Nathan Nalevanko

I am wildly passionate about understanding the world and improving the human condition. I believe any problem can be solved and that sustainability is the defining problem of this generation. And so, I am deeply committed to developing a sustainable economy.

Currently, I am a graduate student in the Energy, Civil Infrastructure, and Climate Program within UC Berkeley's Civil/Environmental Engineering Department. I enjoy project-based coursework rooted in creative problem-solving and systems thinking. At Berkeley, I study sustainability through lenses of civil engineering, mechanical engineering, chemistry, and design. I enjoy interacting with young(er) minds as a graduate student instructor for the conceptual science course, "Physics for Future Presidents." Previously, I studied Engineering Science and Engineering Entrepreneurship at Penn State University, where I focused in sustainable applications of materials science.

Between my degrees, I worked for Matson & Associates, an environmental consulting firm that specialized in environmental forensics and litigation support. Here, I researched the operations of the early chemical manufacturing industry and its associated toxic pollution. In college, I worked at the New Leaf Initiative, a local non-profit that provided an incubator program for community projects. I've also worked as a mechanical engineer at a steel mill, a roofer, sheet metal shop apprentice, and spent most of my life working on my family's beef cattle farm in Pennsylvania. And somewhere in all of that, I survived high school, possibly my defining moment.

Proudly, through all my school, professional, and personal project work, I have always made time for exploring the outdoors and all its complexities. Winter is my favorite season (followed closely by fall, spring, and summer) and I can never find enough days to go snowboarding with my friends and family. I am also an avid: fisherman, biker, backpacker, rock climber, mushroom hunter, surfer, and music listener. I plan to eventually combine my vast interests in nature, science, engineering, technology, and business to help lead the future clean economy.