Internships

Madeleine Burns ’24

Major

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Project Title

Applications of the Net-Zero America Project

Presentation Link

View Madeleine's Presentation

I worked with Climate Central to research and analyze data on the shifts in employment that would result from a national transition to net-zero carbon emissions. Starting with Princeton’s Net-Zero America (NZA) project, I conducted outside research and synthesized information from a wide range of sources, from projects similar to NZA in scale and granularity, to specific regional case studies. Taken together, the data provide a holistic overview of the impact of the net-zero transition on the labor market. While there will be significant job turnover, the transition would result in more high-quality jobs across the United States. Throughout this internship, I developed data analysis and visualization skills for programming in R software, and I improved my research and analysis skills. My experience with Climate Central gave me insight into how nonprofit groups can use relatable local issues such as employment to approach the public about global issues such as climate change. I found this intersection of data and public interaction to be fascinating, and it’s something I certainly hope to pursue further in my academic career, perhaps by taking classes in data application or public policy.