David V. Email & Phone Number

New York, Ny, Us

New York, New York, United States

Boulder, Colorado, United States

Washington, District Of Columbia, United States

For the second half of the CHCI fellowship, I worked as a policy fellow for the office of Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) on their energy and environment team. I carried out legislative research on a range of issues - such as rural energy, implementing grid enhancing technologies (GETs), PFAS remediation of contaminate public water, electrochromic glass, and the Energy Act of 2020. From this research, I conducted a project to identify key opportunities in the Energy Act of 2020 for Colorado, with a focus on transitioning fossil-fuel dependent communities. I also wrote 13 memos for the office regarding coal communities in Colorado, distributed energy systems, the Biden administration's executive actions on climate, and urban agriculture.

Washington, District Of Columbia, United States

I was selected as one out of hundreds of applicants from around the country to work on Capitol Hill through a distinguished two-part placement fellowship with CHCI - the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. My fellowship was split into two halves, the first working at the American Petroleum Institute and the second working in a US Senator's office. Part of the fellowship included weekly sessions on leadership development and highlighting issues in the Latinx community, as well as the legislative process, community organizing, managing up, public speaking, and the federal budget process (e.g. developing and allocating the budget). The fellowship also requires every fellow in the cohort to produce an issue brief on a related issue affecting Latinx and BIPOC communities in the United States. The issue brief I produced looked at energy injustices and burdens affecting low-income households and communities of color in the United States.

Washington, District Of Columbia, United States

For the first half of my CHCI fellowship, I worked as a policy fellow with API - the American Petroleum Institute - on their Federal Relations and Climate Policy Teams. I performed three major deliverables on behalf of API: I led a Q&A panel for SHPE - Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers - regarding the educational pipeline from high school to college for engineers, I participated in a young professionals panel with the LNESC - LULAC National Education Service Centers, and was interviewed with the National Association of Hispanic Publishers on my work with API and on the need for diversity in the energy industry. I also wrote 8 memos on policy and strategy actions regarding climate change, clean energy technology, climate resilient financial markets, and environmental regulations (e.g. PFAS, IRIS Senate Language). Lastly, I drafted an independent technical report for the Climate Policy team on the use of ammonia as a clean fuel to decarbonize maritime transport, its implications on the oil and natural gas industry, and the significance of clean fuel production and distribution investment provisions.

Greater New York City Area

I was a co-author of the following publication: "Current-driven vanadium crossover as a function of SOC and SOD in the vanadium redox flow battery" in the Journal of the Electrochemical Society.I planned and conducted experiments in a team of four individuals and optimized cell storage efficiency in a vanadium redox flow battery through alternations in parameters and presented findings in weekly meetings with the lead researcher. I also developed data analysis skills through the use of atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and programs to quantify the migration of vanadium across a selective membrane that helps determine the batteries’ efficiency.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

In the summer of 2019, I worked at a Congressional office as part of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute.Here, I attended congressional briefings and researched policy to better understand the political influences in renewable energy/storage and how I can maximize its influence on the technical side of the field. I also wrote weekly informational memos on nature-based coastal resilience, energy storage infrastructure, grid efficiency improvements, immigration moratoriums, and terrorism-prevention policy and presented these memos to staffers, among other topics. I created a presentation and graphical analysis for the Congressman and Chief of Staff on stock market fluctuations as a result of drastic political actions.This internship was sponsored by Shell because of my interest in Chemical Engineering and renewable energy.

Houston, Texas Area

I conducted experiments on the understanding, prevention, and control of asphaltene deposition through detailed procedures at the Vargas Lab in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department. I helped in designing experimental methods for applications of asphaltenes: for filtration of toxins in water, creating hydrophobic sponges for oil spill remediation, and dispersion of carbon nanotubes in asphaltene solution.I learned how to quantify data and impact, presenting our findings to the head investigator of the lab in biweekly meetings with the lead researcher. I also developed an experimental procedure for water purification and oil-spill recovery through the use of manufactured petroleum fractions and components and used Excel to present the data collected. I then showcased data visualization skills by presenting findings at a research symposium on the characterization of crude oil components in the summer of 2017.

Bachelor Of Science - Bs, Chemical Engineering

Activities and Societies: Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, Columbia Mentorship Initiative, Sci-Inspire Columbia Chapter, Sabor.

Associate Of Science - As, Engineering