Front: Olivia Dingus, Aisaya Corbray, Aidan Simpson, Alycia Falter, Eliana Bravo.
Back: Professor Imran Sheikh, Kellen Lynch, Jose Ortuzar, Nick Schmeck, Andrew Graminski
Strategy Team
Kellen Lynch is the Project Manager for Project ZeNETH. He is focused on innovating sustainable and scalable energy designs through Western’s Institute for Energy Studies and Fairhaven College. Through this project, Kellen earned the President’s Civic Leadership Award, an invitation to TEDx, and a fellowship with the IDEA Changemakers. Kellen holds a Bachelor of Arts from WWU in Adaptive Energy Policy, and is committed to carrying this education into his local community with his next venture, New Story Studio.
Aisaya Corbray is a graduate of the Urban Planning and Sustainable Design major at Western, with an emphasis in GIS and a minor in Geography. She is currently working with the Low Income Housing Institute in Seattle and is gaining experience in better understanding the role of sustainability in affordable housing. Aisaya is excited to bring an opportunity for hands-on education, as well as a physical model of sustainability, to Westerns’ campus.
Planning Team
Nick Schmeck is on the Planning team for Project ZeNETH. He is an Urban Planning and Sustainable Development major with an emphasis and minor in Environmental Policy. Nick hopes to make connections with professionals in the green building and sustainable design field. He was drawn to this project for his fascination with sustainable development and working closely with a great team of students who care about Bellingham’s very real housing crisis.
Andrew Graminski is on the Planning team for Project ZeNETH. He is a senior Urban Planning and Sustainable Development major with minors in geography and environmental policy. He hopes to gain experience in sustainable development and alternative affordable housing strategies. Andrew is excited to end his college career working on this project and is looking forward to seeing the full implementation of ZeNETH.
Systems Team
Orion Eaton is on the Systems team for Project ZeNETH and will be helping assure that the equipment, controls, and balance of system are sized appropriately and perform correctly. Orion has worked for many years in both construction and energy, and he has professional experience designing and installing solar electric and solar thermal projects around the PNW. He currently works for Sustainable Connections and the Community Energy Challenge program as an Energy Project Adviser. Outside his passion for energy, Orion enjoys his family and being a local singer-songwriter.
Building Operations
Alycia Falter is on the Building Operations team for Project ZeNETH. A graduate of WCC in Business, she’s now pursuing Business and Sustainability at with a concentration in Energy Studies. Alycia envisions creating her own sustainable business post-graduation and an eco-friendly community house connected to a farm! A mother of two, her oldest kiddo, Veda, is a bright 5 year old girl. And her little bruiser of a brother, Esmond, will be turning 2 this summer. Her family enjoys the beach, hiking, and baking all the sweet stuff.
Aidan Simpson is on the Building Operations team for ZeNETH. He is a Senior at Western and is majoring in Urban Planning and Sustainable Design. Aidan hopes to use the information he gains here to better understand the place that tiny homes have among affordable housing along with sustainable housing.
Graphic Design
Katie Robinson is a graphic designer for Project ZeNETH. She is a senior at Western majoring in Design and minoring in Sustainable Design. Her interests lie in designing sustainable environmental graphics and packaging, as well as sustainable publication/print design. She loves art, baking, and being a cat mom.
Faculty Advisor
Professor Imran Sheikh is the Faculty Adviser for Project ZeNETH. His research currently focuses on how to optimally decarbonize residential space and water heating systems to meet long-term emissions targets. He is broadly interested in harnessing the flexibility and energy storage potential of existing electricity loads. Prior to graduate school, Imran worked at Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) where he used whole-systems design to make large industrial plants radically more efficient.
Professor Sheikh holds a B.S. in biomedical engineering from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and an M.S. from the Energy and Resources Group at the University of California, Berkeley, where he completed his Ph.D.
Graduated Team Members
Olivia Dingus was the Strategy Lead for Project ZeNETH. Olivia is the 2019 Outstanding Graduate within IES for the Energy Policy and Management with a minor in Economics. Olivia is passionate about energy efficiency and sustainable transport, and is now pursuing her Masters at University of Wisconsin Madison. Olivia spent the Fall of 2017 studying energy policy in Germany, and currently works for the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
Stella Tsitsiragos is a graduate of Western’s Institute for Energy Studies in Energy Policy and Management, and is a founding member of Project ZeNETH. While at Western, Stella led the professional student club, Women In Energy. Currently, she works as the Energy Program Assistant at Sustainable Connections. Her dream is to have her own tiny house nestled out in the woods someday.
Noah Lanphear is a graduate of the Industrial Design program at Western and was instrumental in guiding the Design team for Project ZeNETH. He has a deep passion for exploring design as a means of bringing people together. Noah believes that the design process can be implemented across all disciplines and lead to a global community of collaborators who are ready to face real problems with real solutions.
