Natasha Allen
Harvey Mudd College
Project
Switching On: The Pursuit of Universal Access to Energy
Cambodia, Uganda, Ethiopia
Today, roughly two billion people lack access to electricity and clean cooking technology. Providing reliable energy access is a powerful way to spur economic and social development and eradicate poverty. During my Watson year, I will explore the web of innovation, funding practices, research, and policy making that seeks to tackle the challenge of universal energy access. I will travel to four countries that each uniquely engage with energy issues. I hope to gain a more complete picture of the global energy access landscape and to understand which areas are hindering development. Immersing myself in local communities, I will explore how people engage with energy and how it can transform their relationship with the world around them.