected to begin service by June 19, 2023 for a summer fellowship. All fellows are required to work with their community partners full-time for twelve consecutive weeks at their placements. Other commitments include the following:
Quarter before fellowship
- Complete an online program orientation.
- Complete Engaging in Ethical and Effective Service workshop or worksheet.
- Attend Schneider Fellows cohort session(s)
- Design a personal learning plan and share the learning plan with site supervisor and academic mentor.
During fellowship
- Submit a brief preliminary report.
- Submit a final report, complete a program evaluation, and correspond with fellowship donor(s) as requested by fellowships program staff.
Quarter after fellowship
- Attend a de-briefing meeting for the purpose of reflecting upon and evaluating fellowship experiences.
- Participate in outreach activities to share the experience and help publicize the program.
Selection Process:
For those who seek assistance, advising is available at the Haas Center to help students develop their applications.
This fellowship is intended for individuals whose application, references, and interview demonstrate
- an integration of the fellowship experience with applicant’s academic, personal and/or career goals
- prior demonstrated interest or involvement in the subject area, including related coursework
- a compelling match between applicant’s skills and interests and an organization’s work and needs
- strong potential for the fellowship experience to enlarge a candidate’s understanding of an identified community issue or challenge
Complete applications are screened, finalists interviewed, and fellows selected by our partner organizations with the intention to award fellowships within six weeks of the application deadline. Applicants should respond promptly (within 48 hours) via email to a fellowship offer, or the offer will be rescinded. Once an applicant accepts a fellowship offer, the student should promptly notify all other Stanford and non-Stanford programs to which they have applied that they have accepted another offer and to withdraw their candidacy.