Chelsea Ekwegh, a fourth-year mechanical engineering student in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, has made it her mission to reshape how cities think about energy. After being selected for the 2025 Millennium Fellowship, a prestigious leadership development program that supports student-led projects advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, she is tackling the challenge of helping cities transition toward clean, efficient, and equitable energy systems.

The fellowship, a joint initiative of the United Nations Academic Impact and the Millennium Campus Network, empowers undergraduates around the world to design and lead social impact projects.

Ekwegh’s project, titled Bridging Energy Infrastructure for Sustainable Urban Development, explores ways to connect new and old technologies so cities can evolve without leaving people or infrastructure behind.

Her inspiration for the project comes from her experience growing up in Nigeria, where power outages and generator pollution were a daily challenge.

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