We rely on many talented volunteers from all over the world to complete our work.
 If you're interested in volunteering with BGET, learn more here. |
Antonia Sohns
Volunteer & MAP Fellow - USA
Antonia joined BGET in September 2011. Before joining BGET, she completed an MSc in Water Science, Policy and Management at Oxford in September 2011, after graduating from Stanford in June 2010 with a BS in Earth Systems. She became interested in water and sanitation through her studies of oceanography and climate change, and through her work experience in Guatemala, Botswana and with the NRDC in Washington D.C. Antonia is very excited to work in Thailand with the Border Green Energy Team on renewable energy projects, clean water initiatives and sustainable farming with the Thai and Burmese communities. When Antonia is not studying, you can find her in the mountains, backpacking or wandering with a stream.
Patricia McHale
Volunteer & MAP Fellow - USA
Patricia joined BGET in September 2011. Before graduating in 2009, Patricia attended Stanford on a NSF Fellowship where she earned two masters degrees: one in Civil and Environmental Engineering - Energy/Atmosphere and one in Mechanical Engineering. For the past two years, Patricia has been working as a mechanical engineer at Speck Design, a design consulting company in Palo Alto. Although she has enjoyed her coworkers and the project variety at Speck, Patricia is excited travel to Thailand and have the opportunity to use her engineering skills to make a difference in peoples’ lives. In her free time, Patricia enjoys playing outside; she adamantly maintains that bunjee jumping is scarier than skydiving and clowns trump both.
Jodi Sugden
Volunteer - Scotland
Jodi joined BGET in September 2011. She is very excited help with the design of the water harvesting earthworks and food forest for the BGET Grace Garden project. She has an odd assortment of qualifications including a degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine from Middlesex and Beijing Universities, and a Postgraduate diploma in Humanitarian Assistance from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. She has spent the last year and a half studying and living permaculture and natural building in Nicaragua, Ireland, Scotland, and Thailand. Jodi firmly believes that permaculture and sustainable rural development are one and the same thing. She loves to sing, dance, and run around at football on Fridays.
Aimee Porteners
Volunteer - New Zealand
Aimee joined BGET in June 2011. She is currently loving her stay at the Noh Bo orphanage teaching and playing football in the evenings. Aimee is a Design Engineer / Entrepreneur studying towards a masters in Energy Management with a passion for appropriate technology and sustainable design. Aimee enjoys tinkering with renewable energy technologies made from locally sourced materials such as: solar fridges, solar hot water heaters, and small-scale wind turbines. She believes in transferring knowledge to local people by writing manuals, and also helps BGET with grant reporting. An adventurous kiwi, she loves sports, photography and eating prawns.
Mike Porteners
Volunteer - New Zealand
Mike joined BGET in June 2011. He loves playing guitar, football, and rugby. Mike is known in New Zealand for his big laugh and his one party trick: handstands. He is a builder carpenter here in Thailand with his wife, Aimee. He is helping build a sustainable living and learning centre in Noh Bo starting with rainwater collection, composting toilets, and planting a food forest. Mike is excited to get his "Yam Hands" aka "Green Fingers" into creating something brilliant for Noh Bo.
Annalise Blum
Volunteer & MAP Fellow - USA
Annalise Blum joined BGET in January 2011. She is originally from Berkeley, California but has also lived in Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nepal and Tanzania. After studying environmental engineering at Stanford University, she spent the fall living in Nairobi, Kenya researching hand hygiene in primary schools. She is helping BGET with grant and manual writing, as well as survey development for the migrant schools and solar homes program. She loves water in all forms--rivers, lakes, oceans and popsicles.
Visrin Vichit-Vadakan
Volunteer & MAP Fellow - USA
Visrin joined BGET in January 2011. She loves hiking in the mountains and day dream about new places to explore. Growing up in Bangkok, Visrin is excited to be back this year to work with BGET on community-based renewable energy projects and finally getting her hands dirty after spending 5 years in the Bay Area. She recently graduated from Stanford University majoring in Earth Systems, an interdisciplinary program in environmental science and engineering. She's excited about helping out where ever she is needed!
Maximillian DeMent
Volunteer - USA
Prior to joining BGET in January 2010, Maximillian was living and working at the Solar Living Institute in Northern California where he learned about renewable energy, sustainable living and permaculture. He has been working with BGET to redevelop their website and create an online knowledge base for their technical information. In addition to creating flashy new logos for BGET, Max also enjoys befriending local noodle ladies while admiring their stylish caps!
Sam Shrank
Past Volunteer & MAP Fellow - USA
Sam joined BGET in September 2009. Sam grew up in New York City and graduated from Stanford University in 2009 with a Masters in Environmental Engineering. He is working with BGET on cost and revenue projections for future projects and is excited to work in the field as well. In his spare time he loves to play ultimate frisbee and other sports.
Sejin Yang
Past Volunteer - South Korea
Sejin Yang joined BGET in May 2009. Sejin is completing the graduate coursework in environmental studies in Seoul and came to Thailand to get hand-on experience. She is helping BGET set up social impact research on rural electrification with independent RE systems. Believing that life is full of surprise, decided to flow with the stream of life. Learning to be simple through everyday life in Thailand!
