An ASU junior will take his studies around the world this summer as he works to develop a global understanding of solar energy.
Electrical engineering student Steven Limpert will receive the highly competitive Circumnavigators Club Foundation grant, worth $9,000, to fund his travel and research across the globe.
The grant is given by the Circumnavigators Club Foundation annually to four students who are conducting a research project of their own design.
The foundation has provided grants to students since 1971 for travel-study projects in the summer between their junior and senior years.
One hundred and six students have received the foundation’s grant so far, and students’ research topics have ranged from human rights to the comparison of economic systems.
“I am absolutely thrilled to have received the Circumnavigators Club Foundation grant and be given the opportunity to travel the world while studying such a fascinating and important topic,” Limpert said in an e-mail.
He has chosen to spend his $9,000 grant on furthering his understanding of solar energy on a global level.
Limpert will research the relationship between the development and commercialization of solar energy in different nations and the government subsidy programs that fund them, he said.
The 12-week summer journey will take Limpert to Spain, Germany, India, Bangladesh, Japan and Australia.
“In each of these countries I will be meeting with solar energy technology policy makers, business people and academic researchers to discuss their role in the solar energy technology community and their nation’s relationship to solar energy technologies,” he said.
During his travels, Limpert said he hopes to gain a great understanding of the business and politics of solar energy.
A passion for solar energy has led him to believe firmly in the importance of its development across all nations. Locally, Limpert is involved with the ASU Solar Power Laboratory.
The lab develops new technologies and ideas to create a more sustainable society.
“I am convinced that working in the field of solar energy is both a viable personal pursuit and a worthwhile societal contribution,” he said.
Limpert has also left his footprints on the world of jazz music.
“Steve has always set very high expectations for himself academically,” said Limpert’s girlfriend and physics graduate student Lauren Ice. “His ambition and motivation from when he was in music transitioned smoothly into his academic pursuits in engineering.”
Limpert, who has been a trumpet player since he was in third grade, performs regularly with ASU’s Concert Jazz Band, and performs with Jazz bands like The Bad Cactus Brass Band and Hot Birds and the Chili Sauce.
“All the guys in the band know he loves music,” said Bryan Geraci, who also plays in Bad Cactus Brass Band. “He has even brought some of his engineering friends to see our band and talk music afterwards, so he likes to expand the listenership”
Limpert studies under ASU professor David Hickman, a prominent American trumpeter, and has been featured in DownBeat magazine, a jazz publication. He also released a jazz album titled haploid 23 in 2009.
His trumpeting and passion for jazz has taken him across the world, and it’s not a passion Limpert plans to give up while traveling.
“I look forward to practicing on the road and perhaps even finding jam sessions in some of the cities,” Limpert said. “I can barely wait to leave.”
Reach the reporter at ktenagli@asu.edu
