Michelle Stearn

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Fueling Cooperation: Linking and mapping the disparate producers of alternative fuels

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    Project Proposal

    My interdisciplinary research will help us understand and combat the barriers that prevent local communities and academic research institutions from collaborating to produce alternative fuels in the Araucanía region of Chile. Through this process of investigation and immersion, I hope to forge a network of key players in the industry to promote technological diffusion and resource sharing utilizing an internationally scalable model.

    I will immerse myself in a myriad of Chilean and international networks in the alternative fuel (AF) industry to understand their connections (and lack thereof). I will take part in AF endeavors ranging from university  laboratory research to small-scale community Biodiesel production to establish relationships among diverse players. I will arrange interviews and meetings between these distant organizations to tap into potentially sharable resources.

    I plan to implement the models for technology diffusion that I develop while abroad on both local and international scales. For example, I will collaborate with Loyola University to facilitate internships and study abroad to across borders. While exploring how producers of biodiesel may collaborate, I hope to connect to consumers as well. I envision partnering with a technology startup company to map fuels.

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