Stony Oswald
Past Volunteer & Appropriate Technologist - USA
Joined BGET in January 2009. Stony comes to BGET from the Appalachian Mountains. When not thinking about appropriate technology solutions for rural communities, you can find him biking amidst the rice fields or practicing contra dance calling in Thai to the mosquitoes at dusk. Stony also served as a staff Appropriate Technologist & Project Manager for BGET in 2010.
Christina Liebner
Past Volunteer & MAP Fellow - USA
Christina Liebner joined BGET in September 2008. Christina is sometimes nostalgic for the free museums and springtime cherry blossoms of her hometown in Washington, DC, but more often longs for the bitter cold waves and perfect sunshine of Bay Area, California, where she spent the past six years going to school. Degreed in mechanical engineering and civil engineering, she's looking forward to troubleshooting micro-hydro systems in the field, modeling systems performance, learning more about three-phase power generation and transmission, and whatever else needs to be done.
Megan Kerins
Past Volunteer & MAP Fellow - USA
Megan Kerins joined BGET in September 2008. Megan is a graduate student in Civil Engineering at Stanford University. Her mission in life is to become a renewable energy guru, certainly a life-long pursuit. When she's not designing micro hydropower systems or eating delicious pad thai, you can find her dancing, writing poetry, or learning songs on a small-sized travel guitar. She's very excited about working with BGET!
Joshua Sisson
Past Volunteer - USA
Joshua Sisson joined BGET in August 2008. Joshua is from Rhode Island and graduated from University of Rhode Island in 2005 with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. After working two and a half years in the consumer electronics industry, Josh left his job in Framingham, Massachusetts in July 2008 to work on renewable energy projects in Thailand.
Bruce Gardiner
Past Volunteer - USA
Bruce Gardiner joined BGET in February of 2008. Originally from Scotland, but now living in California, Bruce is a retired solar/electrical contractor, who is now starting a new career teaching photovoltaics in California and around the world.
Jennifer Tracy
Past Volunteer - USA
Jennifer Tracy joined BGET in September 2007. She is heading up the new agricultural project: ram pump irrigation, solar powered aquaponics, and "black gold"production....compost!
Ian Petrich
Past Volunteer - USA
Ian Petrich joined BGET in March of 2007. He's helping to streamline renewable energy trainings and quickly expanding his vocabulary of Thai foods so he can eat more than fried rice at all the local chow spots that lack menus.
Adrian Armorer
Past Volunteer - Canada
Adrian Armorer joined BGET in January 2007. Recently dubbed "Saw Billy" by a group of Engineering Students from Mae La refugee camp, Mr. Armorer wears many hats. He is Canadian, an engineer, a hockey fan, world traveller, and producer of his own electricity to name a few. Only in meeting him can you decide which is most important to him. Go Sens!
Arie Jongejan
Past Volunteer - USA
Arie Jongejan joined BGET in August 2006. Arie (along with Angie) heads up the Refugee Camp Hybrid Project. Read up on project and his volunteer experience, check out Arie's Volunteer Blog!
Angie Beier
Past Volunteer - USA
Angie Beier joined BGET in August 2006. Angie (along with Arie) heads up the Refugee Camp Hybrid Project. Read up on the project and her volunteer experience at Angie's Volunteer Blog!
James
Past Volunteer - UK
James (UK) joined BGET in November 2006. Keeping pescatarian in a den of meat eaters has never been so challenging.
Danny Lenain
Past Volunteer - UK
Danny Lenain joined BGET in September 2006. Flying the flag for the real speakers of English! Had a great time so come on European volunteers!
Doug Hollinger
Past Volunteer - USA
Doug joined BGET in July 2006. He helped to build and test the first ram pump in Mae Sod (that we know of), wrote the "Using renewable energy in the Tak province" user manual, and helped to teach the solar and ram water pumping training in Mae La Refugee Camp.
Yi-Chao Chou
Past Volunteer - Taiwan
Yi-Chao Chou joined BGET in May 2006. Continues to donate his time maintaining the Chinese language version of the BGET page. He also still shows up in Mae Sod from time to time... hmmm... I wonder why?
Andrew Lynch
Past Volunteer - USA
Andrew Lynch joined BGET in April 2006.
Fredrik Bjarnegård
Past Volunteer - Sweden
Fredrik Bjarnegård joined BGET in February 2006. He's Swedish. Nuff said.
Stephen Brink
Past Volunteer - USA
Stephen Brink joined BGET in February 2006. A.k.a. Sola-Controlla.
Andrew Pascale
Past Volunteer - USA
Andrew joined BGET from the very start in August 2005. He approached oneness with "Phat Krapow Gai" - Fried Chilis, Basil, and Chicken over rice following 6 months of daily workout sessions. He also learned to wear a Longyi with pride - and without inadvertently flashing the horrified local folks. Has since gotten too fat to wear the old one properly.