Dylan Fischer was on the Design team for Project ZeNETH, and is a graduate from Western’s Fairhaven College where he studied Social Impact Design. Through empathy driven research and collaborative design, Dylan seeks to understand and solve pressing problems in his community. He strives to collaborate with diverse people and communities in order to create resilient and sustainable solutions.
Lance Slyman was a designer and construction guide for Project ZeNETH. He has graduated from the Environmental Science program at Huxley College of the Environment. Lance is passionate about sustainable and environmentally conscious design and building. His experience is rooted not only with his time at Huxley but as an avid woodworker and builder.
Eliana Bravo was part of the Media & Outreach team for ZeNETH. She is a Senior at Western and an Environmental Science major. She joined ZeNETH to apply her education and to learn from the project. She is excited to be a part of such an amazing student led project. Eliana’s goals are to bring more diverse and Indigenous perspectives to ZeNETH and to bring knowledge from ZeNETH to efforts that support her Latin and Native American communities.
Jaise Poole is a graduate of Western in Biology and Holistic Health. He was on the Design team for Project ZeNETH, and helped guide the construction process. Jaise is passionate about the health of communities and sees environmentally conscious design as an important element of our evolution. Jaise has experience in many aspects of residential construction, and currently works as a freelance designer and woodworker.
Enya Garcia-Collazo was the Media Outreach Coordinator for Project ZeNETH. Currently a Senior at Western studying computer science, her interest in technology and design was the main reason that led her to Project ZeNETH. Enya is excited to combine her continued enthusiasm for sustainability with her skills in media in hopes to promote a better connection with people and planet.
Molly Gross is an environmental studies graduate from Western. Molly is passionate about sustainable living and creative ways to connect people to environmental issues. Molly was drawn to this project for her personal fascination with tiny homes and the unique sustainable and educational approach this project is taking. In her free time, Molly loves doing art, being outside, and swimming.
Serafima Healy was on the Business team and Outreach teams, respectively. She’s currently working on her degree in Business and Sustainability with a concentration in Energy Studies and a minor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Serafima values empowerment, creativity, and sustainability. Her all time favorite thing to do is laugh until her stomach hurts… and dream about tiny homes.
Whit Jamieson was on the Energy Systems team. Whit is a graduate from Western where he designed his own major: Energy Systems Sciences B.S. This major will partially be used as a template for a future Energy B.S. through the Institute for Energy Studies. Whit is currently an intern at Sustainable Connections’ Green Building & Smart Growth program. Whit was also a leader in bringing EV charging stations to Western’s campus.
Patrick Shive is a graduate of the Institute for Energy Studies and was the Policy Lead for Project ZeNETH. Prior to this project, Patrick was an energy intern for the City of Bellingham, working in the City Council office.
Gabbi Nazari is a political science and sociology graduate from Western and was a member of the student outreach and involvement team for Project ZeNETH. She is passionate about social justice and housing equity. Gabbi was drawn to this project because it allows her to apply her education in meaningful and tangible way. She is excited to work with other students who are passionate and energetic about making a change.
Darrin Gordon is an International Business major with numerous interests stemming from sustainability. He researched the business viability of ZeNETH. When you can’t find Darrin nose deep in school or helping out, you can usually find him swinging in the trees with his hammock after a good hike. After university, Darrin hopes to serve internationally, working with humanitarian relief from a business standpoint.
Nellie Joselyn is pursuing a degree in Energy Science and Sustainability with a Minor in Sustainable Design. She studied Renewable Energy and Technology in Iceland during the Summer of 2018 and is hoping to apply what she learned to ZeNETH. She will be joining the Systems and Construction teams. Her passion for sustainability and small building comes from her dream to renovate an old school bus and spend many of her post grad years in a cozy green space.
Jordan Wallace was on the Systems team for ZeNETH. Currently studying mechanical engineering at Whatcom Community College, his background with engineering stems from experiences on working on robotics team. Jordan is interested in applying his skills to this project because he feels that sustainable energy is an important aspect in the future and learning engineering techniques to aid the growth of sustainable energy is imperative.
Johnathan (Johnny) Mao was on the Social Impact team of Project ZeNETH. Johnny is a graduate from Western in Political Science and Law, Diversity, and Justice. He has passion for environmental consciousness and equitable sustainability. Johnny hopes to use some of that passion he has and transfer it into the Project ZeNETH. He will primarily focus on how this work will serve as a future model for affordable tiny homes for marginalized and traditionally underserved communities.
Mitchell Simms was on the Business and Construction teams for Project ZeNETH. He is a graduate from Western in Energy Policy and Environmental Economics. Outside of school, you can find Mitchell on a pair of skis or hanging on the face of a rock wall.