2026 Class Day

Training the next generation of leaders

The Andlinger Center’s Minor in Sustainable Energy gives Princeton students hands-on experiences with a wide range of energy and environmental topics, from exploring next-generation energy technologies to learning the intricacies of energy markets and regulations. The program challenges students to gain a well-rounded understanding of how energy and society interact, providing them with the rigorous foundation they need to make tangible, positive impacts on the world.

In the 2025-2026 academic year, the Andlinger Center honored 22 graduating seniors at the annual Class Day ceremony for their successful completion of the Minor in Sustainable Energy. Students were also recognized for undertaking a variety of independent research projects. The research submitted by the members of the graduating class covered topics including industrial decarbonization, critical minerals policy, photovoltaics, clean energy supply chains, and more. 

At the ceremony, the Andlinger Center Research Prize in Energy and the Environment was awarded to electrical and computer engineering student Alex Tseng for his work on an algorithm for battery dispatch, or the scheduled control of a battery storage system. The work was chosen for both its outstanding research and commitment to solving one of the world’s pressing energy challenges. 

Large grid-connected batteries can store cheap, clean electricity when renewable energies — like wind and solar — produce more power than the grid needs. This stored energy can then be released later, during peak demand, reducing reliance on expensive, polluting power. Tseng’s thesis attempts to improve the forecasting and optimization required to control these assets so they can more effectively make the grid cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable.

“Part of the reason I came to Princeton was for the Andlinger Center,” said Tseng. The classes he took, he said, deepened his interest in quantitative methods for making the grid efficient and reliable. “Energy storage, which is really an emerging market, seems like the perfect thing to work in.”  

Tseng and his classmates will pursue a diverse range of careers after graduation. Some students will proceed into graduate programs in fields varying from public affairs to aerospace engineering. Others will go into industry as environmental engineers or as investment analysts focused on renewable energy and carbon capture technologies. 

In closing the ceremony, Egemen Kolemen, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering jointly appointed with the Andlinger Center and director of the Minor in Sustainable Energy, thanked the students and their families for joining in the celebration. “My colleagues and I offer each member of the Program in Sustainable Energy, Class of 2026, our warmest congratulations, and wish you the very best as you embark in your careers and future studies,” said Kolemen. 

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