San Diego native to study renewable energy technologies in Finland
NEW LONDON, Conn. — Stephen Horvath, a first class cadet at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, was recently granted a two-year Fulbright Scholarship to study renewable energy technologies in Finland during the 2015-2016 academic year and the 2016-2017 academic year.
Horvath, 21, will pursue a master’s degree at the Lappeenranta University of Technology in Lappeenranta, Finland. The mechanical engineering major plans to conduct a research project on methods for energy storage. Horvath’s research project will examine the conversion technologies used to store energy created from wind turbines and solar cells. Subsequently, the technology available to store the energy as a gas will be evaluated for efficiency and cost. Based on the analysis, Horvath will make recommendations to improve the process of creating synthetic gas on an industrial scale.
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program of the United States. Horvath will represent the country as a cultural ambassador while he is overseas, helping to enhance mutual understanding between Americans and the people of Finland. Horvath will join over 100,000 Fulbright U.S. Student Program alumni who have undertaken grants since the program began in 1948.
There were several reasons Horvath selected Finland as a site to study as a Fulbright Scholar. Finland is renowned for technological advancement, and the graduate program at LUT offers many opportunities that are unique to the region. LUT is a hub for energy research in Finland, bringing together experts from academia and industry in the field of renewable energy. Working with the faculty at LUT and other experts in the European Union will afford him the opportunity to fully immerse himself in the most current bio-energy research environment that develops research in a field that has already been proven to have a strong technological and societal impact.